Arnold,
Thanks so much for starting this thread. I absolutely love topics like this because so many of the responses exemplify how significant the extraordinarily strong family bonds played in bringing Dads, Moms, children and model trains together. I think the references to fathers in particular are extremely touching because so often in our modern society they are so often overlooked in regards to their contribution to the family unit.
Like so many others who have responded my connection to toy trains began with my Father and Grandfather. My Dad passed away in 1953 at the tender age of 33 as a result of wounds he suffered during WW ll. I was only five years old at the time but I still have very vivid memories of my brother, sister and I crowding around the platform with the tree in the middle as my father put our Lionel 1655 and its associated freight cars through its paces. All of the lights in the living room were turned off save the tree lights. The effect was nothing short of magical. To this day I can still smell the sweet aroma of pine mixed with pungent aroma of ozone. What a trip. I still have the little 1655 and all of its cars and it runs just fine. I also have my Grandfather's Lionel and Marx sets from 1958. After my Dad died my Grandad continued the family tradition and ran his trains for us at Christmas time. As a result of their love of toy trains the seed was firmly planted within my psyche and it has never left me.
Before I went off to college my Grandmother and I boxed up all of our trains and she promised me she would not give them away to anyone, not even our relatives. After I was married and purchased a home in 1974 the very first thing I did was to retrieve those trains and with my wife at my side set up a Christmas layout. Ever since that year trains have always run under our tree. I still run my Dad's and Grandfather's sets at Christmas time with all of the lights off in the living room save the tree lights. It truly is a trip back in time. Sometimes I feel they are with us watching as the trains make their never ending circuit around the tree. Today my three Grandchildren, in particular my Granddaughter Charlotte, get a kick of running the trains not only on our Christmas layout but also on my year round layouts in the basement. So, this is what trains have meant to me; a strong sense of nostalgia coupled with a firm commitment to maintaining a tight knit family unit. In addition over the years they have provided me a great escape from life's daily pressures. Indeed, toy trains have been an integral part of my life and will remain so as I proceed down the home stretch of life.
