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On the lower part of the platform was
another shelf. On this shelf he laid out the old Lionel Train set. But first
my Dad covered part of the outside of the platform with cardboard and painted
it with some design or another. He cut holes in the cardboard to allow the
train to go into one "tunnel" and out another. There was space on the "shelf"
for the old watchman who came out of his metal house everytime the train
crossed a certain part of the track. At one time there were lights that turned
on too. My, we loved that old train that I only remember seeing at Christmas
time when it
graced the lower shelf of the Krippe.
Our house was a popular stop during the Christmas holidays for the neighborhood children. They were always invited to come in and see... When these children grew up, they often spoke of this Krippe and their fond memories of it. So that was my Dad's version of a Bavarian Krippe. I build one every year too, but mine is not as large as my father's was. The old soap carvings have disintegrated long ago and I have had to accumulate my own figures to place in the stable and in the meadows and on the mountains. Every year I find enough moss in my own backyard or in our woods, down near the creek to fill my mountains and meadows. My grandchildren help me place the figures and I have a little small-gauge railway circling through my mountain tunnels. The photographs on these pages show you what my 1999 Krippe looked like. Krippe-building is a wonderful tradition. It takes time and effort, but it is worth every minute of it. Just turn on the Krippe and Christmas tree lights in a darkened room. It is magical...... I'm glad you came to visit. 
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