Steamer posted:you brought a rusted junker back to life, plus it sounds like you had some fun doing it. It doesn't get any better than this. Great job!!
I love doing it. I know it sounds kinda stupid but when I get an old train or other vintage item ( I also collect old tools and restore them, Erector sets as well) I can’t help but think about how excited some kid was to have gotten it so many years ago. I can promise that I was just as happy getting that old 259 as rusted and messed up as it was as the kid who originally got it.
I have a Marx 989 that is worn out. It had been fixed over and over by the orginal owner. The front truck is help on by bits of old wire and Bobby pins. The wheels are so worn that they have grooves in them. The pick up shoe is almost cut in half from wear.
The shell is in great shape. It’s easy to tell that it was someone’s pride and joy.
The fact that I am 50 years old and play with old toys is a bonus. I love seeing kids now play with this old stuff. I don’t freak out if they run one off the rails or see how fast it can go before newton proves himself right yet again. I have done the same thing and don’t mind admitting I still do from time to time. The trains themselves have survived worse and nothing in the world is worth as much as seeing a new kid play with a train or erector set the first time.
