What does that have to do with railroads and simulation?.... Everything, as it turns out.
My earliest railroad memories as a kid come from time spent at my grandparent's place in Crivitz, Wisconsin (about an hour north of Green Bay). Around age 3 or 4 getting a ride around the wye on a Milwaukee Road switcher after my dad apparently talked the crew into it.
I'm also pretty certain he wanted the ride more than I did. From there, I was apparently hooked.
Dad grew up mostly in Illinois farm country near the CNW's KD Line and Harvard. He'd ride the train between there and Chicago when he was in college getting his Civil Engineering degree, and during his first career as a highway engineer, would ride the CNW daily between the Northwest Suburbs and the Loop. If you've ever driven on a tollway in Illinois, then you've probably been over a stretch that he was involved with. Most afternoons, we'd load up in the Plymouth station wagon and wait next to the tracks at the station for his train to come in. Mom was always 15 minutes early for everything in life, so I'd get a daily viewing of at least two or three trains rolling thru town with ratty old E and F units pulling yellow and green gallery coaches.
Our house had almost every issue of Model Railroader ever published, and each month I'd read the new issue cover to cover. He'd find various HO scale items in various hobby shops, estate sales or swap meets ranging from Athern blue box kits all the way up to Tenshodo brass steamers. Steam locomotives were and still are by far his favorite. As long as it was out of sight, Mom tolerated his hobbies, so our basement was dominated by a 8 ft x 24 ft layout where running 10-30 car trains was not a problem. Dad also built model airplanes (WW-II era only) and there was an equally massive 12 ft x 4 ft figure 8 slot car track with banked curves that filled up the other half of our basement. It was a very tempting playground, so we had an S scale layout as well that was intended to keep me away from the expensive stuff.
Some time after my own college years and moving out of state, the layout and slot car track came down as a result of one too many floods and water damage. Both collections got boxed up for safe keeping elsewhere in the house. About that time, he was launching his second career by running his own civil engineering firm, and over the next 20+ years, managing that business pretty much took over whatever time he'd previously had for hobbies.When I first discovered MSTS and flight simulation, as much as I tried, Dad never really showed the same interest in the computer gaming as he did with his model railroads and planes. It was more about the building and painting of the physical models and structures, which oddly match my own interests. His interest in trains never went away, though. When the UP 4014 Big Boy came thru town, he was trackside. I'm glad he got to see that because the Big Boy is still one of his favorites. A few years before that, I was able to get us a pair of seats on the UP Business Train for an Operation Lifesaver special, and we got to ride up in the dome. This time, I know I wanted the ride at least as much as he did.
I still check in from time to time on the HO collection that remains boxed up when we visit. These days, Mom watches from atop the piano as he's working at his third career, which is a real passion: designing go-kart tracks, miniature golf courses, and family entertainment centers. Chances are if you're into go-karts, you might have driven on one of his designs. I suspect he may also be the oldest civil engineer still working in Illinois and a few other states where he's licensed.
In the free time he has now, Dad's more likely to be watching a stock car race or his beloved White Sox trying not to lose, but there's still one thing that hasn't changed after almost 70 years: his issue of Model Railroader arrives in the mailbox every month.
He might not read it cover to cover, but still browses the ads and looks at what others are doing.
Happy 90th, Dad, and thanks for showing me that even though the collection might have to be boxed up when life interrupts, that interest in a hobby never really goes away.
