I’ve read that insanity is hereditary—you get it from your kids! In Michael Wayne Robinson’s case, there’s one insanity he got from his grandpa: he’s a hopeless rail fan. Michael is our second grandchild—the son of our second son, Sean and his wife, Teri.
When I was nine I got my first electric train: an American Flyer. It was the “Royal Blue”, a replica of a B&O 4-6-2 “Pacific” steam locomotive, as streamlined in 1937 by Otto Kuhler for the Royal Blue train that ran between New York and Washington, D.C.
American Flyer was superior to the more successful selling Lionel, because Lionel had three tracks!!! Can you imagine? No self-respecting train has three tracks! But American Flyer had only two tracks; just like the real trains. It may have been the best gift Santa ever gave me!
Boys grow up; and there came the day when the “Royal Blue” got packed away in a box somewhere and forgotten. Then, probably twenty years later, after high school, undergraduate school, marriage, our first child, the Marine Corps and Vietnam and Seminary, one day I was browsing a newsstand and came across a magazine that featured a model railroad layout by John Allen: the famous “Gorre and Daphetid” (Go to Gorre and Daphetid Website) It was based on the Rocky Mountains, and it was magnificent. I was hooked.
When Sean was about nine, Santa brought him an electric train. He got the train; I got the fever. From that time on I have dabbled in model railroading. I ran across the box containing the “Royal Blue,” unwrapped the pieces, oiled them up and, it ran! For many years thereafter the Royal Blue graced our Christmas Tree, making its daily rounds (and rounds and rounds and rounds).
It was under our tree the first Christmas Sean and Teri—and Michael—spent together at our house. Michael was smitten. He never had a chance.
Jo Lynn bought Andibeth (see my blog, “Andii: our First
Grandchild”) lots of frilly things. I bought Michael trains!
But Michael ran on his own track—parallel to, but different from mine. With the model trains, I enjoyed building the layouts and the structures and the scenery. Michael like to run the trains. But the biggest difference was that Michael was more interested in the real thing!
At Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where I lived until Michael was ten or eleven, I took him frequently to the Arkansas Train Museum, which featured several vintage rail cars and a couple of steam engines. Michael loved to explore every wheel and valve.
We’re both partial to the steam era, and particularly the narrow gauge railroads that served the mining industry in the Rocky Mountains. When we took Michael on his “special vacation”, it was organized around trains. We rode the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad between Chama, New Mexico and Alamosa, Colorado. We rode the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and we visited and photographed several other railroad yards.
Michael can tell you most of the details regarding most of the steam engines that still function today. But where Michael studies real trains, I still play with electric ones, and enjoy letting him teach me about the real ones.
But Michael isn’t a “one-track” person. He was active in the youth program at his church, and has a strong sense of what is right and just. He was the first of our grandchildren to be baptized, and I got to do it in the Buffalo River in northwest Arkansas.
One of his greatest interests is guitar. I have no idea how many he owns; but he’s always buying and selling and trading them; and he just bought his dad a new acoustic for birthday/Fathers Day. Michael formed several bands during his high school years, and currently plays, along with his dad, in the Praise Team at their church.
Early on he displayed an interest and an aptitude for technical things; and as a young teenager was running—and redesigning—the sound and media center at his church. He also loves photography—and is quite good at it! In addition to trains, he has quite an extensive portfolio of nature and wildlife photographs.
He just finished his freshman year at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. His special interest there is media technology.
As with all our grandchildren, I have an interest in every aspect of his life; but the special point of contact with Michael is—and probably will remain—our shared love of trains.
That’s our Michael, and I might add I’m one proud Mimi.
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