Live long, and prosper.

[Penny Trains]

"Spockish train power?"

That's what it says on page 22 of the December issue at the head of the questions and answers column.  The question was about a Lionel SW transformer, if you haven't read it yet, and how it's knobs resemble the starfleet logo for the USS Enterprise.

So it got me thinking!  Let's have fun with this!  Just what exactly would a toy train for a young Spock look like?  What is the most logical type of toy train?  Since Star Trek ran from 1966 to 1968, let's confine our speculations to the postwar lines of Lionel, American Flyer and Marx.  Here are a few things to consider:

1. Do Vulcan kids even play with toys?
2. If yes, would Vulcan children prefer 3 rail or 2 rail?
3. Steam, diesel or electric?
4. Passenger or freight?
5. Vulcan is hot.  Die cast, rolled steel or plastic?
6. Knuckles, links or tilt couplers?
7. Accessories?
8. Is layout building a logical pursuit?
9. Is collecting trains something a Vulcan would embrace?
10. Anything else you can think of?

Live long, and play with whose trains?

Becky

[stebbycentral]

From the original series episode "Journey to Babel" we do know that Vulcan children were allowed to have pets.  Spock had a pet "sehlat" as a child, which from the description provided is somewhat like a domesticated version of a Terran Sabre Toothed tiger crossed with a Grizzly bear.  Apparently allowing them to care for a potentially dangerous creature as a pet is how Vulcan children were taught the analytical aspects of foresight, planning, caution, and even responsibility:  "Vulcan children are never late with their sehlat's dinner."   T'Pol,  ("The Forge") 

I can imagine that Vulcans would approach any Terran "hobby" from a similar utilitarian aspect.  If it promotes growth or learning, go for it.

 

 

[LL675]

strange that this came up, I spotted an SW in our local antique shop. I've often pictured Spock pulling out a small Lionel platform from under his bed on the Enterprise.....and even Doctor McCoy on the floor with him, and Bones would be arguing with Spock about who wears the engineer hat....

[mersenne6]

Well, if stebbycentral's statement about teaching Vulcan childern "analytical aspects of foresight, planning, caution, and even responsibility" were applied to toy trains then the German high voltage train sets from the turn of the last century (current straight from the wall socket to the rails) would seem to be the toy trains of choice. - Vulcan children never allow anything to stand on or touch the rails -