I became interested in the D&RGW narrow gauge when I was 15 (1955) years old growing up in a small town in Louisiana. Don't remember where I heard of it, but I subscribed to Bob Richardson's Narrow Gauge News (free, you had to provide stamped envelopes). In one of the issues, Bob described the NMRA Rocky Mountain Region's Helper newsletter and I subscribed to that. One of my first issues had drawings of the D&RGW K-36s and a sheet of photos by John Horan. I was hooked and 64 years later the K-36 book.
In 1960, the Helper published drawings and photos of the D&RGW Hermosa 64 foot Howe Pony Truss bridge. Then I was in the Air Force stationed in Japan. Fell in love with that bridge. Now it is 1 mile from my front door. Probably many things from our childhood are forgotten, bur some are with us our entire lives.