When I was three, my dad got his first model railroad. Märklin. The legendary German brand. His collection started with an express steam engine, some passenger cars, and a few smaller locos.

Märklin trains were excellent. They ran well. Smooth, reliable. And they were a joy to watch.

It wasn’t just the trains. Early 1960s Märklin catalogs were pure magic. Glossy pages. Bold colors. The front cover illustration always showed a locomotive in motion, steam, diesel, or electric, charging down the track in a perfect 3/4 pose.

I loved them all. But my favorite? The 1961 catalog. The one with a Santa Fe F7.

That engine stuck with me. It was American. It was bright. Flashy compared to the muted European locomotives. My dad eventually got a pair of Santa Fe F7s, and I loved watching them run on his layout.

As I got older, my interests shifted. I started collecting American trains. DC models, not Märklin. The trains I saw in real life were American, not German, and Märklin’s selection at the time was limited to the F7 and just a few freight cars.

But Märklin still has a place in my heart. When my dad downsized after moving, I inherited his collection, including the F7s. My layout has a small loop of Märklin track, and sometimes I pull out those old Santa Fe units. Just to watch them run.

A little nostalgia. A little history. And a reminder of where it all started.