Imagine someone was stuck in a situation where they are forced to give up everything except for *one* thing. What would they keep? A phone? A picture? A computer? Well, I have a different idea.

I personally would want to keep my model railroad. In this modern day and age, the hobby is almost non-existent amongst the younger generation. I somehow have found a passion for it, despite the lack of popularity. Model railroading provides something that few other hobbies can provide — ultimate freedom to do whatever I want. When model railroading, there are no limits to what one can and cannot do. The only limit is my imagination. 

Model railroading is expensive, that is undoubtedly true. But the results are incredibly worth-while. For example, as a junior in high school, I spent over 200 dollars casually on only five pieces of equipment. It may seem expensive at first glance, and to the objective eye, it is. But, looking at the value of what I purchased, I seem to be pretty well off, as I managed to find a good deal on equipment that was of the road name that I liked, the Soo Line. I now own 5 different pieces of Soo Line rolling stock. Pieces that can last for decades on end before needing repair. On top of lasting a good while, all the rolling stock that I purchased looked nice and was incredibly detailed. I may not be in control of the prices, but I am in control of what I decide to purchase.

Model railroading is such a unique hobby. Compared to others, it stands out due to its longevity. How many hobbies can one name that have lasted over 100 years without losing popularity? It can be confusing to think that model railroading is a popular hobby because of the lack of presence one can see from the community, but making such a judgment based solely on the amount of people who participate in a hobby in their surroundings is illogical. Model railroading is a worldwide hobby. People from the United States to the UK; from Germany to India; from Japan to Canada. Model railroading exists everywhere and is no way going to die out soon. Although, from a comedic standpoint, the majority of the community is in their later stages in life, so I guess it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that the community is “dying out”. 

If there was one thing I could not live without, it would most definitely be model railroading. The size of the community, the freedom to do what I please and the general appeal to owning my own little world is what is keeping me inside of this community. And that’s good, because I would never want to leave it behind.