My two brothers, five and four years my senior, were making gunpowder at the age of twelve and eleven with great success. Charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate (saltpeter) all could bought at our local drugstore in nineteen forty-five and my bothers were having a blast making their own firecrackers. Some of these ingenious fireworks would go fizz with failure while others----KABOOOM!

A good friend had a Lionel train and we spent hours upon hours making a toy village in the back yard out of cardboard boxes and had the Lionel train set up in this make believe setting. Under the engine, which weighed approximately four pounds, a cone device loaded with "THIS" concoction was strategically placed and all the train cars had their own special little noise effects around them---------then the big day arrived------FOURTH OF JULY------ Bottles of airplane dope were poured over the tracks and on the cardboard village, then lit. We all hid in the basement and watched out the door in great anticipation. As the flames raced down the track and train cars were blown in the air -- we waited for the big ----KABOOOOM!

The shiny new Lionel engine was blown nearly over a two story house. we all clapped and shouted for joy. Neighbors arrived along with my mother and Brit's grandparents to see if we had been invaded by the enemy. Upon seeing the Lionel train in complete ruins -- the Red White and Blue Express took on A new meaning. Our bottoms were Red, white and Blue in an express fashion.

The mastermind of the gunpowder was my Brother, John, whom grew up to become a research chemist with 21 patents in his name. My other brother grew up to become a stockbroker and I grew up to love Lionel trains!