My getting into Large Scale came purely by accident. Being in my 60’s I decided I should decrease the many possessions that I have collected through my life. I grew up and was mentored by Depression Era parents and relatives that never threw anything out because, “You never know when you might need or repurpose that object.†Not only do I have my stuff, but I have a lot of my parents, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 1 grandparent, my sister, and my son’s stuff. So as you can imagine, I needed to lighten my load before my son has to face all this mess when I pass on (at least it is all in one space versus scattered across Maine and then hauled to PA.

In this cleansing process, I arrive at my 1953 027 Lionel train set that dad bought new for me as a young child. I still had the track/layout attached to a 4’x8’ sheet of plywood so I lugged that down from the attic, lugged the trains up from the basement, and set them up in my garage to insure they would work when prospective buyers came to get their child a last minute train set just before Christmas 2012. Although the train set was somewhat rare, it was not a “valuable†one in general and had a few cosmetic defects. I listed it as, “A real train set to spark the interest of a young railroader without the fear of damaging a costly collectable.†Price $90 for all.

Well I immediately got calls from all the people who thought they made a real find and wanted detailed photos of the engine and rolling stock. I posted a few photos on line but told people it was not the great deal on a collectors set they had hoped for; I just wanted to give a parent a break on a real train that their child could play with.

A man came over to see the set and I ran the train so he could see the lights flash, the gates go up and down, and that all the stitches worked. In the process of my demonstration he looked at me and asked, “Are you sure you want to sell the train set?†Not looking at him because I was watching the train go though the switches to a different track I said, “Yes; why?†He said, “Because it looks like you are having too much fun.†I told him I was sure and that I needed to simply my life. So with a smile on his face, I helped him load the set into his pickup. The same scenario happened when I sold my 027 Lionel switcher which was more valuable than the entire set I just sold.

I got thinking about the observations made by the purchasers of my trains and realized I still had a spark of enjoyment about model railroading. I still had/have a lot of HO stuff and wondered if I should set that up and restart an old hobby. I wanted to get my new wife involved as we seem to have too many different interests. She does love gardening and landscaping and I seem to still have an interest in trains so maybe we should consider doing a garden railroad?

I made the pitch to her and got a lukewarm response; but it wasn’t a no. (She probably wishes now that she HAD said no.)

This time around I found that larger trains rather than smaller ones caught my interest. For now I am happy playing with my trains on the basement floor. It de-stresses me just watching the train go round and round. Like a child, I still find myself watching the cars disappear around the boxes wondering where they have gone and will they reappear. I can feel excitement and anticipation building when I see the engine headlight light up the basement wall and its reflection off the track just before the engine comes into view. Sometimes the basement lights are on; sometimes they are turned off. When I come up I always have a smile on my face which has my wife calling me her little boy. In the basement I regain the magic, innocence, and simplicity of life that I once had before my world became more complex and intense with my routinely life or death profession.

Now watch me overcomplicate it. LOL