Houston, Texas--Mike Companion's association with model railroads began in the 1940s with a windup train and a layout made of cardboard. In the 1960s, when he became the father of two girls and one boy, he upgraded to a more elaborate layout. But now that he's a grandfather, Mike, 60, has the train layout of his dreams. He and his grandsons, Jason, 13, Jeremy, 7, and Matthew, 3, have constructed two large loops with three remote switches. Traveling these tracks are passenger and freight trains featuring rolling stock from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Burlington lines.
Although Mike has a long history of model railroading, he depends on his grandchildren's enthusiasm and skills to keep the project going. The grandsons' interest in airplanes inspired the addition of the airfield, for instance, and their growing love of rockets might one day lead to a shuttle launch. On a more down-to-earth level, however, Mike needs his grandsons' young eyes and nimble fingers.
These days, he assumes the role of teacher, showing his grandsons how to glue on parts or use specialized tools, and the boys take it from there. Jeremy, for example, has assumed responsibility for reading the instructions (usually in small print) and gluing on tiny pieces of piping or airplane parts. He then directs his grandpa's assembly of the bigger parts. "When you're sitting down, working on something, and building something, that's how you get to know your grandkids," Mike says with satisfaction.
