TOY TRAIN’S TICKETY BOO ONCE MORE

The bright red and green pedal train on which Kate Humphries played as a child in the 1980s, bought by her father Barry nearly 30 years earlier, was dilapidated and covered in rust when Kate brought it in. An avid train fan, Barry loved the plywood and metal engine just as much as his children did.

Barry had a stroke in March 2021, and Kate felt that seeing his grandchildren with his beloved train would give him just the lift he needed.

Step forward expert metalworker Dom Chinea.

Dom dismantled the train, sandblasted the metal, replaced crumbling woodwork and clamped the toy together to ensure it was level before gluing it back into place. He repainted it, and finally greased the wheels so they could spin freely.

Kate returned with two-year-old Agnes, bearing the sad news that Barry had now passed away. But as her daughter rode around the workshop, ringing the train’s bell, Kate was overjoyed at finding a new way to remember her beloved father.