As I learned more and met more people, however, my eyes were opened. Soon, I figured the crowning jewel of my small collection would be a Santa Fe & Disneyland engineer hat patch. I vaguely remember seeing the design in my youth--when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old. My recollection of the details of the patch was very poor, however. So much so that when I once saw a blue and white standard Santa Fe patch in a hobby shop, I thought that would suffice!
Going to Disneyana shows really opened my eyes to what was out there: actual attraction posters; costume pieces; vintage SF&D RR tickets, even train drumheads! I was truly astounded. But I was hooked, and I started wanting to collect more and more. Pretty soon, the stuff sold in the Park didn't appeal to me as much (although I still bought what I liked). But when I found you could obtain actual "pieces" of the Disneyland Railroad, I knew where my focus lay.
I remember beholding my first Conductor badge. At first, having one seemed the coolest thing in the world--a piece of the DRR; but I didn't want to stop there. I wanted to find some "variations." Then a hat to put one on. Next it was old engineer hats and hat patches. Pretty soon, I thought that it might be neat to have "something" from three general categories: I wanted a piece of a locomotive; a piece off a car; and costume pieces from the cast members who made it all operate (which I already had). And little by little, that desire was fulfilled. And back when I was single with no kids, it was easy to spend what I needed to get a neat piece.
Nowadays, I don't collect too much, for a couple reasons: First, I think I have all I would want; and second, there really isn't any item out there that's a "must have" for me (unless it was something crazy, like a bell or whistle). But there was one piece that always eluded me: One of the side name plates that once adorned my favorite engine, the E.P. Ripley. At one time, just after the plates were removed during the engine's rebuild in the late 1990s, I had a connection (outside the park) who knew the person to whom one of the plates belonged. Despite prolonged attempts, I was never able to procure it:
I guess there would be other neat things to get; I've never had a drumhead, and probably couldn't afford one anyway. But that cab side plate remains my personal Holy Grail.
So, what do you collect, why, and what's your "Holy Grail?"
