Q. How did you become interested in trains?

A. When I was 2, I stayed with my grandparents while my mother was giving birth to my brother. My grandfather brought out a Lionel train set that had belonged to my uncles, and there was an instant attraction. I played with it my whole childhood. I still have it in a box in my garage, to give to my son when he’s old enough.

Q. And you pursued that early passion?

A. I did. Later I got a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona.