New Life for One Beloved Train Table

Canton High School senior Cooper Siebers remembers few things from his days as a toddler. However, the train set at the stands out in his mind.

So when his youth group at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Canton ward, recently had the chance to refurbish the table after more than a decade of wear and tear, he was glad to be a part of it.

“I was very excited when I heard about my opportunity to help renew and repair the worn out train set,” he said. “I know that the train set served me well and I wanted to make sure that the tradition continues, and it entertains Canton children in the future.”

Clarisa and Bryan Williams, youth leaders at the church, oversaw the project. The group cleaned, sanded, stripped, repainted and re-sealed the track, engines and other components of the table.

The project started when the “Beehives,” a group of younger girls in the group, wanted to complete a project, specifically one that would allow them to paint something.

“Miss Heather,” aka Heather Baker, children's librarian, brought up the train table.

Originally, the plan included replacing some parts, but the Williams found many of the kids were quite attached to what’s there. It turns out Cooper was not the only one with fond childhood memories.

“There were quite a few of them that had memories of using this train table,” Clarisa Williams said.

"We reached the conclusion we definitely wanted to keep it the way it was,” Bryan Williams added.

So about 15 youth spent a night disassembling the tracks and sanding down those parts as well as the engines and train cars, repainting them the original colors and applying lacquer to seal it all.

They were thrilled to do it, Clarisa said. “They had so much fun and they recognized it was nice to do a service project so close to our community.”

Baker said the table dates back about 12 years, when the library moved to its present location on Dyer Avenue.

Since The Perfect Toy in Avon donated the set, it's seen countless hours of use.

“It gets daily use and abuse,” Baker said.

Building custodian Tim Duntz rebuilt the outside table stand along the way and there was some talk of replacing the entire table, but its sentimental attachment and the odd size of the playing surface made it viable for the project.

“We were thrilled with how quickly they ran with it,” Baker said.

And as adults, a train table may not seem all that important, but it is to so many kids.

“You know it's funny, I don't have many memories from when I was a toddler. However I do remember playing with that train set many years ago,” Cooper said. “It seems like such an insignificant part of my life yet it remains to be one of the only memories I can recall, which makes it very significant.”

Baker concurred, saying the table and its surrounding furniture are a popular spot for Canton families.

“It’s funny how something so small has such a central place in people’s lives,” Baker said.