My Dad had to buy me an electric train for Christmas, I think '49, I would have been 2+ years old. So every year "Santa" would bring me the train, and when the tree came down, Santa picked it up for "next year" So the first train was a steam engine freight type. About 52-53 Lionel introduced a Diesel. My Dad have to get that for me. Same deal, Santa bought it, and it went away after the tree came down. As he was putting the new diesel train up, my Mom asked him, where the steam engine was? Dad had traded it in for the diesel, without my Mom knowing. Mom said NO WAY! Santa does not trade away a child's trains! So my Dad had to go back any buy the steam engine train back. Now I had two train sets, and that was fine with me. A couple of years later, I remarked that I thought a certain coal hopper used to be black, and now it was maroon red? Mom flashed dad a look, and several years later, I heard the "rest of the story."
RIP to your Dad! All Dad's are special, and most people think theirs is the most special of all.