A man's enthusiasm with toys and his train

By Cao Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-02 14:06

An intrepid DIY man, Liu Jiming's childhood obsession with trains has led him to come up with a miniature steam engine-driven train.

Lu Jiming dreams of a park where he can steer his handcrafted miniature steam engine-driven trains while children flock to his side, begging for a ride.

"The kids will be so happy but I would be the happiest," the 55-year-old says while laying the tracks on an open space in his compound in south Xuhui district in Shanghai.

A man's enthusiasm with toys and his train

Lu Jiming drives his miniature train carrying excited passengers from his neighborhood. [Gao Erqiang]

"When I play with children, I am like a child," he says, beads of sweat on his forehead. "They can also learn about steam engines which propelled the Industrial Revolution.

"I won't charge anything for a ride. I remember clearly how I was jealous of the neighbors' kids having new toys when I was a little boy."

When he was small, Lu loved trains. Very often he sneaked into train stations and spent hours looking at trains, dreaming of making his own trains and seeing them run on tracks.

And he liked all kinds of gadgets. "I ripped apart toys to see what's inside," he says, "I made model ships and planes.

"It is a pity the Shunfeng model store on Nanjing Road is closed. Kids nowadays are busy with study and have no time to make models."

However, back in the 1960s in times of scarcity, many people started making their own furniture, toys and clothes. Lu became crazy about assembling transistor radios.

"I skipped classes to buy components and welded them myself," he says.

After graduating from high school, Lu tried different vocations.

He took a job to mold component cast, moved on to be a miller, a carpenter, a home decorator and plenty of other jobs, far too many to remember now.

"I decorated my own home and did everything by myself from electricity to water pipes," he says.

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