Did You Ever Think About the Original Owner of Used Postwar Trains You Have Purchased?

I often think about the previous/original owners of my used postwar trains. I just remember it is my job to not only enjoy them but preserve them for the future since I am simply just a caretaker.

This, hopefully will be a very nice thread.  To answer the OP’s question, yes, all the time.  Since my childhood, I have been into trains.  I have had at some point in time, N, HO, S, G, both electric and live steam along with Lionel pre war, postwar and standard gauge.  The later is what I am into currently.  No matter the gauge, I always wondered about the previous owner of a train that I have picked up.  Who were they?  Where did they live?  I try to imagine the thrill they may have experienced upon getting the train whether it was for Christmas, birthday or just because.  As posted previously, I cut lawns as a kid.  I can remember saving my money and running to the local Hobby shop to buy trains.  Not only was receiving the train a great experience but remembering who gave me a train is also a fond memory.  Running my Lionel 402E set or even the little 8E sets me off into a fun filled journey of what may have been for someone.  Oh the joys toy trains can bring to people no matter the age.

What gets me considering the previous owners of used equipment I have found is when I start to clean the wheel sets. I use a Dremel with a wire or plastic brush. The first time I clean the car I spend time wondering what the past layouts were like that the car ran on, how the previous owner(s) treated the car and why they never cleaned the wheels very often. Then my thoughts will usually drift back some 60+ years to my early trains........... I loved them all.

Train ON!

Jim K

We're supposed to clean these trains?

No  after I found a sticker with the prior owner's name on the inside of the box, I of course googled him,

Then Discovered he died a week before I bought the car from a third-party seller. It seemed a bit morbid.

So I contacted the seller who was unaware that the original owner past as he said he had spoken to him a few weeks earlier.

lesson learned.

As I collect mainly tinplate clockwork trains from 1900- postwar I am always looking at them thru the eyes of some young child . This is often made more special to me because that one item was probably the ONLY gift they received on Christmas or a birthday for the year , and it was a long wait until the next toy arrived ...

Of course there are also much larger and more complex ones , bought by their father for his own amusement , and I cannot help but think of the duality of seeing such fine beasts circling the floor or a modest layout , and the pang of being kept at a distance from "Daddy's Toy... COUGH Model"  a trembling fingertip perhaps only brushing it as it hurtles past if Dad didn't catch you!

The testament that many, many, fragile, yet well engineered beasts survived to modern times is indicative of both how loved and how revered they were .

It is always interesting to get some info on a set you have bought.  For instance, this 1908 American Flyer set came to me in February 2019 from the grandchild of the original owner.

It even came with its original box

This c. 1917-1918 American Flyer set and boxtop came to me several years ago.

The boxtop has the following written on it "Dear Iris, Did you tell someone you wanted a train? Santa"

Last, this set was a Christmas gift to the original owner c. 1927-1928 (it is a 1927 set that per the info I got the original owner received it when he was 7 or 8 in 1928).  The original owner cherished the set and it followed him from Wisconsin (coincidentally about 20 miles from where I grew up) to Alabama.  I bought the set from the nephew, a few years after the original owner passed, as his widow was moving to an assisted living center.  This set also came to me with its original box, not pictured.

Happy Holidays!

NWL

The only postwar that I collect is A.C. Gilbert American Flyer, more on that later. I never really gave the original owner much thought until I made a purchase on the big auction site that changed that. The purchase was actually for a nativity set, but the previous owner included a note on the history of them and hoped they were going to a good home. After that experience I thought more about how many times when used items like these are passed on, it often is at a time of transition in someone else's life. Maybe the kids are grown and lost interest, maybe they were the kids, and are now grown and downsizing. It's a bit sad, so I try not to dwell on it.

One thing that brings me a little bit of joy is to think about how happy the boys and girls were opening them, likely gifts, on Christmas morning. Maybe that's idealistic or just nostalgia.

The other thing I think about is how my father and his siblings would have played with the trains they had. A few small, blurry, photos exist of them playing with the under-tree train display, but it's difficult to make out any of the specifics of those trains. Sadly, those trains were given to a younger cousin of theirs, and then later sold off for a profit. It's been well over 45 years since that happened, and people's memories aren't perfect, but my father remembers all of the trains being American Flyer. Given his and his older brother's age, that would have put them squarely in the Gilbert 2-rail era.

I always think about the original owner,I also collect coins and when I get a worn 200 year old coin i find it interesting to think all the places it's been.It's the same with old trains....

I know the original owner of one of my postwar pieces:  my older--but not oldest--brother.

