I know this is dumb, but was there ever a president or VP in the 20th who played with model trains? I heard that Bush 41 held some sort of an interest in railroading, but models? How about congress?
HZ
If they did enjoy model trains they certainly didn’t advertise it very well.
I can just see the opposition: Are we going to trust the running of this great country of ours to a man who plays with trains!?
Future Milwaukee Mayor Frank Zeidler was a founding member of the NMRA, and was friends with Al Kalmbach and Bill Walthers.
Can’t think of any national US politicians to be modellers. Hermann Goring collected Marklin apparently, and I’ve heard Winston Churchill was a collector or modeller too??
Only if it’s the New York Central…[:-^]
Above photo from the Museum in Hope, Arkansas. The Museum is about half Clinton and half trains.
Bush the 41st recently had a train exhibit at his presidential library. My modular group set up a couple of times in the rotunda. The docents told us that the Bush family set up a G guage set around their Christmas tree. As part of the festivities; the Union Pacific unveiled their locomotive “4141” painted similarly to Air Force One. I got to go to the unveiling ceremonies; If I can figure out how to post pictures, I’ll post a picture of him in the cab of the locomotive.
I have read accounts that Ronald Reagan had a large train layout in the basement of the California governor’s mansion; and that he regularly operated it for friends. I do not know if that is true, but it has been posted on several model rr bulletin boards before.
Winston Churchill at one point in his life liked toy soldiers. That’s how he ended up in the army and that’s what made his career. He even reached the rank of brigadier during World War 1 when he commanded a regiment in the trenches. That was his last military command.
Irv
Thurgood Marshall, justice on the United States Supreme Court (the first black justice, in fact) was a toy train buff.
Dave Nelson