My Trains

Rebuilding My Lionel Trains: A Journey of Love, Loss, and Legacy
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My Lionel train collection began as a cherished gift from my father, Raymond, who lovingly added to it each Christmas during my childhood. He was an HO gauge enthusiast, crafting intricate models from kits, but when I was very young, he noticed my fascination with his trains—often reaching up to touch them. That’s when he, or Santa as I believed, gifted me my first Lionel set—larger and sturdier, perfect for a budding young engineer.

Every holiday season, we’d set up the trains together in the basement of our River Edge home, creating magical memories that became a treasured tradition. My father also took me—and my brothers—to the annual New York Model Engineers display in Carlstadt, a highlight of our Christmas season. In 1969, just before he passed, we were the first visitors of the year and even made it into the local Herald newspaper.

After my father’s passing in 1971, the trains became a symbol of our bond and the joy we shared. But during a period of severe financial hardship, I lost the entire collection in storage—a heartbreaking loss that felt like losing a piece of my childhood and my father’s legacy.
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Yet, each year since, I’ve slowly rebuilt the collection, piece by piece. It’s been a labor of love and remembrance, restoring not just the trains but the spirit of those Christmases past. Today, my Lionel trains once again bring joy and nostalgia, honoring my father’s memory and the tradition he began so many years ago.

The Christmas Tradition of Model Trains

For more than a century, model trains have been a beloved part of Christmas celebrations, evoking nostalgia and adding a sense of magic to the holiday season. But how did this tradition begin?

Origins of the Tradition
The custom dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when toy trains first appeared as luxury gifts. Companies like Märklin in Germany and Lionel in the United States introduced wind-up and electric train sets that quickly became popular holiday presents. Their circular tracks fit perfectly around the base of a Christmas tree, making them an ideal addition to festive décor.

Why Trains Became Associated with Christmas
Trains symbolized travel and family reunions during an era when railroads were the primary way to journey home for the holidays. Advertisements and department store displays in the early 1900s reinforced this image, portraying trains as the ultimate Christmas gift. After World War II, trains surged in popularity as wholesome, educational toys, cementing their place in American holiday traditions.

Modern-Day Nostalgia
Today, model trains remain a cherished part of Christmas décor. Many families set up trains under the tree or create elaborate holiday villages with snowy landscapes and moving locomotives. This tradition continues to capture the wonder of childhood and the joy of the season.

My Dad Raymond RIP March 12, 1971

My Mom Clare now 100 years old

River Edge  
I​ was born in 1955-1981   
moved back from 2010 - 2015

Click on store to buy Lionel on Amazon

​Buy Lionel Trains
​on Amazon 

Books on Model Trains

wikipedia.org/wiki/LionelCorporation       

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel,_LLC

Lionel online catalogswww.lionelsupport.com/

Garden State Model Railway Club 

Trains, tracks, and tradition: Lionel celebrates 125 years of Christmas fun

Maplewood Station

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New Providence

Ho-Ho-Kus Station

River Edge Station

​New York City is set to welcome back a cherished holiday tradition next month as the annual Holiday Train Show makes its anticipated return. This festive event promises to bring holiday magic to all, featuring intricate model train displays and offering a delightful experience for families and enthusiasts alike.

Event Highlights:
Free Admission: Enjoy this magical spectacle without any cost, making it an accessible holiday treat for everyone.

Holiday Magic: Immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere created by detailed miniature landscapes and captivating train sets, including Metro-North, Polar Express, and vintage subway trains.

Location: New York Transit Museum Grand
Central Callery & Store, transforming iconic NYC landmarks into miniature wonders. November 13, 2025 - February 2026

Prepare to be enchanted as the Holiday Train Show ushers in the holiday season with its unique charm and free festive fun!

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​All aboard! Experience the engineering marvels and bygone lifestyle of train travel in the early 1950s

​​New York Society of Model Engineers www.modelengineers.org

​https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-train-museums-to-visit-in-the-us-11796294

Rebuilding my Lionel train set

Christmas 2025

​​Christmas 2024
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I added new Yankee Caboose to Yankee Train and a work friend gave me a station. Bought a trolley, a third A&P Refrigerated Box Car, Green Passenger cars, Chatham, Maplewood and Hillside. 

Christmas 2023

I added a GIANTS box car..didnt help at all !  ​

​Christmas 2022

I added a Yankee train, didn't set up due to having Christmas's dinner here as the apartment is too tight and must protect the trains. Kept the trains in boxes but displayed my Yankees trains​ 
​New sectional couch new big screen TV all made this year a little difficult to have a layout all over the living room in our apartment. Also hosting Christmas dinner did not make last years layout make sense to put up.

Lionel Yankees Subway cars with Dept 56 accessories

Dept 56 Christmas in the City collection
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Village Accessories Christmas Morning Express 6013023 – Department 56 Official Site 
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​​Christmas 2021

I added a 2015 production Yankee Berkshire steam engine and passenger cars. and a Power pact.

John R. Fugazzie

I rebuilt my train set each car has meaning

The engine and box car were identical to my first train set Black and Orange Milwaukee Engine, and New Hampshire box car and the caboose was one of my original trains.

Followed by Box cars from the states I have lived in NJ, FL, WI and NY.

Some of my jobs are represented by Box cars, Shop Rite, A&P two times and RWJB helicopter
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There is the NJ Transit cars Maplewood, and Hillside two towns I lived in. and the NJ Transit engine.
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The Corvettes a car I always wanted and of course TOYS R US where many Christmas shopping trips were done over the years.

​​Christmas 2020

I have added a second A&P Refer box car, and I now have 17 cars and engines.

​​Christmas 2019

I added a flatbed helicopter, flatbed two corvettes and a Toys R Us box car.
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​Christmas 2018

 I added a NJ Transit diesel engine and box cars from states I have lived in. Milwaukee Box car, I love NY box car, I love NJ box car, Yankees Tampa Florida box car.
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​​Christmas 2017

I added a Shop Rite box car, which turned out to be small and cheaper plastic construction.

​Christmas 2016

I added two NJ passenger cars from towns I lived in Maplewood and Hillside.
To get started in 2015 the rebuild process, I purchased tracks a power pack and a couple of the trains that I had on eBay.
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​Christmas 2015

Milwaukee Diesel Engine, NH box Car, A&P box Car, Tropicana box Car, ​Milk Car, and a Caboose.

My trains had an ironic symbolic parallel with my career path, going great, gone and then being rebuilt.
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I decided to rebuild and which cars to purchase, I took a few different paths, I replaced a handful of trains that I had when I was a young man, Milwaukee Diesel Engine, NH Box car , Milk Car and a New York Central Caboose.

When I brought out my trains for Christmas with my three sons I had an A&P  refrigerated box car, a Tropicana refrigerated car as I was a dairy director and grocery director at Shop Rite/Wakefern and A&P HQ, where I worked two tours of duty 20 years apart. 

I focused the new trains I purchased since 2015 with two goals, places I lived and other cars that had meaning.

Nanuet Platform

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2025 purchases

​2024 purchases

Bought my third A&P box car