Leapin Larry - Your layout looks awesome!! Thanks for sharing the photos and your greetings!!
Today I was able to get into the layout room for several hours. It's been a very busy month to say the least! Being a musician, Christmastime can be exhausting! For instance yesterday was packed with gigs morning to night. Fun and yet very demanding. After leaving the house, for DC, yesterday at 7:30 a.m and returning at 10:30 p.m., I was drawn to the train room where I ran trains for 15 minutes or so, only able to enjoy them at a certain level for the exhaustion seem to impede my usual great depth of enjoyment.
After a good night's sleep I again was drawn to the train room where I spent several hours sipping coffee, watching the trains run, and allowing my imagination go absolutely wild!
Fun times in Patsburg was had by the Mayor and CEO of the Free State Junction Railway on this Christmas Day .... just as my imagination did 61 years ago on Christmas Day when I received, from Santa, my first Lionel set at age 4!! I can remember with great clarity coming down the stairs, making the turn into the living room and immediately spotting, under the Christmas tree, the oval of track and the face of the 2065 steam locomotive staring at me. WOW ... That feeling was absolutely exhilarating!!! I still have that same set intact with the operating milk car, log car, NYC Pacemaker boxcar and the 3 dome Sunoco tank car, complete with a Lionel Lines porthole caboose, and the 1033 transformer ....the locomotive still works as does the milk car, NYC Pacemaker boxcar, and transformer. Unfortunately the log car no longer works... but still looks good.
Yes, as Frank M said ( to paraphrase ) we do remember our feelings and that Christmas of many years ago was my best!! AND I've had many wonderful Christmas Day's over the years, even when I had no layout .... for I still had those wonderful memories of those young years with my trains. Thanks Mom and Dad ( and Santa too ) for giving me that wonderful Lionel train set and thank you, most of all, for allowing me to experience that absolutely wonderful magical feeling 61 years ago today!!! My heart overflows with gratitude ... Merry Christmas!!!!!!
