Every few months people e-mail me and ask me if I would like to restore their old toy train items for them. The answer is no. Restoration is a time consuming activity that involves many choices. In case you would like to capitalise the labour costs, you would soon figure out that restoring is a non-economical process. And that is exactly the point. Restoration is done because of astonishment, admiration and appreciation for an old toy object. It is my hobby, not a profession. While restoring a toy train object, I get a bond, a personal appreciation, with that object. That is why I do not want to part from objects I have had held in my hands and saw being returned to former glory.
Additionally, while restoration you need to take many choices. These are often personal and arbitrary choices. There is no one way to do it all. And many times compromises are required between originality, time, costs, availability of spare parts and some level of creativity. My choices are not necessarily the same of those that would like to have their toy trains restored. The whole concept of liability versus the freedom of restoration just gives me the creeps and that why I simply say NO. So I do not restore for others. Nevertheless, I do appreciate to make others enthusiastic and where possible assist others with their own restoration projects.
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