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Harry made a joke the other day about racing model trains, and I half remembered something from over 50 years ago. It wasn't Lionel or Atlas, or any of the other common named outfits, but someone like Western Auto, Gilbert, or Marx, a less popular maker, but I remember an ad at Christmastime for a train racing set. The illustration was of two tracks side by side with a fantasy red streamliner passenger train and an identical one in blue, and I remember thinking, " Who would want to ride on a racing train?" I was pretty young. Does anyone else remember those goofy things?

I don’t remember those but I will never forget setting up a train set on the floor of the slot cave for my grandson, when he got to full speed on the rehostat he looked at me and said “ is that as fast as it goes ?” . My reply was “ yup that’s why Grandpa races cars” :lol:
Now days he’s not into cars or trains, dam video games :angry-tappingfoot:

In the late 50 or early 60s there was a program in So Cal on channel 11 or 13 with engineer Bill that had a drag race with 2 American flyer stem engines. A lot of wheel spin!!! They were stopped in to a pillow.

I remember that. But that was decades after the set I am trying to confirm. These looked like F units pulling a two or three car consist and the track was separated for each train. One fire engine red, one royal blue.

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This is the above listed set. It is really unique and guys like us would sure have had fun with it. Probably your dad had to be a doctor to be able to afford it!!!

The was also a Sizzlers type train set....battery powered like Sizzlers but it had it's own black track with silver stripe "rails".....HotLine train maybe? I have one somewhere in the basement.....

That's definitely the right era, but I don't think that's the one I remember. But the blue top passenger train and red freight makes me wonder. Marx really was the king of tinplate.

Such transit would make lots of people happy in the US. Me for one. I hate monotonous driving. I love riding a train and just looking at the scenery. Of course, we have no schedule or time limits when we travel. Also in America we have a fairly good highway system and everybody wants to go when and where they want.

Trains were a big factor in building and transporting America until the 50's. Especially Lionel in our house!!!