Adriatic posted:I was born with a train from Grandpa waiting. I wasn't alone in the family in that respect either. Trains were as much a part of family gatherings as the tree, eggs, fireworks, candy, or turkey was. Monpoly, Scrabble, trains.... Poker, Euchre, Trains. Weddings, birthdays, trains... get it?
It also means learning skills and taking pride. From the assembly pride of a preschooler to the assembly pride of an old guy learning a new trick. It taught me general physics, electrical, maintenance, and organizing. Switching excercises are puzzles; mind excercise, etc. I.e., it was one of the better sources for learning to deal with problem solving as a whole.
They also taught loss when I was careless.
There is some cultural nostalgia of shopping as a boy, but TV ads for Lionel were not prevalent or popular enough among local kids to have much nostagic feelings outside of our family.
On top of that, they were great therapy when my health turned. And again a second time when it got even tougher. I knew the hobby as a daily thing was inevitable, but never guessed how much I would appreciate it in the way I have grown to.
It doesnt happen fast or pretty, but these little O scale dreams are the ones I can still handle
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Isn't it amazing how such a wide diversity of people can become so absorbed in model railroading, from pre-schooler to old guy as mentioned above.
How about Neil Young and his son with cerebral palsy? I never met Neil, but have read articles about him and his son and how both of them are into O Gauge trains big time. Their story is very inspiring. A handicapped child and a supremely gifted father playing together with the trains, equally engaged in it, and equally excited about it.
