Ahh - The Aurora Postage Stamp set

[chuck geiger]

I saw a Postage Stamp set on EBAY and it took me back!

One Saturday morning in1968, my dad took me to the base hobby shop. One thing
about being a military brat, was the base hobby shop, they had everything and the
prices were great and no sales tax. I had money left over from doing a stupid thing.
I sold my HO Penn-Line Santa Fe Super Chief set (sells for hundreds as a collectors
set now).

http://www.hoseeker.org/pennline/pennlinecatalog1962pg05.jpg

I got enough to buy my Aurora Postage Stamp N set, some more sectional track,
roadbed, which I knew nothing about and 2 manual switches. Then off to the
lumber yard for wood. A 2x4 section of plywood that sat on a table in the
covered patio (We lived in San Diego) no weather problems. I was off to the races.
N scale was rough in 1968, noisy, I was clumsy as a kid laying track, it wasn't
like what I was reading in Model Railroader. Felt like Ralphy when he got his
Ovaltine secret decoder ring in Christmas Story.

http://images1.americanlisted.com/nlarge/santa_fe_aurora_n_scale_train_set_100_spring_lake_10593465.jpg

[Bob Bufkin]

I still have 2 of those sets.  I know which locos go in the boxes (which I still have) but the cars are scattered in different cabinets and I don't remember what when with what.

[DKS]

While I don't have my original Postage Stamp set, I have one I got off eBay several years ago that, amazingly, is brand new--the cellophane inside is still sealed. Funny, when I open the box, the smell that wafts out takes me right back to 1967, when I got my first set.

[chuck geiger]

Awesome DKS

[milw156]

Brings back memories! and what about those paint schemes?!!!I Got the Sante Fe for xmas in 1968, the f-7 might have been close, but the passenger cars were no where near!
Rick

[chuck geiger]

And I never could figure out why they would put the passenger F-7's with
frieght cars...ATSF had blue and gold F-7's for frieght service....

[Nato]

      I still have my original Postage Stamp Set,but it isn't original any more. It is a Union Pacific passenger set. When I opened up the box and saw the passenger cars were silver with a yellow window band and black lettering I knew it was time for action. Out came my Testors Paints,I mixed up a shade of yellow that I thought was a pretty good match to the locomotive.Of coures I disassembled the car bodys from the frames they screwed in,removed the windows. The gray I used on the the roof and frame has a bit too much blue in it to look correct.Carefully painted the dome window frames. Red striping came from decal stripes. There was not much in the way of N Decal Sets then,but I found on I believe a Walthers HO sheet the name "UNION PACIFIC" that went on car letterboard's near ends when "PULLMAN" in larger letters was centered on the upper sides,was right size for the road name. I do not recall what I did for numbers. Oh yes the dome seats got painded a blue-green color which made dome winows look tinted. Then I wrote a nice business Letter to Aurora pointed out that Union Pacific cars were painted like the locomotives and I hoped they would change them.Well to this day that never happened the later Trix, and now retooled in China Model Power versions of these cars in UP still are sliver with the yellow stripe.My set is still in the box with all the track sections. I ran the diesel alot. The Magazine formated book "1000 and 1 Model Railroad Ideas" showed B&W photos of what were probably pilot models of the Aurora/Trix F-7's in a side view like they were laying on their sides photographed directly overhead. I mention this because a dynamic brake fan was visible on the roof ,but the actual models did not have DB Fan,I later added some along with weatherization hatch's "Minitures by Eric' on some CP units. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[wm3798]

One of my earliest exposures to N scale (other than drooling down the display window at Klein's) was my cousin's Postage Stamp set.  I had gone up to Pittsburgh to visit for a week, even got to ride the Broadway in a "Heritage Fleet" coach (it was about 1975).  I had gone armed with some model cars to work on with Johnny, but they never came out of the box. 

I was hooked.

Now, David, the only logical thing for you to do is to open up that box and set it up on the kitchen table with your gray striped hat on...  You know you want to....

Lee

[Mark5]

My best friend and his brother (they were twins) got a one of these in the late 60s with the War Bonnet F7 and freight cars. They also had the foam "layout" from the same era.

I think it was exposure to this set that triggered my switch to N scale (At the time I had a Tyco HO set running on a 4X8 sheet of plywood).

Mark

[Blazeman]

There were actually TV ads for the set that I recall ran in the summer of '67. That campaign didn't last too long as I only saw them a couple times, usually during pre season football games.

That worked on my mind though and the following summer I was able to purchase a set. ATSF F-7's for the freight train (with a WM hopper among the cars). F-7 trucks though are black.

As the layout construction proceeds and trains can circuit the layout, expect there will be a turn-back-the-clock night and this set will take a bow.

[cv_acr]

Interesting how the box doesn't call it N scale/gauge yet but "Micro Gauge"

[GaryHinshaw]

I love that set.  It marked my entree into N scale as well: Christmas 1968.   

[Nato]

      "Micro Gauge" was used by Arnold Rapido in their early magazine ads so it makes sense that the Aurora Trains manufactured by Trix ,a German Company might also be referred to as" Micro Gauge." I have squirreld away some where an Aurora Postage Stamp Catalog. It is in color,but has small size slightly crude drawings(side views) of the various locomotives and cars. The Santa Fe Red & Silver passenger scheme F units have been pulling both toy and model trains for over a decade. Think Lionel F-3 which had some carbody features as an F-7 also no steam generator on B unit so not a passenger loco. Lionel later used the blue and yellow freight colors on FA1 Locomotives which Santa Fe never owned,just like competitor American Flyer later offered a PA 1 Passenger locomotive in the A.T.S.F. freight colors. You can still buy trainsets today from Bachmann with the passenger F-9/7 in Santa Fe. Bachmann never offered a passenger set and for years had only a Santa Fe big Dome car besides the Metroliner and Turbo Trains. Later they released the shortie heavyweight cars. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[mmyers]

A postage stamp set was my first N scale. Dad bought it for me at Lloyds on Charles Street. I eventually sold it (and a few other things) to buy an 8 track stereo for my first car. Wish I'd hung on to it now. I could get an IPOD.

Martin Myers