On our annual trips to New York City around the Holidays, between my parents and I, we would always come home with numerous copies of the Lionel Catalog gotten mostly from the Lionel Showroom and Madison Hardware. One of my many favorites was the 1958 catalog. I always wanted a freighter docked on my train layout and that stems from the first page of that catalog. In fact, I was 1st grade and we were supposed to be looking at our Religion Books. I didn't realize that the nun had flanked me and saw that I had the Lionel Catalog open inside my book. After a harsh word or two she took the catalog away never to be seen again. About 45 minutes later we were told to take out our Arithmetic Books. Yep, you guessed it. Another copy of the Lionel Catalog somehow got into my Arithmetic Book.
Well, my Mother was called to school and, to say the least, I was a lot more careful with my catalogs after that. There is a freighter on my layout now, I still have my catalogs and some great memories.
