Marl of Kark

Hello everyone at the LEGO Train Tech forum from Cleveland, Ohio, USA. I discovered the forum over the Christmas holidays, and it has been a delight lurking in the background for the last few weeks. Thanks to everyone who makes this such a vibrant and interesting site in general and to you all in the Lego train community in particular! Some Background: My better-half and I decided that the oldest of our two boys was now old enough to appreciate “real” Legos this holiday session (rather than Duplos), which culminated in our taking the plunge back into the Lego universe after decades away. Let me tell you, the introduction of Legos into our boys’ lives made Christmas just as exciting an experience for mom and dad as it was for the two of them! It was almost like rediscovering my youth. As a boy growing up in the '80s, Lego Town and Space were a HUGE part of my life. I still remember the Iran Hostage Crisis because at least one set of Saturday morning cartoons were interrupted with news broadcasts, so I spent the morning building my first Lego set instead (House with Garden - 376). I'm not sure why my parents seemed to prefer the Town sets over Space, when my cousin always seemed to get the Space sets. Ultimately, it didn't matter too much, however, because it was Lego. Alas, my younger brother long ago (when I first left home for college) sold off our somewhat sizable, combined sets of Legos for a measly $20 bucks. ;( He regrets it now, of course, but at the time, he was known for the occasional impetuous decision. At least he kept his Black Seas Barracuda (6285) pirate ship and Cannon Cove (6266) set, so our boys still have something Lego to play with when they visit grandma and grandpa’s. This Past Christmas: In the process of exploring our Christmas Lego purchase options, I discussed with my better half my desire to have a train running around the Christmas tree. Well, lo and behold, we quickly learned that we could not only have a Christmas train but it could be Lego train to boot! And in short order, we purchased the Emerald Night (10194) as a Christmas gift to ourselves. Our boys are both huge Thomas the Tank Engine fans, so it was no surprise that the Emerald Night was a hit with them as well. While we still have to pick up track and Power Function parts, we are off to an exciting start! Let me tell you, those modular city building designs are looking mighty attractive as well! We probably had enough left over Christmas gift money to have pick up the Yellow Cargo Train (7939) set, which based on recommendations here, seems like the most ideal next step for us. Ultimately, however, those funds went toward the more kid oriented Toy Story Western Train Chase (7597) set and Woody's Roundup! (7594) set, which really do look quite nice together even if they are not quite to scale with the Emerald Night and our future Lego purchases. At least, when we finally get around to adding some track to the collection, they will be compatible. Right now, it is just as much fun for them (if not more so) to push the Lego trains anyway, so the Western Train Chase set’s Power Function limitations are not a particular loss. A Toast: I don't know how much posting I will be doing in the near future (though I am sure I will do more than my fair share of lurkering), so let me take this opportunity to offer up a Chinese New Year’s toast to both Legos and Trains, but especially to Lego Trains! P.S. I don’t really celebrate the Chinese New Year and have no idea if one would offer a close facsimile to a toast at an Asian New Year’s celebration, so I hope no one takes offense. P.P.S. I must try to supplement this post by finding, scanning, and loading up some old photos at some point. The Marl of Kark (a.k.a. Mark)