Waiting at the Train Station........

Trains have always been my fascination and the small sets that were my dad's allows me to mess with them a little longer in my mature years.  My brother had bought two kinds of trains for my dad, one with an old fashion locomotive engine with cars and the diesel powered train with cars.  The caboose is always a nice exclamation poing at the end of the train.  I remember seeing these caboose cars as a kid thinking that is the end of the line.  I also remember seeing guys up in the look out place of the car.

Back then there was no way of communicating and the guy stationed in the car could go up and look out to see the city signs that were coming up if he didn't know where they were on the track. I remember seeing flags used in the old movies to let the engineer see all was ready in the rear.  I am sure it was a good way to see above the train also just to look forward.  

This model size of train is one of their smaller sized model trains.  It isn't the smallest as I have seen smaller at Hobby Lobby where they sell trains.  This one I have made to work on it's track but it is so small that it tends to take more time keeping it on the track than having fun running it.  It's wheel base size is less than 5/8 inch in width.  The larger train set that was shared with my brother has a wheel base a little larger than an inch, :),  I don't remember when the last time it was ever used as my parents moved from the farm in 1973 and the track for it was systematically being tossed.  There were two more moves by my parents and the loose track among the tinker toys was most all thrown away.  I have always been curious since young as to how Santa Clause would take the time to wrap up with brown paper a train set in a box and write to Dwight and Larry on the outside, from Santa.