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Strange to say, I didnt have a model train set, even a Lionel, when I was young! I loved "old timer" steam from age four. I think I was in love with the Hooterville Cannonball. Red wheel woodburners from the start. Still do. Always will. In 1969 my dad took me to see the UP Centennial train here in LA, and I still have a photo of me at age seven with an erzatz "Jupiter" behind me. I eventually got a layout under construction, only to be demolished in the '72 Sylmar earthquake. My dad also started a live steam CP 173 but stopped when we realized no basement of drill presses means hard to build. Years passed. High school, collage, new interests, the whole nine yards. In 1988 I began to get interested in the oldtimers again. I began with Bachmann 4-4-0s, then discovered a brass "Reno" - its been brass ever since, and no Spectrum quality 4-4-0 oldtimer is available. I then got involved with railroad museums, became a national expert on early locomotive paint schemes, repainted the Golden Spike replicas, ran a few oldtimers, fired some others, and now work with railroad history full time. Right now I'm modeling a line I've planned for over a decade and slowly putting together componants, as I'm not yet retirable and have to earn a living, go camping outdoors and have a life. So evening projects and such are the best. Soon I'll be looking for real estate, so the whole main line may now pick up where an earthquake left off. Tip: dont put a shelf of National Geographics on a wall above a train set. Cheers, Jim Wilke the old time paint scheme guy.
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