I probably should've done this a few months ago, but I'm here now.
My name is Chris (You may not be able to tell). A name already very well known on this site. I came across this site in a way I imagine quite a few people do... Ucwepn's YouTube videos.
I couldn't find any other channel that appealed to me in quite the same way, and I'd been watching him for about 2 years before I actually came to the site.
As someone who grew up in the Motor Road and Rail era, I have very few non-Thomas trains, (2, to be exact!) but my favourites have to be the old Tomica World trains such as the Eurostar and TGV.
My trains are approaching 15 years old at the time of writing, and a lot of them are in need of servicing. I will often ask for help with a bodge for something, as my parents have forbidden me to get any Plarail-related gear, Thomas or not. They think I am too old to play with battery-operated trains, and tell me to shut up whenever I talk about them.
That's another reason why I'm here.
Whilst I used to have a few people to talk to and discuss this subject, they have all grown out of such a thing now. I have had no one to talk to about these trains for almost 8 years, and those 8 years were not a nice time for me.
The trains were hidden from me in the loft by my parents, and only allowed out once a year (if that!) for a couple of days. This may have contributed to the condition they are in, as they have little play time under their wheels, but they have started to suffer.
Cracked clutch gears, battery leaks, corroded battery terminals, among other things. They are in desperate need of rebuilds, but I have run out of spare Thomases to take apart to repair things.
I've been purposefully collecting since 2010, when I bought a Hornby 2010 wagon, and I got hooked on buying one every year.
I then saw Ucwepn's and (later) Super's videos of their layouts, and realised what could be done with this rail system. I started to trawl carboot sales with my grandmother, picking up any rare or sought after item I could, for a reasonable price.
And we're back to the present, with my 16th birthday just a few months away, and my own bank account even closer. Once I can import parts from Japan for these problems, This account will become a LOT more active.
If you've made it this far, I commend you, and hope that you have a better story than me. I'm a collector. I'm a manchild. I am Chrizzly.