I also know the original owner of a couple of my Marx cars.  He must have had a thing fro drills, because there are hole in both cars, but I've never had the chance to ask him about them.

For the others, I'll take the liberty of quoting myself from another thread:

"Every scratch is an experience some boy had fun with.  Every tinplate mile leaves just a slightly darker ring on the wheels, telling of those many miles of joy.    Every paint scuff on the pilot tells of a coupler that came undone or a toy car that didn't get off the track when the train approached.

"These old trains will tell you some fascinating stories if you will just take the time to listen to them."

@AlanRail posted:

No  after I found a sticker with the prior owner's name on the inside of the box, I of course googled him,

Then Discovered he died a week before I bought the car from a third-party seller. It seemed a bit morbid.

So I contacted the seller who was unaware that the original owner past as he said he had spoken to him a few weeks earlier.

lesson learned.

A gentleman contacted me through Craigslist wanting to sell me a Lionel train.  When I arrived, he had a well-preserved 2046 Hudson with some nice cars etc.  As we were talking, he revealed that the trains belonged to his wife's late husband who died in a plane crash many years ago.  He didn't go into any detail about the incident, and for some reason I thought perhaps the guy was a avid pilot who owned his own plane and crashed in bad weather conditions.

Upon wrapping up the purchase, we discovered that a colleague I work with is a friend of his.

When I came to work the next day, I told my colleague that I met his friend and the story of buying the trains.  When I mentioned to him about the plane crash, his eyes got REAL BIG and said "Oh yeah, that was a horrible event!"  I asked if he was a pilot, and he said no.  My colleague explained that he was a passenger on the Pan Am Flight #103  that crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland from a terrorist bomb in 1989!

Doing the math, the guy was only in his 40's when he was "murdered".  Now, every time I look at that 2046, I think about how this childhood toy was hopefully an enjoyable part of this man's short life.  I feel obligated to cherish it as he likely did not have the opportunity to share it with his kids, grandkids, other family.

Another reason to be thankful for all we are blessed with this Christmas.

I always think of the original owner of used trains I buy. For instance, back in the 1990s, I purchased a Hornby 4-6-2 steam locomotive "Princess Elizbeth", that was only manufactured in one year, 1937, in Liverpool, UK.  I know it had been brought to the USA just before I bought it. I have always wondered where it was during the WWII years. For instance, was it in London during the Blitz? I'll never know.

With very few exceptions, I do not know (or even care) about whoever may have owned any of the used stuff that I have gotten. (most have been random train show or ebay acquisitions.

The one main exception is a scratch-built by Roland Klages (circa 1935 or so during convalescence from a surgery) model (O scale) of the Western Maryland Railway's business/observation car that I bought from his estate. I still have this 80+ year old car. Roland was the treasurer of the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers for many years and later joined the WB&A Tractioneers; I was a member of both and knew him from there. My only regret (now) is not buying the rest of the WM train that he built. I have wondered if any of it still survives.

Another is (are?) a few trolleys from a Stouts auction that handled equipment from Ron Dietrich in Florida. He was a member of the Florida Atlantic Lines (an O scale club with a modular layout) that I belonged to when I lived there. One of the Bachmann Peter Witts still had a credit card sales receipt with his name on it from Warrick Custom Hobbies, Plantation, FL in the box. I recognized other cars in that auction, too, but were not interested in them. Note: Ron is the man in blue at the very back by the doors:

The trolleys in this photo are Ron's, the MILW locomotives belong to Walt Horlacher, and the observation is mine:

Throughout a career of restoration grunt work plus an entire lifetime appreciation of recent history antiques, I am almost totally immersed in the nostalgic value and historic importance of each piece that comes my way.  The more original and obscure, the higher the enjoyment. If only I concentrated simply on trains the obsession might not be so powerful.I

Bruce

When you see Postwar Lionel new in the box don't you wonder of all the kids that would have loved to receive it and play with it but never did? Or was it a child that maybe received it, then something happened to them and the parents kept it?

Were there actually guys who purchased Postwar trains never intending to run them? A standing joke among friends who run everything they own is "Have you ever seen a Postwar collectors layout? It's a view of a closet with unopened boxes, ends facing out."

So many stories behind all the used trains we are privileged to have. As Captaincog says, I'm here to enjoy them and pass them on, now and in the future.

