Nope. Not me. I was shortly out of Vietnam, lose of a child and divorce. So, I got well into riding my Choppers before the trains in '80s. Now it's bicycle and trying for N & HO gauge.
I'm already a loser -- I didn't know that Bachmann made Bicentennial cars. I do have the Kadee Bicentennial boxcars for the states I've lived in (MD, MA, NJ, SC, NC and VA), but no others, nor Kadee's Bicentennial caboose, which was nice as I recall. The last time I checked, the Kadee caboose sold for about $30 on eBay, but the cars were much less.
My first one was the GP Special. Box is long gone cars and engine are stored in boxes. Engine does not run. Still have some of the cases. The cases looked to cost as much as the cars to produce.
And they took up a ton of space too. Much like the Walthers School of Package Design, where the box dimensions are double that of the freight car inside.
I wish I still had my original Bachman box and such. But don't remember if it was the 70's or 80's? You and anyone else that served or are serving in the military... Thank You!
in2tech with your signature picture and notes I thought you may enjoy this: https://www.facebook.com/eugene.vanharen.9/posts/388032679319714
OK, since that pop quiz had no takers... Bachmann's Bicentennial cars, all 50 foot plug door boxcars, were... George Washington Benjamin Franklin Liberty Bell Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson Independence Hall The last two were released later. All six were done in both N and HO Scales.
I have NY and NJ, plus the "rare" Connecticut Blue Roof variety. This is the second time I owned one. The first time I bought an entire lot of N Scale from a guy at a show in NJ who was mostly selling HO and wanted to get rid of the N as fast as possible. I put the Connecticut Blue Roof on eBay at a low starting price and it went for enough to pay for the entire lot. This time I think I paid $10 for it. The market has changed...
Con-Cor produced a Bicenentennial J-3a and matching passenger cars for a Liberty Bell Special train. I have the set and still enjoy running it, Rapido couplers and all. The locomotive was made by Kato and is excellent. [Photo from Trovestar]
After reading the December 1974 issue of Model Railroader, A Auto Train set was added to my wish list. After a unfavorable purchase of a Bachmann HO scale locomotive, I removed the N scale Auto train set from my wish list. It wasn't long after that I was also disappointed in a Life-Like N scale locomotive purchase. A Minitrix U30CG gave me some hope for N scale, but they were still no match for what was being released by Athearn and Atlas in HO scale. The only original N scale set I still have from the early 1970's is my AHM / Lima New Haven Freight Set. It was given to me by my maternal grandparents and continues to be a treasured keep sake. Yes it still runs, but for the most part I keep it in the box.
I happened to be reading The World of Model Trains by Guy R. Williams (c. 1970) this morning and came upon interesting trivia about Lima. Its name is a contraction of Lavorazione Italiana Metalli Ed Affini, translated means Italian Working of Metals and Affinities. The firm was founded just after the close of WW-II and produced automobile and boat models at its start, then later transitioned to model trains.
A perfect example Doug. All of my Walthers boxes went to the county landfill several years ago. If my choice was a common one, Walthers boxes may be a coveted rarity someday. Your C&NW way car box may put you on Easy Street.
Something I learned from the Lionel guys, NEVER THROW THE BOXES AWAY. Sorry I get a bit carried away at times. Just a personal pet peeve, yes I'll pass on auctions or items at train shows if they do not have a box. I'm also very glad Athearn stopped using these boxes, and switched to the stackable plastic jewel box now used by many others in the model railroad industry, No, I'm not buying model trains in hopes of having collectable items that can be sold for large amounts of money. I don't know if that will ever happen in the N scale market, like what has happened with Lionel trains. For me having the original box makes it a lot easier to store the car or locomotive in one of my storage boxes, which then can be stacked in my closet when the car or locomotive is not in use on my layout. I don't know who told me this when I was young, but the rule always was to keep the box to store ______ (fill in the blank) in when not in use. That is why I still have the boxes from my first Athearn Train set. You never know, someday someone might be looking for a Bachmann N scale Auto-Train train set in the original packaging. They might not make you wealthy with their offer, but it maybe enough to buy a few present days locomotive with DCC + Sound