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 How I got into S gauge..

Here's my story for what its worth:

My mother died when I was 4 and I had no siblings, just my dad and I.
As a result I spent a lot of time home alone in the summers and after
school.  We didn't have much money so I never got a new train set.  But
one day when I was about 8 (about 1966)  my dad brought home a box of
used American Flyer trains.  As I recall there was a Hudson and a
silver GP-7, some freight cars, a Brownhoist crane, an assortment of track, 2
manual switches and a big transformer with dead man's handle.  I spent
many endless hours playing with that set making various layouts on our
apartment floor.  I remember laying with my face on the floor, eye as
close as possible to the track with the big Hudson roaring past,
imagining that I was on the edge of a real  track as the great behemoth
thundered by (OK, I admit I still do this!) I especially liked the
crane.  I would spend hours picking up and moving an assortment of
things with it.   I used to lure the cat onto the tracks with a few
bits of hard cat food and then, at just the right moment throw the throttle
full on and try to run the cat over.  I never did succeed but I did get
him to jump high in the air a few times.  I loved that old train set,
it was my favorite toy for many years.

Now that I have brought my trains back out 30 some odd years later my
13 & 16 year old boys have taken them over and play endlessly with them.
Their HO set is gathering dust.  I have been buying more used track
(and other goodies) lately.  I won't let them use the used track until I get
it cleaned up so they are constantly sending orders to the maintenance
shop for "more track".  The maintenance superintendent has been swamped
with track orders the last week and while outwardly grumbling about the
endless workload, is secretly thrilled that they are having as much fun
as he did 35 years ago.

I am having wonderful time re-living my childhood through the trains
and am especially happy that I've found something that we all can do
together.

Steve Blancard
Fredericksburg, Virginia