Still plays with trains

Yes, this IS a pie. Apple custard, if you must know. There's half a pie left--I suspect it'll be eaten/ate/consumed...LOL.... for breakfast.
WITH cream, I'm sure. It'll 'qualify' as a breakfast food SOMEhow.
And this is a mighty long train, complete with a dozen ore cars and a caboose. I'm told none of it is 'correct'--Santa Fe and Cotton Belt engines wouldn't be hauling together.
I don't care.
It's still a mighty long train and it made all sorts of racket going around the layout. It was just plain cool. He got over that they didn't 'belong' together.......eventually.......
(Oh. Please note the tressle bridge in the back that took the Brit three weekends to scratch build.......that took us one pass with a HUGE train to knock the railings off of. LOL Darn that we didn't remember how HUGE that Union Pacific Challenger was!)
And THIS--is our anniversary pressie to ourselves.
G'head and laugh if you must. We still play with trains and we don't care who knows it. ;-)
We started a tradition three years ago and it's all good.
This little fella is just cuter than a bug's ear AND he puffs smoke as he goes along. Oh my gosh does he chug and puff--he's just too darn cute. And this is a part of the 'yard'.
Now, we've already added to the yard and I'm told, during yesterday's 'still plays with trains' time, that we're going to 'add a bit' to the yard. LOL We haven't even come close to finishing up what we've already built--but we're adding!
We had twenty some locos up and running yesterday--and they were visited by six trains that got boxed up and brought so they could come 'play' with our trains.

Gotta tell ya--even with the scenery lacking (winter IS coming!!) it was great fun to watch two fella's running several locos at once, blowing whistles and making the basement all smokey. We did give it time for the smoke to clear out while we had a barbeque--and then it was back to chugging and smoking and clickety-clacking.

They were just plain HAPPY, dangit.
The fellas were laughing and near wrecking and having a gay ol' time.
And I could tell the trains were happy--they were tooting and whistling and clanging and chugging their little hearts out.

Dunno why the Brit decided that was the bestest time to tell me we needed a bigger yard for the trains. It's not like I've ever said 'no' .......

We must have a bazillion boxcars to go with those goodness knows how many locomotives-- and I love 'em all cuz they're so darn cute.

We DO need a bigger trainyard. LOL
I coulda told him THAT! ;-)