First and most importantly, the hobby gave me quality time with my Dad. From the time I was very little, I was always interested in the trains, and fortunately, I had a Dad who wanted to include me in his hobby, which eventually became our hobby. I watched him build his collection, helped him build 3 different layouts, and when the time came for me to build a layout that was "mine," he was there to help. Priceless.
Secondly, the hobby has been a fantastic means to make great friends. We've made some great friends going to York, and also thanks to forums like this, we've also met people we probably wouldn't have met otherwise.
Beyond these 2 most important things, the hobby has given / taught me:
--patience
--basic electrical knowledge
--basic mechanical knowledge
--confidence to make other repairs around the house (I replaced the belt on a clothes dryer not too long ago--and it was all the years of tinkering with the trains that gave me that confidence.
The list could go on and on........
