PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 113 DREAM IN STEAM These days, Richard spends the majority of his track time pruning plants and performing a slew of groundskeeping activities. “It’s a full-time job!” he notes. Though the project is never fully finalized, he speaks wistfully of the years he toiled to actualize the layout. “I was building it so I could run engines, play with the railroads, but frankly what I didn’t realize at the time is that it’s actually more fun to build things,” he muses. “Building the railroad required a lot of sweat, a lot of money, a lot of time. But it was thoroughly enjoyable. And I remember many of the moments—I treasure them.” He’s clearly come a long way from the Lionel track that once ran a simple circuit around his childhood Christmas tree. But no matter the scope, time with locomotives always triggers nostalgia. “It brings out the kid in all of us,” Richard reflects, as his eyes come to rest on an itty-bitty boat, docked and waiting to launch into the pond where whale-sized koi swim. chuga chuga chuga bagrs.org
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