INTRODUCTION SEEING THE LIGHT It began in the mid-1980s when my mother purchased a large garbage bag full of used LEGO via a classified ad. In that bag was a treasure trove of amazing disassembled sets: early town, space, castle, and first-wave Technic sets, along with the original 1970s-era 12v train motor and a battery box. Although the kind lady who sold the bag to my mother had also included a very large stack of instruction manuals, there was nothing train related. Armed with the latest LEGO Idea Book and the most recent catalogs, I set about trying to re-create their train designs from the pile of bricks in front of me. Watching the things I built actually move around the room on their blue tracks was amazing and brought building with LEGO to a new level of creativity for me. Then, the Dark Ages. As with most young people, my mind quickly turned to other interests. Girls, music, and video games took priority in my life, and LEGO fell by the wayside. My mother packed away the LEGO bricks. I graduated from high school, went to college, got married, had a daughter, and bought a house. Then came the day that every former LEGO fanatic loves. My daughter was finally old enough to have her first LEGO set! As I sat with her and helped build Olivia's Invention Workshop (3933), my interest was rekindled. I realized what I had been missing for all those years. In short order, I was a collector and builder again--an Adult Fan of Lego (AFOL). I dove back into the deep, armed with a little more time and a little more disposable income, and started buying the newest sets. There were now more than six colors! There were new elements I had never seen before! Bricks had multiple connection points and studs on the sides now! With so many new possibilities, there was no looking back. Since then, I have gained another daughter to share the love of the hobby with, and in between helping build elves, dragons, and beasts, I've rediscovered my love of LEGO trains and their movement. Keep on bricking! Charles Excerpted from LEGO Train Projects: 7 Creative Models by Charles Pritchett All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
