As the presents dwindled, my anticipation grew. I had recalled the “Great American Train Store” that we’d visited recently on Downtown Plaza in Sacramento, how I had been absolutely floored by the model railroads contained in that little storefront and how I wanted to know everythig about this hobby, I wanted to put down tracks and paint some mountains and build my own little empire…. well, it seems I got my wish. I tore that damn wrapping off in jittery excitement, and I found this inside-
Life-Like Products’ American Workhorse N scale trainset. I was in awe. I hastily opened the package and found the box contained everything! Buildings, trees, fences and telephone poles… track and train and power pack too! I was well on my way to creating an empire in miniature! I opened every box, looked over every little piece… I thought this was the most fascinating thing, that every little detail was there, just like the real thing, but miniaturized! The level of detail floored me. As I opened up the jewel cases containing my new obsession, I found that the locomotive stood out among the other pieces as just about the coolest thing I had ever seen. I had no idea about trains, no clue how they worked or what they really did….. but I knew one thing; “This is beautiful“.
I pored over every detail, I played with every little part and piece. Eventually I would take it apart and put it back together (about 25 times!) but today, Christmas, I just wanted to watch it go.
Flash-forward to today; it’s twelve years later, this month. I ventured onto Ebay, and decided to track down a duplicate of my first Iron love, my Northern Pacific GP-18 Locomotive. I tracked down the perfect copy, the perfect engine- it’s been fitted with newer style couplers but that’s just fine by me. Last night I came home from grocery shopping to find a small box in the mailbox, a parcel that could have contained anything…. but I knew what it was. I opened the box, carefully pried-loose the little engine from its plastic padded protection, and I was fourteen years old again. For just a moment, I was a short, tubby antisocial kid with a brand-new love for something small and inanimate. Recalling the times past I had bought action figures and toys that I had once owned twenty years prior, I felt the renewal of my inner child’s spirit, a giddy feeling that recalled imagination and the oblivious joy of simply playing. I smiled.