Why do you collect trains?

I don't know how to explain it.

Honestly, it's a bit of a moving target . . .

When I first resurrected the surviving items from my 1950's childhood train layout some four decades ago, I just wanted to "fill in the blanks" of missing stuff in order to create a functional roundy-round seasonal layout, with little regard to an authentic recreation of my original stuff. After several years, our kids "aged out" of the around-the-tree layout, so I retired it to storage for several decades.

When I resurrected *that* layout a few years back (as sort of a COVID hobby!), I basically first tried to recreate my efforts from decades before, but soon decided to build an entirely new and somewhat larger layout, in order to have a blank canvas on which to try some of the things I'd never been able to attempt before -- more realistic landscaping, more detailed structures -- while still sticking with the postwar tubular 3-rail track and O scale rolling stock of my youth. Sure, I still liked the roundy-round train running (and in fact, managed to acquire all the missing pieces of authentic rolling stock from that period), but I wanted to see if I could master (or at least muddle my way through) the techniques needed to more accurately portray prototype railroad activities and the surrounding scenery. Mind you, I had *no* interest in actually emulating prototype *operations* (tracking the movement of materials and products from extraction to retailing, for instance), just in creating something that *looked* like a miniature rail operation.

After flailing around with some measure of success in landscaping and scratch building (and creating a big lump under the carpet where all the failures ended up!), most recently I've been fascinated by animation -- both the literal movement of people and objects, *and* the use of light and sound to simulate RL activity. I'm currently working on an animation showcase of sorts, which is beginning to come together on the latest renovation of my old around-the-tree layout, using a bunch of used/abused commercial animated pieces which I'm in the process of renovating/repairing/upgrading, depending on the initial condition and my imagination.

So, I seem to be moving in no particular pattern or order through quite a few different phases of the hobby. Yes, I've recently stuck to mostly PW Marx rolling stock, but unlike a lot of my fellow "Marxists", I have not adopted a hard-core "toy train" esthetic (think, astroturf over plywood, with bare tinplate track and a sprinkle of individual accessories around that track -- IMHO a variant of the layout the OP mentioned!), nor have I abandoned my "toy train" roots for more fertile fields, in which one might more easily count rivets! I suspect there are quite a few fellow travelers (and no, that wasn't a thinly veiled Marx reference!) out there whose focus has varied over time, and may continue to do so.

My family had a train around the Christmas tree but that was it. How ever my cousin who we visited around the holidays always had a layout and because of seeing that layout it kind of got my attention.
In 1970 the start of the MPC era really got my attention, even though post war was at its peak and but very expensive. so the start for me was MPC.
If I remember correctly my first new MPC engine was a NW gp9 for $37.50 and the rest was history. Its been a great ride through thin financial times then much better financial times and now back to thin financial times. For me its not going to get any better financially but I have a place to live, decent health, friends and I'm happy and financially it is stable.
And best of all a layout, maybe not huge but I can run trains and have some fun. All in all I feel lucky.

Dave

I like Denny's answer that it's hard to explain, but I will try.

I had an uncle who was big into trains when I was young. He planted the seed. A few years ago, when I got back into it, it just seemed natural and what I needed at the time. Life and work were stressful, and I needed a healthy outlet. Trains and all of the auxiliary things that come with it just did the trick.

I also have a love for learning new things and there is a lot to learn in this hobby. I think that’s why I also got into ham radio and playing guitar. If I'm interested in a subject I tend to test the waters and, if I think it’s fun, dive fully in.

Today that uncle, who also happens to be my God Father, is in awe of my trains.

Why do I like O gauge model trains? In the "babyboomer" era there was not much that you could label "high tech" so what could be a more interesting hobby than one that created motion and that you could operate yourself? Dad started things off when I was 2 by buying a 2047 027 set and he added the operating milk and cattle car to it. He would set the trains up under the Christmas tree. When I got to be 7 or 8 he turned the set over to myself. The 50's were a simple era and most of the kids in the neighborhood had trains so it was always a subject of discussion. In addition we had chemistry and erector sets and they were hobbies as well. Through college the trains were put away and it was not until I married and relocated to NJ that my interest returned.
The short answer is having grown up with them the hobby is still with me and as interesting as ever.

I'm not a collector either. I bought because I liked it. I have no idea why I like trains, seems I always have and was not influenced by friend or family.

Best answer! Which doctor can give me a prescription?