Railfan since age 1 (my mother asked me what kind of cake I wanted for my 2d birthday; she told me that I asked for "a TRAIN cake!") (She made one, too). By age 4 I was operating an American Flyer S tinplate layout, and wearing an engineer cap, hickory-stripe coveralls, and a red bandanna when I visited miniature (ride-on) railroads.
Started in HO in 1959, built a 4x8 layout; while in the Army in Vietnam, built a portable N scale layout. Came home, built a new HO layout in my parents' basement, then dismantled it when I moved out.
Married my wife, who turned out to be a closet railfan (her family worked for B&O, PRR, and N&W). We spent our honeymoon riding tourist railroads in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Operated on club layouts until we built a house with a basement space specifically for trains.
Modeling Colorado standard gauge circa 1950, with CB&Q, C&S, and free-lance equipment based on the D&SL.