My love of trains came from my maternal grandfather, William Schubert, who worked 44 years on the Pennsylvania Railroad and retired the year I was born in 1951. As a young child, I went on train rides from my home in Baltimore, Maryland to Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and NYC. I got an insider's view of the railroad that few are fortunate enough to get.
When I was 3 years old, Santa brought me a Lionel train set with a 736 Berkshire locomotive and freight cars. Over the years, my father built platforms and an annual Christmas train layout that began around our tree and, as it got bigger, migrated to our basement. I used to love working on building the layout with my father prior to each Christmas. From working with my father, I learned carpentry and electrical circuitry. The time spent with my father was priceless.
Like most of us, the trains were packed away when I was at university and music school. It was not until my only son, Chris, was born in 1995 that I decided that some day I would do a train layout for him. Christmas of 1997, a Lionel "Thomas the Tank Engine" appeared on a platform under the Christmas tree. From then, on, Chris' interest in trains blossomed as did mine when I was young. Our layout has gotten quite large. From working with me on the layout, Chris, from a very early age, learned to use hand tools, carpentry and electrical work as I did from my father and we spent much priceless, irreplaceable time together both building and operating the layout.