I'm still the owner of the Post-War Lionel trains I got when I was 12 (1950) and others I later bought myself. They were also enjoyed by my three sons, now all adults with families of their own.  As I became more of a railfan over the years, some of these Lionel pieces were repainted and re-lettered, which of course diminishes their value immensely in the ''marketplace.'    A few were also done over with my sons at times. One was truly captivated by Chessie Systems colors after a visit to the B&O Museum, so a couple of pieces were changed to that. In time though, all three more or less lost interest in model trains.  But here are some as they look now.  "Classic collectibles" they are no more!

S. Islander

If only these trains could tell their stories of the joy they have brought to their previous owners thru the years.  Especially the ones that predate both world wars, the adventures they have been thru.   We are but caretakers of these beautiful toys, keeping them in as best condition as we can for the next generation to enjoy.  AD

@joe krasko posted:

...a worn 200 year old coin i find it interesting to think all the places it's been...

𝘈 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯? 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩."

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, "𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴, 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘪, 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?"

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧… 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩."

Not so much postwar, but a number of secondhand modern-ish pieces did prompt me to think about the past lives of some items I acquired.

AHM: When a friend of mine offered a selection of AHM O scale pieces from a collection his club had purchased, I first hesitated, owing to their funky couplers...until I discovered AHM made conversion couplers that bequeathed 1970's Atlas-style dummy knuckle couplers to them, and found an Ebay seller who had a whole case of them. I bought those cars, and as I researched these pieces, I found that AHM only released about a dozen examples (3-4 each of boxcar, reefer, gondola flatcar and caboose), leading to an effort to fill in the missing gaps.  I still don't know anything about the original owner, but I did find a Korvette's price sticker on one of the boxes.

Assorted MTH warehouse auction pieces: Some cars with original boxes had price stickers from dealers, at least one of which was still in business.

A pair of MTH Chessie 50' boxcars I purchased from the collection of a friend-of-a-friend who was selling off his collecion following the decommissioning of his layout owing to age. I wondered for a time whether I should change the source of the cars in my records from "collection of" to "estate of" when I found out a few months later that the gent had passed away.

The dozen K-Line aluminum tankers I got from another Cabin Fever auction I pictured in a recent 'Buy Anything Cool' post included some examples bearing inventory number stickers.

That one piece whose former owner I do know came from a friend who passed away (you may know him as the voice of most MTH subways) on Veterans Day 2019 after a relatively short battle with a trio of brain tumors discovered only in March of that same year. The only items I was able to buy from his collection were a MTH Premier NKP 765 and some Bowser RoadRailers. Not long after I and another friend of his had started on an effort to inventory his collection, we received word from his wife that she managed to find a dealer willing to take the whole collection in one shot, so on short notice I was able to gather enough cash to purchase the 765 and some Roadrailers the night before the entire collection was packed up and hauled off.  Before taking possession of the loco I managed to figure out how his layout power was controlled, and got enough of a stretch of clean track to have this loco put in a star performance before it went home with me, the last locomotive to operate on the layout before it was dismantled.

As I slowly inventory my own collection, I have been including notes in the records detailing the circumstances of acquisition when they are known, and any modifications/ repairs/ upgrades I may have made. I've thought of inserting notes in the boxes of some pieces I have more or less complete acquisition info for (or even a QR code linking to YouTube videos of mine where that item appeared), that may provide a point of curiosity to some purchaser in the distant future in the event my collection has to be liquidated without my being around to see it off. 

---PCJ

Often say to myself when cleaning and or repairing our toy trains "if only they could talk".

Looking at and engine or car carefully as it is being fixed etc often wonder about the wars it may have been through among many many other ventures especially the prewar items as some have been around a very long time.

If only they could talk and tell us their journey.

Absolutely.  A coworker mentioned that a neighbor had a train set that she had inherited, so l called the number and went out to look.  She invited me in and showed me a pristine Marx six inch mixed train set, not something l collected, but knew was uncommon, so l made an offer.  She said it had been her brother's, and she wanted no money, but that it should have a good home.  She was up in years, so that meant her brother had owned, cherished, and protected that set for decades.  I think that is a feeling many on here well understand. 

Yes, I have thought about it, especially for one particular train: a classic Lionel 2343 AA Set.

I looked for a suitable one for years. Meaning I didn't want a project or a major fixer-upper. Finally got a great AA set from a seller on the auction site. Paint is beautiful, runs great and is in overall very nice condition. I'm pretty sure the seller was not original owner, but given the significance of this Lionel classic I often wonder about the original ownerof this early 1950s gem.9

This is a great thread, thanks for starting it.  I have only one set that I purchased from a girl that worked for my wife, to answer your question, no I don't think about the guy who had the train set I bought from his ex wife.  She came home from work early one day and caught him in their bed with another woman, consequently, she divorced him and ended up with his trains that his grandmother had bought for him.  He had added on to the original set and lost some nice pieces.  They had been run but he seemed to have taken good care of them and they were in very nice condition.  Because of his stupidity, he deserved what he got, his loss, my gain.  His ex was actually going to give the set to me but I didn't feel right about taking it without paying for it, especially after I saw how nice it was so I made her a good offer on it.  She was happy and so am I.

