Moms & Trains.........................

[mobilman44]

Hi!

Today is the first Mothers Day without my Mom, who passed away last fall at 94 years of age.   Thinking of her today, I recalled how she always supported my love for the hobby, starting way back in 1957....

Mom worked in downtown Chicago and had to take a bus and elevated train to get to the office.  In hindsight, it was not a fun commute.  At the time I had a Lionel layout in the basement, about 20 x 8, with the operations run from a "hole" in the center of the layout.  

One day the subject of "downtown train stores" came up and Mom mentioned "All-Nation Hobbies" and how it wasn't far from her office.   I told her I would like to try one of their O gauge kits - perhaps a boxcar someday.  Now the thing was, my Mom didn't know much about trains at all, and I doubt she knew a boxcar from a hopper. 

Well, did I get a surprise!  Later that week came home with a package, and inside was a bright red CB&Q boxcar kit!   Mom actually remembered what I had mentioned, and that was such a good feeling.

Anyway, using what tools and abilities I had, I actually got the thing together and even installed Lionel couplers on it.  It sure did look nice behind that silver Burlington GP7, and I was very proud of the result.

Up until Mom got into her 80s (and me in my '50s), at Christmas time and birthdays, Mom would ask for a list of "train stuff" from me.   She would pick out one or two items, call DesPlaines Hobbies, and they would ship the order directly to me here in south Texas.   While Mom didn't know much about trains, she knew that her son was a life long "train nut", and she always wanted to add to the fever whenever she could.

Soooo, may I say "Thank You Mom", and wish a "Happy Mother's Day" to all your Mothers out there!

 

 

 

[alank]

Nice Story....sorry about the loss of your mother.   I lost mine last year and she was 96 at the time of her passing.

My mom was a railroaders daughter, but she probably didn't know a boxcar from a covered hopper.   However she supported my brothers and I in our hobby of Lionel and HO trains.   I have had trains all my life, and after we got into it, my mother supported us.   She would tell me she supported us, because when we were in the basement working on trains, she knew we weren't out on the street getting into trouble.  When she would come to visit and we went shopping, we always ended up in a train store.   I also used totake her train watching.  Happy Mothers Day...