I grew up with a Lionel train collection.
My step father (we’ll call him “Bob”) worked for the Union Pacific for 30 years, and while every day at the job wasn’t a joy for him, he did like steam powered trains. Looking for some way to bond with me (as hunting and shooting weren’t really working) he decided to try the train angle.
I got a train for Christmas 1980. It was a cast iron steam engine, and it was pretty cool. It came with a basic assortment of cars, a caboose, and some track. We set it up, and soon it was carrying Greedo, Snaggletooth, and Walrus Man on rides through CarpetCity.
However, my following Christmases I got vintage 1960′s engines, which were far more detailed, cool, and heavier yet. These were the first toys that I really learned how to take care of, and they were cherished nearly as much as my Star Wars toys, if you can believe that.
Later, Bob and I converted most of my bedroom into a massive layout. My bed was below the tracks, and I bumped my head a bunch of times. We never had a chance to add terrain, mountains, and flocking to it all, as by 1984 we moved out to the country with no electricity or plumbing.
The trains went into storage again, until I retrieved them from the attic 10 years ago or so. They’re still in storage, but perhaps a little safer in the arid Arizona environment.
So yeah, I think that steam engines are kinda cool.
- Daniel
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There is nothing like the heave of the ground, the wind, the smells and sounds of a freight train in motion (up close). Your train is very cool!