WOW. What a great topic, including and especially the original post. I can't recall ever going through an entire thread and clicking "Like" on almost every single post.
All of the things that have been said above apply to me, so "Me too."
This hobby has also taught me something about beauty and the satisfaction that comes from creating or acquiring and running something that is pleasing to the eye.
Just one good example of what I mean by this would be the mesmerizing beauty of a long string of postwar aluminum passenger cars snaking through an O72 "Ess" curve headed up by a Santa Fe ABA.
Thanks to everyone who contributed such wonderful personal perspectives.
Steven J. Serenska