This little 30cm x 7cm piece of Nickel and plastic has been my most treasured possession for the best part of 15 years. As I stare at her as I write this, such a small thing can evoke many a memory.
I actually still remember when I brought her. I was 15 and had been saving my Christmas and birthday money and my allowance for ages. She still pretty much is the only thing I have ever saved up for in my life. Everything else I've ever owned was either given to me, brought outright or via a bank loan or credit card!!!
I can remember finally saving enough money for the purchase price which was around $200. In 1995, that was steep! Dad took me to my favourite hobby shop - the Hobby Place on Lonsdale street in the city, which is still there today, but unfortunately they don't sell trains anymore, only slot cars and Taminya models.
There was only 1 of her left and she was locked away in a glass case so people could look and stare, but not touch. She was in a carefully packaged red box with a perspex front with the famous Hornby logo in the bottom right hand corner. She was tucked away cosy in the box covered in the custom made polystyrene foam underlay. I remember having butterflies from the excitement and staring at her for the entire trip home in the car.
My first layout was still a work in progress at this stage, but I had 2 working tracks. I had saved the outside for her - I always did - It was the longest track so in some way I thought I would get to see her whizz around for longer that way.
She is nearly mesmerising when I see her flying around a track, hypnotic nearly. She was back then, and still is today.
4 weeks ago I set up a temporary track in the garage of my parents place. Unlike my layout back when I was 15/16, she wasn't the first loco I put on the track this time. I think i've come to appreciate her more as i'm older. I wanted to make sure the track worked first, it was clean, no gaps and running perfectly. In fact this time she was the last engine I tried......
If a fairly simple item meant that much to someone I'm guessing most people would leave it in the box, not open it, and put it on a shelf in a lounge room or dining room, that you only go into when it's time for Christmas lunch. I'm different. Model trains are made to run and run with rolling stock attached. Although I love the feeling of building the layout and the sense of accomplishment when it's done, the satisfaction I get from seeing the trains work their way around a track is the reason you build these things! You cannot get that same satisfaction from staring at them behind glass.
As I sit here in front of the computer, she is no more than arms length away on my stereo, and quite dusty! It's weird I guess. I've just finished 2 hours of CAD work and every couple of minutes I find myself looking at her. I don't know why, I can't explain it. I think it's just my sub-concience. I want to see her run on a track, not sitting here, still, staring back at me!!!
She is and will always be one of my most treasured possessions, my Flying Scotsman....
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