Christmas in Eleven

Train sets

I know many people set up a train under their Christmas tree. I am not sure where this tradition started. I know that in my family I got my electric train set under the Christmas tree when I was in the first grade. It was the same year as the mutant Christmas tree.

I played with the train for several years and then when I was done; my mom put it away for me. In 1995 she sent it home with Kathleen and me. It no longer worked, and I thought someday I would figure out how to fix it. I did make a few attempts but was unsuccessfully.

In 2009 I was heading home from the office in Oklahoma City and drove past Whistle Stop Trains. Who knew OKC had a year round model train store and actually hosts a yearly model train convention? I stopped in and talked with the guys there, (sort of like talking with the guys in a comic book store). As it turns out, fixing toy trains sets is not that big a deal.

A week later I took the train set up there. I was a little embarrassed when the guys went on and on about how they had never seen a set that old that was in this great of shape. I choose to ignore the fact that it really seemed like they were calling me old. As it turns out I was just missing that you need to attach the worse to the track to get the train running. All in all it only set me back $7.50
That year when we set up the mini trees in the office I made a table from two trunks and big piece of plywood. It didn’t take very long to get the boys interested in getting up the train up and running. More than once that December I found Matthew curled up on the couch in the office watching the train go round and round with all the lights off except the Christmas tree lights.