What does model railroading mean to you?

[aloco]

Locomotives.

[grandeman]

As I drove along a stretch Interstate highway today, I thought of the World's Greatest Hobby campaign. It got me thinking what model railroading means to me. I realized that in a fast paced, high pressure world where folks aren't neccessarily friendly all the time, model railroading is an escape. It's stress relief, an imaginary time machine that can take you to a simpler era. It's about modeling and creativity for sure but that's only a small part. For me the greatest part has been countless hours spent with my son (now 10 and a train nut) building, running trains, going to train shows and railfanning. There is no price that could be put on that. Through model railroading I've been able to relive a part of my childhood with my own little boy. What a privledge! With today's advancements we're having even more fun running the railroad. It's getting better by the day. Soon, our railroad will be mostly complete. If you need us, we'll be somewhere in the Rockies on the Rio Grande in 1965...

What does model railroading mean to you?