Early 1970s, it could have been my birthday, it could have been Christmas...but it was well before I entered double digits in years old. I was gifted what is pictured, a Lionel 8351. Blue because my folks knew it was my favorite color. It was, hands down the best present I had ever gotten as a kid. The next couple of years had me merging this train set with additional track and switches, model ships and planes, the starship Enterprise, a colonial viper, and some Lego structures I ripped off from my little brother. Yes, nothing was to scale but it worked for a poor kid in Minnesota in the 70s where winters were long.
As I grew older I lost interest in this set as the Atari 2600 had come out, then puberty, my folks divorcing, girls, cars, school, career, parenthood...all the trappings of adulthood including moving to a new state and only bringing the important stuff.
Years passed. I know this to be true because of my gray hair. I always wondered what happened to my old train but never gave it much thought. In October of 2022 my father passed. We didn't get along in his later years so I wasn't all that thrilled to have to go and clean out his home to sell but who said adulting was all fun and games so off I went. I arrived and began cleaning out his detached garage, sifting through piles of old, rotted items (no climate control) when suddenly, in an old rotted cardboard box I found my train set! I stopped and took a long hard look and it was at that moment that the time machine instantly transported me back to a time where the colonial viper was making strafing runs on the train, the USS Iowa providing offshore bombardment support, destroying the Lego structures one by one (with the help of my foot) and a B-17 Flying Fortress circling overhead just because.
After a good 10 minutes just staring into that box, I moved everything into an empty storage bin and loaded up my car. When I got home to Wisconsin, I carefully unpacked everything. Dust and rust everywhere. 50 years of it. I put some of the track together, curious if the old gal would power up. Thar familiar smell of ozone wafted up from those rusty tracks, lights were on but nope, she wasn't moving.
Google is a wonderous tool. I soon found a WordPress posting on how to clean and lube my specific engine and off I went. Two hours later she was back! She was hauling her load just as she did back in the 70s. Poorly, as the tracks are so rusty I may end up just replacing them but YEA BABY!!! The Santa Fe 8351 no frills powerhouse of a engine was back and because of her, and her ability to send me back to the early 70s I have now decided to start this hobby anew, with whatever I end up adding, not because it may be a collectable, not because it may or may not make cool sounds, has Bluetooth connectivity or whatever the latest tech is, but as I push 60 whatever I choose to add will only enhance the old girl, this dinged up locomotive and her cars, some of which are missing pieces but you know, that is ok with me.
My wife once told me that I needed a hobby. OK honey, here it comes...with ozone smell and all!
Our childhood trains are a treasure, for they can truly make our hearts smile
Your story is proof of that