Concord City Councilman David Phillips jokes about his “grueling commute” to work.
“Just a long trip up the stairs,” said, who began working from his home as a business relations manager for Duke Energy.
Phillips, 57, is being challenged by Concord resident Tom Small for the city’s District 1 seat in the upcoming election.
But Phillips upstairs space is more than just his office, without those common workplace distractions. It’s a glimpse into the things he’s passionate about beyond work and City Council.
First, there’s the upright bass Phillips once played in bluegrass and rock bands.
And just beyond that is what Phillips modestly refers to as his train room — although visitors have proclaimed it “a museum.”
Covering the walls, on perfectly aligned shelves, are 400 Lionel model train cars and 60 Lionel train engines — a collection in which some pieces date back to Phillips’ sixth birthday.
The middle of the room is taken up by the model tracks and country-side Phillips has been working on for a several years.
“Most people that don’t collect them, don’t have any idea of what the values are,” Phillips said. “The neat thing about my hobby is that my hobby is going up in value all the time.”
His collections is highlighted by some cars and engines that had limited runs or were part of special Lionel offers.
“A lot of these pieces they don’t make that many of anymore,” Phillips said.
His miniature set is also graced by a tiny City of Concord billboard advertising the city’s push toward water conservation.
Phillips also has some artifacts from the area’s history as well.
He collects water globes that used to be found in various colors around almost every drug store in the late 1800s and the 1920s.
Almost every room at Phillips house has at least one of the globes, which Phillips said are rarely found in antique stores and on Ebay.
“All this stuff...it really is an investment,” Phillips said.
Concord lawyer Tom Grady has known Phillips for 15 years personally and through City Council.
“I have found him to be a listener, rather than a talker,” Grady said. “You know how he stands on a subject. And if he doesn’t agree with you, he’ll tell you — but do it kindly.”
When Grady has a city issue with lighting several years ago, he sought Phillips for help.
“He investigated it, thought I was right and got it taken care of,” Grady said.
— Eric C. Deines
