... wrong way on a one-way track.
Though lacking the romance of, oh, say, a just-sold, wooden “War Eagle” fight song music box complete with tiger (combo 1950s Donald Duck-ish sailor hat + roaring profile version) decal… here’s the description of one of the more interesting recent finds in the cutthroat market for Auburn memorabilia. Yours for only $199.50!
THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
Text and photographs by Creighton Peet
NY: Henry Holt & Co. (1943), 1st edition; approx. 60 unnumbered pages, bound in original hardcover cloth binding. In original dust jacket.
Picture book for 10-15 year old boys about a Lionel* model train that runs away from its owner David and his best friend Peter. The two boys chase the train all over the town of AUBURN ALABAMA and the book is profusely illustrated with photos of the Lionel Train in numerous Auburn locations (many of them specifically identified) like the Cary mansion, Williams Lumber Yard, the train station (just as the 4:23 from Opelika was arriving), the County Bulletin newspaper office, the College Barber Shop, King’s Flower Shop, the Tiger Cafe, the First National Bank, etc.
*You can barely make out “Lionel Lines” on a couple of the cars in one photo; and in several photos you can easily identify Lionel’s 3 rail track.
Cute and delightful book featuring the town AUBURN ALABAMA but I couldn’t identify any photos taken at AUBURN UNIVERSITY* – just photos of the town.
*Fairly certain that the last picture was taken at Graves Amphitheater.
Is the author related to Telfair Peet?
Didn’t even think about that — but yes, seems likely. Telfair Peet was Telfair B. Peet and a Telfair B. Peet in Illinois had a brother named Creighton Peet.
[...] Alice “Snorg Girl” Fraasa; and though it’s been up for a while, if you missed the “Runaway Train” tour of 1945 Auburn at eBay, now’s the [...]
Hi – just happened to come across this today. The author is my great uncle “Creighton Peet.” Needless to say – that’s where I got my name! Telfair Boys Peet was my grandfather and was very active in the drama department at Auburn University. I believe “David” in this book was reference to my father David Telfair Peet.
Creighton Peet – great nephew of Crieghton Peet – author – would you happen to know who owns the copywrite on the book ‘The Runaway Train’?