My father seemed to be fascinated by railroads. But was never a "railfan." When I was ages three to five we lived in Ventura, California and my father would take me out to see the Daylight and other trains. One time I was invited into the cab of the diesel switcher working the Ojai branch -- Dad may have known one of the crew members. My father at the same time made some wooden train cars I could plow around in the backyard -- bottle caps for wheels, beer cans for boilers and tank cars.

My kindergarten year was spent living near Inglewood, CA. At that time my father bought me some of the little cast trains that would hook together, bought me both a Railroad and a Trains magazine that he read to me (I still have them). That year the city street car service to downtown Los Angeles ended and my mother took me one Saturday to downtown LA and back on the electric cars. That year or maybe the next there was a display of railroad equipment at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal and I was taken to the display.

As I said my father was fascinated by railroads. But, my mother seemed to much more support my interests in model trains and in railroad history; she would check out library books from the adult section for me to read. There were book gifts while I was still in elementary school. Mom planned most of our vacation trips and seemed to always include something due to my interest in trains.

Oh, I could go on.

Brian Norden