To add, a few years ago I purchased a set of trains and other items from a man.  He was saving his trains to build a layout with his grandson.  Sadly, the grandson died before he was able to build the layout.

I only know the previous history of a couple of my vintage Lionel items, but my 2151W set is my favorite one next to my family heirloom trains.  The sister of the young man who received the set originally in 1949 rediscovered it by accident when some workmen insulating her attic came across it up there.  I believe she lives in the same house that she grew up in, so that's not terribly surprising.  She had forgotten it was up there so she had them bring it down.  Her brother had passed away a number of years before unfortunately so she decided to search for a good new home for the set.  It has all of the original boxes, some extra accessories they purchased (as well as a homemade wooden station building) and most of the paper manuals.  The boxes all still have the original price tags from various well known Detroit area stores where the items were purchased which really adds to the nostalgia factor.  I was lucky enough to have her accept my offer for the set and quickly had it back in operation after a couple of minor age related repairs the same day I picked it up from her.  She was thrilled and has stayed in touch in the years since I purchased it and has been able to see it in operation a couple of times since I got it back up and running.  Getting to hear her memories of enjoying the set with her brother as kids makes it extra special.  I just finished repairing the original RW transformer last night which was the last piece of the set that hadn't been returned to an operational state.  

First video is the one I made the day I brought the set home and got the train running.  It also shows the various price tags from local stores that have been long gone.  The second video is after I got the rest of the accessory items back up and running, putting the set fully back into service for the first time in decades.

I am not a collector with a target I am aimed at.  I find cast offs, many from people who say things like, "These were by grand dads or dads and have been in the basement, or attic for years and we have no use for them."  The others I see in just decrepit shape, and I just feel sad for this thing that is just a thing, and end up wanting to restore it to running condition, not for sale, just for me, finding the bits and pieces on epay, the Traintender, Trainz and other parts sources to restore them to life.  When my best childhood friends moved away in 1957, and not just across town or the country, but to Brazil, I found some Lionel track, a Sunoco tank car, and an 027 turnout in the dirt in their backyard, cleaned them up and still have them today.  I'm the same way with old electronics.  I found a Heathkit transmitter in a drainage ditch one time, got it going and still use it to this day.  I rescued a Heathkit receiver headed to the dump being taken by the now deceased owners  son, and it is still on the air next to its companion 'ditch found' transmitter.  I have wondered about the previous owners of all these things, only one or two I actually know the lineage of. but am happy that the things are still up and running.  The truly sad thing is that, with all these things I have found and restored, it may just be a temporary reprieve from the spot they were headed for, a bump in the road by my intervention, where they will continue on their way after I am gone.

I do wonder the stories for all the older things I own/buy. Sadly I don't know any of their stories though much past who I bought them from, if any. Maybe some day I'll acquire something with more of a story.

An early postwar Marx 3/16th set headed by a 999 seemed to be well loved but taken pretty good care of. The engine's sliding shoe had been repaired at some point with solder and its intermittent gear worn to the point of the gear teeth being gone. The track looked to have been attached to a board at some point. I've repaired the engine with a new gear, slider, and replaced its missing front truck. Runs quite well.

Many of the old pieces I have either came from family, or were purchased from the original owners. I still think of these items as "theirs," even if I have had them for decades. Pieces I bought online or from shops I have no way to imagine who might have owned them, so these are usually things I longed for in catalogs and found ways to acquire. I think it is easier to imagine an earlier owner if you buy a set than if you buy a separate car. The items that most evoke the earlier owner are homebuilt things not available from a manufacturer. Most people who had trains built things to go with them. My dad, for example, made a station platform similar to the Lionel one with the signs, and a sign you could put a bulb behind to light up that said "Eat at Joes." By the way, his mother would never eat at a place called "Eat at Joes."

I really dont dwell on that any more than i do the previous owners of used cars i have purchased.  I do have three really nice train sets that I promised the owners I wouldn't resell.  Sometimes I think about those purchases when I see those trains.

Guy across the street from me played around and got divorced.   I bought his train from his ex-wife and put it in a box under my layout.  I came across it a few years later.  I looked him up, called him and sold it back to him.  He was very happy to get it back.  I only think about that when this topic resurfaces.

