TRAINS- All Aboard!

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I am a FOMR. (Fan of Model Railroading) That is one term that designates those who enjoy the hobby of model railroading. Why a blog now about trains at Christmas? First of all some familys have the tradition of placing a train around the base of their Christmas tree. Secondly, many model trains are given and received as presents at Christmas.

Let me introduce you to my cousin, Larry Don Ristine. In this picture he is age 10 and is about 7-8 years older than I. When I was a child of age 3-4 he was one of my first "heros". He had an electric Lionel model passenger train set. He also had red hair and lots of freckles. It was one of my desires to grow up and have as many freckles as Larry Don. When going to his house he would sometimes pull the train out from under the bed, set it up and run it around the track. If our visit was short he might just pull out some of the cars for me to look at. As a side note, his mother is my Aunt Virginia, Dad's oldest sister.






In the 2nd picture you see my Dad putting together my first train set. It was a battery operated lightweight metal train. It ran on a track and had a few cardboard buildings that Dad put together. You can see in the picture how excited I am.
Several years later I received an O scale model train when we lived in Hutchinson, Kansas. It was an electric train and I remember one car that had a giraffe in it that would "bob" down when it passed under something that dangled above it. Mom reminds me that it was kept on a piece of plywood under a bed and could be pulled out to play with.

When my son Matthew was about 10 years old he received an HO scale model train set for Christmas that he let me "play with". At first we set it up on a 4'x 8' piece of plywood on a counter in our family room. Eventually it was set on a table in the basement and operational expansion continued from that point.......yadda, yadda, yadda, etc.
In 2008 our family took a trip to New Mexico. One of the highlights was a trip on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. Everyone enjoyed the trip, especially Julia, JC and Jetta when the train blew its whistle. More family memories involving trains could be shared but that's not the purpose of this entry.






The last picture is of my current layout. It's not finished but rather a work in progress. Grandkids and other family visitors are invited for a trip to the basement to see the latest additions. Sometimes the train will deliver cookies or other treats. Maybe that's why people love trains. Merry Christmas to all. -30-