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This Document Copyright 1999 © by
John F. Uske (All Rights Reserved)

<John Uske at age 8 with his N scale train set>

The train store is still in business in the same location. They also sell other hobby items now as well.
Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation
<The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC>
<The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC>
<The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC> <The Train Store at 23 W 45th St NYC>

1972-Summer: Model Railroad Equipment Corp. (MREC)

This is a Toy Train Store located at 23 West 45th Street in Manhattan. Today it is called the Red Caboose, but when I worked there it was called the Model Railroad Equipment Corporation (MREC). This was my first real job. I had to commute to Manhattan daily and pay taxes. I turned 14 that year, which meant I was eligible to get working papers. This was summer time job. I worked from noon to 5 PM. My job was to sweep floors, do the shipping and receiving, and hand deliver messages or packages. The Manager was Mr. McManis, the owner was Carmen Webster. She lived in Jackson Heights Queens. Sometimes I would have take the No. 7 Flushing train to bring papers to her apartment. The sales men were Ivan, Richard, Tobias, and Irwin. Ivan and I became good friends. I was over 6 foot tall by the age of 14 but very skinny, like a toothpick. I used to spend all of money on train stuff anyway. After that summer I went back to school full time, but I will never forget my time at the Worlds Greatest Train Store. I am lucky that I can say I never had a boring job in my entire life.