Retro Redux: Still Waitin' For That Train - Page 2

The entire train — even the locomotive — was made of brightly-colored plastic, which gave it a Disneyish look more suited to younger kids. The power supply was simply a plastic box with four batteries (which soon ran down) and there was only a limited amount of track included. It was pretty underwhelming, and I guess there's no way that I won't sound like an ungrateful whelp when I say that I was mightily disappointed. However, I wasn't the kind of kid who threw tantrums, so I swallowed my dismay and made the best of it.

Now that a lot of years have passed and I view this through the prism of adulthood, I know that things are not always as simple as they seem. For one thing, one of the friends I envied so much was part of a broken home, living with his father — a rarity in those days. His estranged parents often competed with each other by buying him expensive toys. I think his train set was one of those — and don't even get me started on his fancy Schwinn bike.

But the fact that I remember the whole experience — even after all these years — means that it must have been pretty significant to me at the time. And it just might have had a little to do with my life-long attraction to all things railroad. I guess I'm still just waitin' for that train.

Article Author: Big Geez

Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- occasionally writing reviews, but most often using his regular music feature, Retro Redux, to share his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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