Toy Trains at Christmas

In 1976 I was 9 years old. I lived on a farm. I had a grandfather that seemed like my whole world, and I loved toy trains. Any chance to talk about trains with my grandfather and work on a layout in his basement was pure joy. There was a set there that had been my uncle’s, but it was now part of my time with my grandfather. It had a very heavy steam engine, a tender that whistled, some boxcars and a caboose. The layout wasn’t fancy. A simple loop and figure 8 with some switches. No panorama, and no elaborate mountain landscapes. There was one operating accessory. A gateman that would come out of his building whenever the train went by. There was always a caution. “Don’t go too fast on the corners”. That heavy engine would tip over and land on the hard floor. Many times it had come close. The sounds and smells of that train running are as distinct as the smell of a red rose blooming in the garden.

At Christmas that year, I received my first train set from my grandparents. They had been away on a trip in the States and I was now old enough to have my own. I can still feel the excitement of opening that gift. It would be my last Christmas with my grandfather. When crying over his passing, alone at night, I would think of the gift, and the layout in the basement, and it kept me connected to him. It’s been 38 years since that Christmas, and I still have that train set. And I am still connected to him.