Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I been workin' . . .

. . . on the railroad . . .

Well, a very small railroad, that is.

After all, I AM a ferroequinologist.

I received my first model train set when I was seven or eight years old. I set it up in the basement, built it, re-built it, wired it, re-wired it and kept it going until I went to college.

Then there we a few non-railroading years during college and early family life.

When our two sons reached model train age, I built a layout for them. They lost interest, but I never did.

I continued to build on that railroad for many years. I built railcars and buildings in excruciatingly precise detail. Then, we moved yet again and I had to tear it down. It was painful, but necessary. It was just too large to move. I took many of the structures and donated them to the Greater Omaha Model Railroad club, and I guess they're still there today. Sadly, most of my photos of that railroad are lost - other than these. Oh, and did I tell you that I'm a published magazine article writer?

So now, another great pause of almost 20 years, and I'm doing it again. It's much smaller (only 12' x 4', but I built it in for separate pieces that lock together. When I'm no longer held prisoner here in Hampton Roads, the railroad is going to Texas. Permanently.

Pardon the mess. The construction crew (me) is still on duty.