life long modeler
i have been with t.c. now for a short time, but have been building models my whole life. it all started with this man, my grandfather. i spent my youth traveling from hobby shops to model shows all over new england and the north east. he taught me one of my greatest lessons in life. i used to love to go to his house because his basement was a miniature city. on one visit, he was in the process of remodeling, and no trains were running. i became upset with him and he calmly explained that this was his hobby and did this for enjoyment, and if he had to do it it would be work. the hobby was the escape from work. i never forgot this and always have been faithful to this logic. since joining tamiya club, i have had to amp up my skills and look back on things he taught me. he is a master builder and that is why i am sharing this with all. as builders we can all appreciate details and he is no exception. in the photos you can see the overhead lines for the trolley. all the poles were scratch built and the wires were hung by hand. positive ran through the rails and negative in the overhead wires. the tracks were hand laid and paved over. he is 91 now and no longer has a layout, but i know his heart and mind are still on the rails. thanks for looking and comments welcome.
Comments
Road Burner
I can't see the photos, and want to.
7.2inchdriver
having technical difficulties , please stand by.
7.2inchdriver
sorry about the poor picture quality. tried to scan the pictures and could not download. had to take pictures of the pictures. cheesy but you get the idea. thanks for the help giorgio
Road Burner
Awesome layout, a lot of time was obviously put into it. Thanks for sharing his talent, and what a great role model!
Wyoming
Very nice to have such great inspiration in hobbies, I love trains
SMOKE-DOG
Trains are sweet. Always liked them.
tuff bug
How good to have a grandfather who has similar interests to you!
BeetleOne
I can imagine how much all this has a meaningful value for you Christian! Cheers!
Dirt-540
Very interesting post, an enjoyable read my friend. My late uncle was an inspiration to me, he modelled/worked on anything he could get his hands on. Maybe I should do a tribute post too. Nice post.
scollins
Nice post, great to see generation of past that were passionate about modeling like all of us on TamiyaClub. My father got me started in the model car gig when I was 8, and into RCs at 12. I have no regrets and plan to teach my soon to be born baby boy about modeling and RCs when he is old enough..........(maybe 5yrs. ??)lol
lammac
All the best to you and your grandfather, there aren't many traditional scratch builders around now, more's the pity, in RC and many other hobbys like ours.
Crash Cramer
Awesome information and story, thank you for sharing it with us here.
pagedm_f350
Cool story C, I am constantly amazed at the weathering skills model railroad guys have. I did model railway in my early teens but never quite got into weathering. Thanks for sharing this!
delux
Wow, I just found this! Great story mate, nothing like being able to do what makes you happy..
D-Spec
Wow....this brought me back to my own Grandpas' basement...lol...brings me back to another time when my grandfather and father were around teaching me the same things....I sure do miss them . A pleasure to hear about some family history of yours and I see we both have been taught lessons and skills from generations past, and I truly appreciate seeing that passed on, so Thanks for sharing....
7.2inchdriver
thanks alot for your comments. he was always very excited to see me build things and what i could create. he passed away last march at the age of 92, but is still a huge inspiration in my life. i kept some of his tools and use them with great pride all of the time with my hobby.
Tobbe70
What a great story, Christian.
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