... and just think of how many bought new right now will be rolling for the same amount of time.

I have no objection to buying used anything but there have been times, not just trains, when you feel as if you have something that belongs to someone else, even though you paid for it.  For that reason, particularly with trains, an item we consider a family heirloom, we buy them new the vast majority of the time.  My boys (and wife) get a kick out of the fact that trains on a display shelf in the boys’ bedrooms or run under the Christmas tree were purchased by their great grandfather for their grandfather 70 or so years ago.  

Not so much with the used trains I've purchased, but I do look at my RR lantern collection from time to time & consider the stories they could tell.

Rich in -11F , SD

Well, I have a few minutes on Christmas Eve day before the onslaught begins, with friends and relatives coming over. So, I'm spending a few minutes in peace here on the forum. Sort of the calm before the storm.

This is an interesting question and thread. I'm not into Postwar stuff for the layout. But I do still have my original Postwar set Santa brought me for Christmas back in the mid-1950s. I get it out and run it once or twice a year and when I do, the memories of that time when I was a kid in the fifties, really start to flow. So, for this set and contemplating who the original owner was (me), I enjoy running it once in awhile. Because when I do, those memories come back and are fun to remember.

I'm sure those of you who've kept your Postwar sets probably feel the same way and experience the same thing.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It is not so much about considering a previous individual owner for me, but to continue to run those postwar beauties, to carry the torch {running trains} a bit further.

I think about him all the time - he was my grandfather, LOL!

Fantastic thread.

I put together my dad's postwar train for him last night. Set 1646 with a variety of other items.

Horn no longer works and I got him a new transformer, but the loco runs and steams like a champ.  I also left him with a 6220 switcher in case the smell of burning smoke fluid becomes too much. He didn't say much but didn't want me to pack it up before I left, so that's a good thing

I think a good deal about the previous owner of my trains, though that's mostly in HO.  generally they fall into a few categories.

1. Items -especially custom paint and decal work- that has come directly from friends of mine. These are treasures.

2. As the person in my train club in charge of disposing of club (60 year old group) excess and donations, I end up with a fair number of pieces that often belonged to former and deceased members. Sometimes the members will tell me little stories about these people.  It's neat to have a even a once-removed relationship with the previous owners and to be able to run them again on the same club layout they may have run on decades ago.

3.I have a fair number of vintage pieces -often custom decal and paint work- that I've picked up in my travels.  I'm thankful to find the pieces that add new road numbers to my chosen lines.  I also feel like a bit of a caretaker of these unique pieces even knowing nothing about the creators.

Related to #s 2 & 3, I'm contemplating buying one of the home line passenger consists that's sitting in my garage right now.

I'm really fortunate that I've been able to meet the original owner or family member with every set I've acquired. One gentleman had his baby set, a 1688 freight set, he received from his uncle in 1938. He also had his first Christmas set from 1950,  a 6220 switcher. He cherished these trains for 70 years only to find that his kids and grand-kids could care less about keeping them. I bought the switcher set from him and he gave me all the trains he had because he wanted them to be appreciated. As with the other sets, I'm a care taker until its time for another generation to step up. In each set box will be a note describing the people that owned them and my part of the story in repairing/preserving them for another generation.

That idea about the note is a good one. I, too, know the stories behind some of my old trains, and would wish future generations to have that, but skeptical oral tradition will be sufficient. A note could survive a generational lack of interest.

I run my engine I was given in 1949 before I turned 2. My Dad bought it. My mother decided since Dad said it was for me, I would play with it as a push toy when Dad, a long haul truck driver, was not there to set up the track. I rolled it off the kitchen table. It survived. It was later set up over my bed and sometimes jumped to the floor.  It survived and began a lifelong love of toy trains. I still run it and remember all the fun my sister and I had with it many years ago. It is certainly not pristine.

In most cases I wonder if a previous owner had as much fun as I did as a boy, and why they no longer have the engine.

I feel sorry for trains I see that obviously sat on shelves to look at, or in boxes where they could not even be seen. When I buy one and run it I picture the trains being happier doing what they were designed to do -- be played with by someone that loves them like he did when he was a young boy. My current layout has guardrail, so no more diving to the floor.

I wonder about owners of trains left on a trash pile that I attempted to rescue and other trains that died from neglect.

Since my descendents apparently did not inherit the "my trains for life" gene, I have willed my trains to the local train club I was fortunate enough to join. Maybe someone will enentually pick up that engine and wonder about who loved it.

LARRY.PRR