Well, by the time I was buying AF, it was mostly found in back corners and
top shelves of various stores. My Sawmill came from Trains, Nothing But
Trains in Redwood City, CA--at the same time I bought a $12 used passenger
train set, 3 Chestnuts, 1 Green, and an aluminum combo car. Not mint, but
respectable enough! Later I bought an "L" mail pickup stand with bag and
magnet, and taped the magnet to the window opening on the Aluminum combo
car. This was purchased at the "Big Liquors" store in (downtown) Dunsmuir.
I remember Fine Day Dicker's Sprouse Ritz store having Marx and three-rail
track in their toy section (always disappointing, I was looking for Flyer!).
When the L & L Hardware store in Dunsmuir changed hands, I received some
brand new AF that had been lost in the storeroom all those years (this was
in 1977). My Heavyweight Daylight train is still on display there, it's now
the Dunsmuir Hardware store.
My friend Larry still has his UP GP set, bought at the Dunsmuir Western
Auto. One of my Dunsmuir-childhood-purchased used sets (around 1969) was
originally purchased mail-order, as the set box was used as the shipping
box.
I just wish I'd been more affluent, and in a large population center
back when everyone was "dumping" those "old, passe" train sets! I bought as
much as I could find, as I knew in 1967, when the AF line was dropped (blank
pages only!) from the hardware store wholesale catalog, that *someday*
they'd be collectable, and too expensive! (I was in 8th grade then). I think
Mike Wright and I pretty well cleaned out any available AF in Dunsmuir, and
both still play with them! Mike had an advantage on me, though, he was
already in college!
As for TVs, I remember my folks trying out different TVs, and finally
buying a Zenith. TV came to our house because the "cable" company ran their
line through the resort, and gave my folks free hook-up for the privilege.
We could get 3, count 'em, 3! channels! And not too snowy either! And lots
of test patterns! KHSL would put theirs up around 2PM, and start
broadcasting about 4 or 4:30. One of the first shows was a Country-western
thing--I can't remember the guy's name, but he was still on just a year or
two ago--Followed by "The Genie Posey Show" sort of a Martha Stewart type
show. Finally followed by "Don's Cartoon Club!" Alright!! Don would sit at
an easel and draw cartoons out of numbers or names that kids would send in,
and in-between show cartoons. He had a puppet side-kick, a squirrel who
would "sing" once in a while (a 45 RPM record played at 78--real fancy
special effects back then). Then the News would come on.
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