Getting Granny's HO Train Running for the First time in 60 Years!

SMT Mainline
SMT Mainline
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Published 2024-04-27
Back in the early 1950s my grandmother received a complete train set for Christmas. The set was so precious it would only be brought out for two days each year over the holidays and would fill the entire living room.

In 1959 the train set was packed away for good, shortly there after she moved to Canada. It was her believe that everything was later thrown out or sold however in the late 80s her father passed away and she headed to Australia to deal with the estate.

During this process the locomotives were discovered in a box at the bottom of a closet. Unfortunately by this point zinc pest had damaged the frames, making them much more fragile. On the trip back to Canada many were further damaged in transit.

Now some sixty plus years later I decided to give my best efforts in getting one of them riding the rails again.
All Comments (21)
  • @ragan989
    Seeing your grandmother so happy watching the 2 Atlantics that haven’t run in 60 years bring joy to my heart. Cheers Harrison
  • @ksfisher1990
    Awesome, I have restored some of my grandfather's trains over the years. Unfortunately, he's no longer here to see them run after all these years. Very fortunate to share that with them.
  • @hyacinthlynch843
    You are a man among men, Harrison. You've made your grandmother really happy. Great job! ❤
  • @ChuteMi-df2es
    My grandma passed in her sleep this morning from cancer (04/28) so to see your grandmother's reaction to this warms my heart. Cherish every minute you have with her.
  • @markmantooth7693
    It was so precious to hearing your grandmother's voice, as she was admiring the successful results of your handiwork. It was also great to hear the excitement in your voice when you had the engine running for the first time in 60 years! Congratulations to you both!
  • @shimesu443
    "Look at her." That made me smile so wide. You could hear the warmth and affection in her voice for her old locomotive. Nice to know she still loves her. Good job, my friend.
  • @scpvrr
    “You must have been emotional.” Yeah. Loved seeing your reaction when it ran. Thank you for sharing the time with your grandmother.
  • @ApproachDiverging013
    Great seeing you not only restore and get your grandma's steam engine back in service but letting her mark up and run it, that's just priceless. Job well done and great seeing the old steamer back in revenue service!
  • @davephillips4691
    What a wonderful relationship you have with your grandmother. Cherish it always!
  • @chrisdurgala5548
    I have watched a lot of your videos and you restore a lot of older locomotives some of them personally I don’t think they should’ve even been bothered with but this one is definitely an amazing one. The fact that you did this for your 81 year-old grandmother made her extremely happy is an amazing job, I truly hope her and you can enjoy this locomotive tell your time on earth is done. God bless you and your family. 🇺🇸🦅
  • @roberthertelendi9055
    Your restoration of her trains and her reaction seeing it run was truly amazing. I got goosebumps seeing it. Thank you
  • @johnlongssilverrailz5873
    Very heartwarming. I too will be 81 this May. Yes, I still remember my childhood trains and even run the Lionel 150 engine which came with orange passenger cars that my Dad received when he was 7 way back in 1921. My grandfather and grandmother would have sacrificed greatly to buy that set back then. Perhaps their spirit rides the silver rails with that set.
  • @retiredarmyoffley1777
    You are a wonderful person and you must love your grandmother very much. I wish my family carried for me half as much. GOD BLESS YOU.
  • @IOSAShort
    SMT Mainline, This is amazing! I can't stop smiling!
  • @MysterianX
    I can really relate to the feeling by seeing it run for the first time again. When I was 3 years old, my dad had bought a Liliput 102 05 for very cheap as it was not working. The motor wasn't functional, and at some point, my dad displaced it. But as I grew up and saw the loco on the display shelf, I always dreamt of seeing it run. It was my favourite as it was the only tender locomotive my dad had. At some point, it was packed away in a box for many, many years. I'm 27 now, and by chance, I found the motor in a totally random box. Took a look at it, and it turned out the issue was that the spring holding the brushes wasn't insulated properly. Fixed it, and then it ran totally fine. My dad dug up the locomotive from storage, and with some time and fiddling, we both finally got to see the loco run for the first time. It was a very exciting feeling indeed. It's now one of the smoothest runners we have.
  • @MMRails
    “I didn’t think it was possible” There’s about 120K people who disagree. We know you can fix anything, and we love watching you do it. You never cease to amaze my wife and I. Great video, loved the raw emotions, very well done.
  • @johnclapperton5556
    Your Granny is just great and a train granny at that. You are very lucky.
  • @infinity6450
    Everyone's pure elation when they ran was unbelievable. A stellar job on both fronts.
  • @donaldcarletonjr.9047
    Your grandmother's happiness upon seeing her precious childhood trains being restored literally brought a tear to my eye, and I do mean literally!