Collectable Heirloom Toys - "Barnaby the Locomotive"
As one piece of artwork leads to another I have now built my first limited edition heirloom toy. His name is "Barnaby". Barnaby is a 24" long wooden locomotive built out of vintage American Chestnut wood recovered from the Conner Road barn I dismantled in 2008. There will only be 5 Barnaby Locomotives built and by building only 5, this wooden locomotive will surely become a collectable in the years ahead.
Barnaby's most interesting feature is the kaleidoscope built inside his boiler. The 12" kaleidoscope can be viewed by removing the front of the locomotive. When pressing the buttons inside of Barnaby's cab, Barnaby responds with classic steam locomotive sounds. Barnaby's track is also serves as a night light emitting a soft blue glow from underneath its crossties.
And finally, Barnaby comes with his own children's book, "Barnaby - The Barn Who Dared To Dream". This book tells the story of how "Barnaby the barn" became "Barnaby the Locomotive".
The book and the collectable heirloom toy can be seen and purchased at the "Earth is Our Home" art exhibit, March 27th through May 17th at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd, Va.
