Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 1950 when my father 1st intoducted me to model railroading it was done in a toy train type situation around our Christmas tree
as my Grandfather had done with my father, and I have continued this tradition every Christmas. I have never tried to become overly realistic with my layouts and down thru the years uniform scale has not been an important issue. Our model railroading tradition has always been a toy train experience and although at times it has become as much as 5 levels of O gauge madness, it has been as a childs toy that our trains have been constructed. My fathers Lionel 263E original was the train the Seabees ran on Guadacanal at Christmas time, my uncle who was a Marine in that terrible conflict, told me that as that toy train ran around the SeaBee tent there was not one sound that was made by the men as they watched, some of the men had tears in their eyes knowing it was the last memory they might ever have of home. We run that same toy train every year, and we now have an MTH Reproduction to accompany it. The 46th SeaBee's are all gone now, most of the Marines who fought with them are also, but their toy train still runs. We hope that those brave men who gave all, watch from above as the their toy train, still runs at Christmas time, even today.
Pine Creek/Dave - A Greatful son of a 46th US Navy SeaBee.
Merry Christmas Gentlemen
