Ah, Pat, in the immortal words of someone or other "It's lonely at the top".

Face it, you are at the pinnacle of your hobby, clinging to that windswept peak
with a few hundred other diehards... But you know what? All those other guys
(and gals) who are still slogging through the jungle or relaxing in the meadows
at the base of the mountain are looking up -- and who do they see up there?

You, buddy.

The point is that you & Ed & Tom M & Richard H & Tony T, et al are busy creating
a lasting and valuable record. Long after all the crummy model trains have been
disposed of in landfills, I'll wager precious few "museum pieces" will have met
that fate. And the books and publications will grace the shelves of the serious
modelers and yes, even real libraries, for generations to come.

It's not about numbers. It's never been about numbers. Vendors come and
go, but does it really matter? The whole industry could be recreated from
scratch if it ever came to that, because the ESSENTIAL FACTS have been
put on paper and published.

I would make the argument that home layouts are mostly a diversion from the
serious business of research and modeling! I plan to build a small shelf layout
mainly for testing and break-in as well as simple enjoyment, but I realize now
that I want to be a model builder, not a carpenter.

Tim O'Connor