I grew up in Peoria, IL during in the 1940s and 50s. At that time passenger service (to/from Chicago) was offered by the Rock Island (CRI&P) as the PEORIA ROCKET. I rode on that train many times. I re-entered the train hobby when I turned 50, and I decided to collect all of the Lionel trains of the RI. That didn't take long so to keep the momentum going, I expanded my collecting to trains made by MTH, Weaver, Williams, Marx, and some now-defunct brands. Due to medical issues, I sold the entire collection, many action accessories, and related gear at auction via Stout Auctions. Most all of my RI stuff was sold in a weekend. I kept two RI trains as mementos; a Lionel E6A RI passenger set and a RI "Mikado" steam loco with several RI freight cars.
Later on (to my surprise), I experienced full recovery from a stroke and a cardiac incident, so I designed and built an L-shaped layout at home. For this venture, I decided to collect DEPT 56 lighted porcelain North Pole Village buildings -- items that were related to my family: the Bakery (for my dad, a baker), KOLD Radio (for my career in radio broadcasting), the Naughty or Nice Detective Agency (for my mom who kept a close watch on me and my two sisters), and many other buildings - 35 total. The buildings are now placed along the perimeter of the upper level of my layout, which also has three short trolley lines. Pix attached. I didn't apply new signage to the DEPT 56 buildings, but I explain to visitors "the rest of the story."
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394