Trains aren’t romantic anymore. You walk in and notice that everything looks shiny and bright. A waitress brings you a drink, and if you are traveling near bedtime.she will also hand you a white pillow. You can walk to a diner where you can order just about anything, If you want to be alone you can order a small room of your own where you can sleep in a bed and have everything brought to you.
I believe that is the reason for all the train clubs that have been formed. If you have noticed, all of them show coal or wood fed engines, and trees, mountains, and lakes are a part of their display, The people who make them are remembering how trains used to be.
I don’t belong to a train club, but I have built my own idea of trains back in the good old days. I built a small town of the early forties, and the train tracks go around the town. It’s a small display but enough to fuel my memories. Let me take you along with me on one of my memories.
I think I was about 12 when my aunt Birdie asked my folks if I could come by train and spend the summer with her on her farm! Anyhow, it was decided and I went. The conductor was very friendly as we chugged out of our town. I was going the 250 miles to my aunt. The train stopped about 50 miles from home and stayed there quite a long time. Nobody got on or off the train but I was glad when we started up again. The train stopped again after two hours, and we stayed there quite a long time. I got up to see what I could see. I saw the men from the train and some from the town we were in. They were all playing cards! They seemed oblivious to time at all. We did finally get there and my aunt and uncle were quite upset at how late the train was!
The train went from Minneapolis to the west coast, but the tracks we were on went to the little towns north of the cities, so I imagine it didn’t matter when the trains got to where it was going. However, that incident didn’t take away my love for the old steam engine trains. My son, Jim and I, built a much more elaborate train scene when he was a boy. He loves trains as much as I do. If he lived closer to me, I imagine we would have built a much larger display than I did.
GramMa's Thoughts 