When we were kids, one crucial component of Christmas, and the weeks leading up to it, was our electric trains. We would get out an enormous piece of plywood, tack green felt to it, and set up the train tracks on it. We’d put minature houses and people around, with street signs and animals and phone poles. And then we would drive the electric trains around it for hours and hours at a time.

I’m not entirely sure which year the trains went into the boxes. I don’t *think* we set them up in Nairobi, but we very well might have. If we did, then it’s been 16 years. But it could have been longer.

This afternoon, Sarah and I got the trains out of the boxes, cleared the floor in the attic/storage room, and set up one of the tracks in a little oval, and got the trains working. Some of them work better than others, and the tracks needed quite a bit of sanding/grinding/polishing before they would actually conduct any electricity, but before long, the little Rock Island and Santa Fe trains, with their Smuckers and Trident box cars, were zipping around the tracks. Sarah wasn’t really into it at first, but as soon as the trains really started working, she wanted to make bridges and mountains and all sorts of other things.

The goal is to make that room the Train Room, and set up both tracks, and possibly three tracks, if I can get all of the various bits and pieces working. I’ve got 4 engines, 3 of which seem to be working pretty well. And I think we can have ourselves a fun little train room with a little work. Most of the track segments need to be sanded, and most of the track connectors are loose and need to be either crimped tighter or replaced entirely. But I’ve wanted to do this for years and years, and finally have the chance to actually do it.

I’ll probably post some pictures in a little while.

What would be really cool was if Andy could be here to play with the trains with me this Christmas.