RICHEY, Mo. — Finding the next calling in life after the military is something many veterans struggle with.
But that didn’t matter to the Newton County man, who shared his second calling with hundreds of area residents.
It’s really hard for Steve Barnett to sneak up on people these days, and most of the time you can hear him from miles away. That’s because he collects planes, trains, cars, and fire trucks from all over the country.
“We’re all kids at heart, and we all had toy trains when we were kids. And we all like big toys, and this one is as big as a toy,” said the retired Navy captain. Ta.
His latest big boy toy is part muscle car, part French locomotive.
“This is a three-quarter scale replica of a 1903 French locomotive built into a 1954 Chevrolet frame. It was built at Camden, New Jersey Vocational Technical School. Great job! He did.”
He drove it in last weekend’s Joplin Veterans Day Parade. But even if you miss it, you’ll get another chance soon.
“They had all kinds of noise makers. This train had four sets of air horns, this train had sirens, this train had a whistle, this train had bells, this train had four sets of air horns, this train had a siren, this train had a whistle, this train had a bell, this The train has a 10 gauge signal” train. “
It will appear in the upcoming Chanute Christmas Parade.
“My son is a middle school music teacher and he makes the kids learn the Polar Express song. So the kids get on the train and sing the Polar Express song to the crowd while eating a pack of hot chocolate. is singing.”
You may also notice the numbers “40” and “8” in several places on the replica steam engine.
“That means 40 people and eight horses, so this organization was started after World War I to honor the French people who helped France in World War II, and of course the French They built trains and boxcars and all sorts of other things in honor of the French who helped liberate them during World War II. ”
Over the years, he has collected 45 fire engines, 35 airplanes, trains and automobiles. It didn’t take much work to start the replica trains, but thanks to the engine of other pieces he’s collected over the years, he’s made sure these historic pieces don’t end up on the scrap heap. It kept him busy and focused.
“You know, we’re just custodians. We’re all just passing through. So I’m just trying to be a good custodian of this train. I’m a good custodian. As far as they go, they’re going to be somebody behind me.’ The same goes for the fire truck that we’re working on right now,” Barnett said.