What GREAT origin stories from everyone! Here's mine:
When I was a kid (1970s) my dad put up his collection (mish-mash) of O and S and Plasticville in the basement two different years around Christmas and I was totally enthralled. But he was always very busy between work and house maintenance and those two years were really the end of it. One of his colleagues at work had a husband who was deaf and mute and he built a PHENOMENAL HO layout every year and we would visit it around Christmas time.
Fast forward to 2002 and I was MISERABLE at my job and needed a release. I got the old trains from my parents attic and started a layout in my basement in the evenings. Within the first year I discovered the new technology of MTH trains at Al's Coventry Trains in Pottstown, PA (RIP, Al Moyer). It was love at second sight. I slowly rebuilt the entire layout (and added on) over the next few years, using this cool new stuff. I also learned about our wonderful train shows around here (mostly Allentown ATMA)!
After a few years, my life got busier (started a business) and trains only ran a few times a year. We sold the business this year, and so I am now happily "semi-retired" and am devoting some time to the trains. This time it's the Menard's buildings and, sadly, MTH close out auctions that are filling my shelves and emptying my wallet! Since my real estate is "land locked," a lot of what I'm doing is enhancing scenery.
Here's a quick "before and after" of a scene I just finished today.
Before:
After:
