Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 10

Call 886-3788 Ill High price for not drinking I have been a designated driver now for yean and I can say truthfully that the restaurants ban and taverns just give lip service to this idea They Please see Sound OffPage 2 Thursday August 19 1993 I ohnBluntzer Long-running train get immersed in what doing John Bluntzer's passion for trains is more powerful than a locomotive train is a freight patterned after the Atchison Topeka Santa Fe" says Bluntzer 53 red-and-silver color scheme is the same but the scale is different The engine is modeled after the General Motors F-3 which gradually replaced the steam engine" He bought his Lionel model train now the centerpiece of his collection in 1949 It cost $6750 of his $75 inheritance from his grandfather take the trains out in the evening and run them on my oval Bluntzer says a mystique about seeing them run and hearing the sound of the rails Texas Eagle used to come through Robstown every day on its way to the Valley and admire it I always told my mom that be an The Robstown sorghum former has expanded his hobby to include repairing model trains erjoy taking a basket case with missing parts that nin dismantling it and rebuilding it" says Bluntzer his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm developed patience and gotten adept at soldering I like restoring a train to the way it worked 40 years done a good job of preserving his train from our humidity" says train collector Octaviano Maldonado impressed that he was dedicated enough to keep his train for so long" Bluntzer has been the chief engineer on some memorable miniature projects man had a passenger set with steam engine" he says cleaned up the rust and rewired it spent a lot of time on it When he saw it running he had a big smile on his face It felt great fellow had an engine from the that run I knew it meant a lot to him and it was satisfying to make him Bluntzer loses himself in the repair work which requires total concentration get immersed in what doing and am oblivious to everything else" he says times go back to everyday problems with a clearer mind forming no matter what you do a lot of it is out of your control With model trains I can control everything" By Marshall Anderson -OF THE ALLER-TIMES.