Two of my Early Influences ~ Sunday, May 18, 2008

Peter Ehrlich, noted motorman/scholar/transit-photographer/sfmunihistory-listowner, recently posted this picture



to the NYCSubway.Org transit site.

In this 1971 scene you can see two of the early influences that got me into this hobby: Muni's Car #1 (way before there was the F line, I rode it during Muni's occasonal "Trolley Festivals"--though not quite in 1971, since I was just 2 then!), and over on the right, "Bill's Terminal Hobby Shop" (the building with the arrow-shaped sign). I bought a lot of material that went into my first attempt at an N scale trolley layout there. The proprietors (I presume it was Bill and his wife?) were very nice. They special-ordered some Sommerfeldt pantographs for me from Germany. I still have them, and someday I will build some traction models to go under them!