David

And people are living longer. And the world as a whole is becoming much
wealthier, with lots more leisure and hobby spending. These are macro trends,
as is the decline of unskilled or low-skill manufacturing jobs, automation,
etc. I read somewhere that 80% of the children born in the USA after 2000
will reach their 100th birthday! And railroads are enjoying a revival in
much of the world and have pretty much stopped contracting in North America.
So I think you are right, this is a great, fun hobby and will continue to be
as long as our civilization lasts. :-)

Tim O'Connor