~ My fathers Oldies ~

 

Since I was a 5 year old kid, I remember my dad

having a separate room with a layout. 

In my imagination it must have been a huge layout. 

 

But then , so is everything when seen through the eyes of a child... 
 
Even though his trains and layout didn't measure up to today's standards, they did have a tremendous impact on me.  
 
The sound, the odor, the colours... 
Aren't these the ingredients that make a lasting imprint on our memories?

 

 

One of my most treasured memories is

this small tank locomotive.

It had Telex-couplers and was able

to uncouple cars anywhere on the track.

 

I admit, the thing could not even stand

in the shadow of any of today's models

but oh what charm it had!

This model (3031) was first released in 1959

and albeit as an upgraded version,

was kept in production, until 1998.

 

The second locomotive I recall

is this engine Class 24.

 

This one is not the old FM 800 (1956),

but the 8th version which was released

as 3003 in 1972.

 

It was delivered in a different package:

a colourful box

with a label '3003' on the side.

 

Then there is this  majestic Baureihe 23 Neubau. 
Specific detail of this model is,

that it was equipped with 'real' light.
Even if it was totally out of scale...

At night you could see this train running through

the tunnels, with it's bright illuminated coaches.

 

Reversing the direction with 24 Volts would produce a  blinding flash.

 

Was it light or lightning?

 

 In the late sixties almost all Märklin steamers

had a screw in the dome on top of the hood

to fasten the body to the chassis.
 

Rather crude by today's standards,

but who really cared back then

about nasty "details" like that?
 
The first BR 23 was released by Märklin in 1956

as DA 800.
This one reads 3005 on engine and tender

and was released between 1961-1964. 

 

Sometimes we used the (unmotorized) tender

by hand as a locomotive pulling

lots of good vans behind it...
 
Dad's layout was "huge".

There was a 120 meters of track

on 3 different levels. 

 

One can imagine how us kids crawled

and climbed all through the attic.

 

(click to enlarge)

 

Whereas the BR 23 was 'dad',

this BR 38 one was like 'mom'.
 

It's the only model of the Class 38

with Wannentender. 
 

This (2nd) version was released as 3098

between 1973-1977.

 

 

The strongest engine, even as a  model, was this Class 01.
As kids we hardly ever used proper terminology

like "Class 1" or "Class 2", these "beasts" had nicknames!

This one was called 'Mammoth'.
 
In 1958 Märklin released its first 01 (3026).

This model (3048) was the last in its series

and released between 1969 and 1972.

 

 

Here's a rear view. 

 

This 18 458 (the former Bavarian S 3/6)

could not be missed.  It was the first model that Märklin released with a factory installed Seuthe smoke unit  and hence had a reference of it's own:

~ 3091 (mit Raucherzeuger)
~ 3093 (ohne Raucherzeuger)

 

 

Next to steamers my dad bought

this German crocodile,

the E 94.
 

That must have been

between 1966 and 1970.
 

Märklin released it as 3022.

 

 

 

So this is my dads 'collection'. Since we played with his trains for many, many years and being kids, these trains show more then a touch of time.

Mostly because us kids played with them, the locomotives and rolling stock are well worn and  from a die hard collector's point of view there's hardly any value to this collection.
The memories though  were the inspiration to become an enthusiastic collector and modeller myself.

 

When my father started his layout in about 1971, he obvious was not amused by what Märklin suggested in the 1968 catalogue.

This was  a standard layout and pretty common in those days. How about it? 

 

 


No, he had something bigger in mind. Twenty square meters in three levels with 120 meters of track. Now that is large indeed.

This picture was the first out of five which my dad made of his layout. It must have been about 1974. 

It showed a lot of table, tracks and newspaper-mountains then...

 

 

 

After my father finished it so far, I was able to use my own imagination and inspiration...

This is what it became. 

Anno Domini 1990

 

And ye shall (again) be like children

 

 

Frits Osterthun ~ 17.03.2005 | 23.8.2008 | 18.2.1012

In remembrance of my father who passed away on January 19th, 2006 at age 76.

The layout was demolished in February 25th, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.7.2022

 

~~~ 

By the way... I was able to visit the house once again in 2022, as well as the attic.

It looked like this, only weeks before the new owner would renovate the whole attic.

 

9.7.2022