Why railroading?

[sour rails]

Everybody has there own opinion.  So I'd like to know why some of you guys like model railroading better than some other hobbies.
Here are my reasons:
1.) It's fun
2.) I get to learn so much about not just railroads in general but a particular one.
3.) It gives the modeler (me ) the capability to landscape. The more landscaping is done on a model layout, the more profficient one can become in real landscaping.

Anyways, anyone have any other reasons to share?

[WoundedBear]

A modeler is a modeler is a modeler.

I started out building cars at a very young age.....I did the military thing for a bit........did the radio controlled car thing.......did trains roughly 20 years ago.....went back to automotive modeling for past few years.......and now it's a back to HO trains.

I like being creative, but the auto replicas were getting too much like work. Now I have found a whole new world of railroad modeling, as copared to 20 years past, and am excited about the steep learning curve.

The train world gives me a chance to explore scenery creation and, something I am really looking forwards to, is building a few "craftsman" structures. I recently acquired a JV Models "Lucas Sawmill" kit....can't wait.

Then there are the "dynamic" and the "interactive" aspects of the model railroad. These have a great deal of appeal to me as well. The "static" car displays were getting stale. DCC has greatly increased the enjoyment of actually operating the railroad.

I like the fact that a railroad model is never really "complete". There is always something to add, something to revise, or something in need of total reconstruction.

I like to scratchbuild....I like to kitbash......2 more of my favorite things, that I have found in model railroads. It's a win win situation for me.

Sid

[Terry Toenges]

I'm returning with you now to those thrilling days of yesteryear when the Iron Horse rolls again. High ball Mogul awayyyyyyy........

[Dusten Barefoot]

I was born to love trains, My momma rode on the train at Tweetsie with me in her Stomach, and also my Papa told me about the railroad when I was 2, and I went to Tweetsie when I was 3-1/2. I used to like all big machines when I was a little kid.

[brad]

I had trains as a kid, a simple 4X8 double track loop with some buildings and sawdust ground cover. Then I started building military models and spent thousands of dollars and hours on that. The only problem was, even though I built highly detailed and rather large diaramas, nothing moved. I knew my days as a military modeler were at an end when I started kitbashing German WWII armoured cars into futuristic fighting vehicles alla Mad Max.

For me going back to trains was easy, a lot more could be done in the same amount of space, AND things moved like the real things. That's one of the greatest attractions I have to steam engines, I can see them working and some day I'll be hearing them run on my layout also.

brad

[VirginiaCentral]

Edna St. Vincent Millay said it this way: "there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going." That's exactly the way I feel about trains.  I love to watch them, I love to hear them, I love to ride them., I even love to smell them!  Since I can't watch, ride, smell and listen to them all of the time (oh ye lucky railroaders, whose vocation and advocation are the same!) and I certainly cannot afford to buy a full size train, I must settle for having models of my favorite prototypes.  This way I can at least dream of all of the trips that I can't take.  As my byline says "I love the smell of coal smoke in the morning!"

Jerry

[Kevin Strong]

Because I can't play golf to save my life.

Later,

K