last Friday I was looking through craigslist free and came across an old slot car set !
it was funny because I emailed and said you know,.... I bet we are the same age and it turned out we were exactly the same age so we both had the same toys;-)
He left the set on the steps for me so I didn't get to meet him but once I got the box I dug in. it is a Strombecker race car set. every part triggered so many memories of the toy. he'd even taken the cars apart and did an age appropriate paintjob but there were lots of cars so I have enough parts and track to get it going. my plan is to make sure it works and then see if my girlfriends grandkids will have any near as much fun as I did as a kid with it.
they came in about 1965 and many commercial slot car tracks across the US thrived in those years. then I guess the remote control cars stole the glory.. My girlfriend says I am re-living my childhood, maybe so
It wasn't an antique but I thought it might trigger some happy memories for others here. we had so much fun playing with that stuff as kids.. and looking back at it and how I took it apart and improvised I think this is how I learned about electricity and switches and what a short circuit is. I even remember that I found out I could make steel wool catch fire right in the middle of the floor with the little power pack.. such fun ! I also remember blatantly denying why my bedroom hardwood floor had a burn spot in the middle of it..
I more recently bough the same kids a used train set but it was made in china and fell apart as it slid out of the box.. It made me realize that these days this sort of disappointment starts at a young age and we were lucky to have better toys. It's going to be interesting to see how they will react to them now. you can still get the trains and race car sets, lots have been put away and they aren't terribly valuable for the most part.
not really "antique" but..
- Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
- Posts: 2170
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:07 pm
- Location: Gardner, MA, USA
- Contact:
Re: not really "antique" but..
Pictures, phil. You should know better by now. Even if only of some of the cars before you can set up a table for the track.
When we lived in Franklinton, NC, there was a slot car place that also had video games and such that was a local hang out.
We've talked about maybe doing a Christmas train platform. There's a local model shop in town, so that would help with sourcing for the platform decor too. I don't know if we'll ever do it, but it's something we've discussed. I have a tiny plastic train I set up around my artificial tabletop tree. I think it's an Anastasia (Disney) set or something I was given. We didn't have the trains when I was a kid, but I always liked them.
When we lived in Franklinton, NC, there was a slot car place that also had video games and such that was a local hang out.
We've talked about maybe doing a Christmas train platform. There's a local model shop in town, so that would help with sourcing for the platform decor too. I don't know if we'll ever do it, but it's something we've discussed. I have a tiny plastic train I set up around my artificial tabletop tree. I think it's an Anastasia (Disney) set or something I was given. We didn't have the trains when I was a kid, but I always liked them.
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.