Ford Fairmont

I recently purchased an HO scale 1978 Ford Fairmont Sedan, Cream color. I will add this to my model train layout in the near future.

The reason I am writing about this is because it brings back many memories of the family car we had in Colorado.

I had a good laugh when I noticed that one of the model manufacturers would be making the car. I had to buy one and I had to share the news of my purchase with my family.

Here is what my Mom wrote about it:

Yes, that brings back many memories. Hoping we could get up the mountain to Vail, trying to keep warm when the heater went out. Someone having to constantly wipe the front window so the driver could see when it was all steamed up. Driving to Colorado to our new home when the car was new and following the u-haul truck that Dad was driving. Driving back to Wi to visit family with all the kids in back, no one buckled up! It was a part of our lives for a loooong time.

I have so many memories. I never did like the car. My parents traded in the Ford van for this car before we moved from Illinois to Colorado. I always thought the color was horribly ugly.

The heater eventually went out and we didn't really have the money to fix or replace it. Thats a tough thing to live without in Colorado. How do you unfog the windows in the winter without a heater? Well first off, you need a passenger. The passengers job was to constantly wipe the window clear while the driver peers through the small clear spot on the windshield just hoping to stay in the lane and on the road. Try this in a blizzard! On top of that, we always had to bundle up just to drive somewhere. Now, my family has always liked the house temp kept cold, but a frozen car was a bit rediculous.

I also remember a period during high school, probably near the end of the Fairmonts life, in which I drove it to school whenever I could. Yes, I hated the car. But I was 16 or 17 and I had a license to drive. My friends were embarrased to ride with me. No so much because of how the car looked, but because the power steering squeeled and the car would periodically die. Yes, just die. On the road, in and intersection, anywhere. I remember one day two my my friends rode with me to the Citadel mall at lunch time. We were making a left turn onto Academy Blvd (major 6 lane Blvd) and the car died right in the middle of the intersection. I could not get it started again and my friends were ready to bail on me. Finally, with a stroke of luck, it started and we were off again.

I'm sure my family has many more stories about this car. It was such a part of our lives for so many years. Its funny how excited we were to finally get rid of it, yet here I am 20+ years later talking about it with such fond memories.