As a child, my buddies and I would sit by the railroad tracks in our hometown and watch in awe as the trains passed by. By the 1970s, train usage had changed drastically, but that steam engine and those rusty railcars still made for an amazing sight.
That fascination with trains continued when my brother let me play with his toy train set that was set up on a sheet of plywood and a couple of sawhorses in our basement. To my knowledge, it was never displayed around the Christmas tree like so many others were. I am guessing Mom wouldn’t allow it, as she didn’t want us kids playing in the living room. That was OK with us, as we were just fine having our own space in the basement.
As an adult, I continued to have a passion for toy train sets, although I didn’t have one of my own. My friend Bill still had his from his youth, and he set it up around their family Christmas tree each year. He was in his 50s when he told me about it and invited me over to play. He loved that train set. I did, too.
Bill moved away, and I wanted a train set of my own. My kids caught wind of this and eventually bought me a plastic Christmas set that we have put around the tree each year since. It plays music, lets out steam and makes me smile. I still hope to someday replace it with an iconic Lionel train set like the one my brother had.
Ever wonder how and when this fascination with toy trains and Christmas began? It can be traced back more than a century ago to the early 1900s when the railroad was the No. 1 method of transportation, especially when it came to holiday travel. Some say the Christmas connection is due to families gathering around their Christmas trees, opening presents and playing with them immediately. With outlets nearby for the Christmas tree, it only seemed natural to plug in the toy train set right there.
Joshua Lionel Cowen founded the Lionel Corporation in 1900 and began producing toy trains. He created his first electric trains for toy store displays, but families soon wanted to take one home. Lionel never lost its title as the king of model trains. Although the company reached its peak in the 1950s as the largest toymaker in the world, it is still the king of model trains today, at least to me.
The toy train set is not just an iconic American toy; it is a tradition that is nostalgic for many of us. That time-honored tradition continues today, thanks in large part to Thomas the Tank Engine, “The Polar Express” movie and the Harry Potter franchise.
At the end of the day, and especially at Christmas time, toy train sets may just be a reminder of a less complicated world when we could find enjoyment sitting with our buddies simply watching a steam engine and rail cars pass by. Choo-choo!
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
