I have been a member for decades.
The main reason: fellowship.
Building layouts is fun but sharing it with others is very satisfying and rewarding.
We have monthly meetings and the location changes every month. There's 40-60 people in attendance, we have a quick meeting, then have a person present 'how tos' and then a couple railroaders have their layouts open for us to visit after the meeting. I find I can always learn something by seeing other layouts, no matter what scale.
It's nice to get out of the basement and share your ideas and common interests with other railroaders.
There's a lot of 'empty nesters' out there and to have fellowship with others with the same interest is good for your heart, mind and soul.
The monthly magazine is excellent with topics and how to's that are not usually covered in the main commercial magazines.
No matter what scale one is in, it's nice to get 'hands on' tutorial and actually seeing it in 3 dimension on a subject that you want to learn about and interface with a knowledgeable person.
I don't know about you, but, being retired, it's nice to get out of the house at least once a month and meet my comrades, person to person.
