A Whiff of the Past

Ambition overcame me this afternoon, and I started disassembling this 40s-era floor lamp that my Aunt Mary gave me 10-15 years ago. It's a nice, off-white lamp, cast-iron base with a slender tube leading up to one main light with three small chandelier-like arms; all we need to do is add is a bowl for the top and re-wire it, which was my mission for the afternoon.

As I disassembled, I carefully drew everything I could, trying to record how wires were connected and which pieces were attached by what bits of hardware (the landfills are full of past projects that I didn't 'document' and eventually gave up on reassembly). I'm not sure what I took apart, but it was almost like an old movie where the pharaoh's tomb is opened and ancient Egypt whooshes out. Except in my case, as I opened the upper part of the lamp where most of the original wiring connections are, 'old electricity' whooshed and my Lionel train was on the tracks again.

I'm not technical enough to understand or explain how electrical components from six or seven decades ago smell differently, but revisiting this 60-year-old aroma was wonderful! This train first belonged to my cousin Jack, Aunt Mary's son, who is 10 years older than I am, and then was passed on the me. That was the same electrical smell that permeated the room for hours of moving freight along an oval route, until it said, 'find something else to do; this transformer's too hot.'

I gave the train back to my cousin years ago when I recognized the value the tangibles that made childhood memories. I made the trip to Home Depot this afternoon for some up-to-date, non-aromatic lamp components; but if I do want to play with my train again, I saved this one lamp switch in my work bench drawer.

Now where are those army men?