My youngest son Max (aka Double Check) married in 2021 and he and his wife moved into their own home. He left the circa 2011 0-27 layout he’d built in my basement along with all of his trains and when he and my daughter in law would be here, we’d get some father/son train time in the basement - him running on his layout and me on mine.
Recently, he began construction on the first section of a new train layout in their basement. He has been dropping by periodically to pick up buildings and trains and move them to his house.
Today, he came by to remove the last of the buildings, lights, accessories - the whole shebang save track and switches which I’ll salvage and keep as spares for my layout.
I missed seeing him while he was here this afternoon and went downstairs about a half hour after he’d left. I knew this time was coming but, now that it’s finally here, it’s almost like a gut punch of reality.
As with baseball, there is no crying in toy trains but, today was another of life’s reminders that, as one chapter ends, another begins.
Curt