Why didnt you choose that other hobby instead of toy trains

 Forgot to mention reading Tain Forum websites such as OGR. I'm surprised that's not a listed hobby for many others here too.

I remember the beautiful Christmas layouts my grandfather had in the 1950's

Trains are only one of too many hobbies. I have committed to Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week September 2017 and haven't even finished the budget for the car! A couple of rounds of golf a month are a luxury. And since our freezer died and we lost all of our venison, when deer season arrives "if it's brown, it's down".

Got the train bug at 6 years old with my 1956 Lionel train set, now starting to run out of room, 7'x9' layout in garage, trains on display at home and work.  Now just started fairly large Garden Train in G scale.  I was into motocross bikes but I am getting a little too old to tear it up like I used to.  I still shoot handguns and some rifles with my son but running out of room for that collection too.  I enjoy my classic cars but I keep going back to trains I think because they remind me of simpler times.

Well for me growing up in NYC I was always into Mass Transit, they qualified as trains and I just loved every aspect about those "Trains" even though they were the Subway. I even have the official motorman's manual that I got to copy from my neighbor who worked for the MTA and I also have two blueprint copies of the R46 right from the MTA that they sent me upon my request. Ahhhh, those were the days! Try and do that now! But I digress. I would make regular visits Madison Hardware, sometimes I would travel into the city ( I lived in Brooklyn) to 23rd street just to visit the store with no intention of buying anything, just to look and make my own wishlist! But back then my first love would have had to have been the subway. Where I lived I didn't get to see too many diesel locomotives, now when I went to H.S. (Aviation H.S. in LIC) I would pass by the Sunnyside Yards everyday and I did get to see my fair share of GG1s and all sorts of other equipment, but I must say the subway was my first love of trains. Now that I am out here on the left coast, I don't see too many rapid transit vehicles anymore that interest me( BART has one type of vehicle-Period!) and I have shifted to modern diesel electric motive power, with the occasional steam power that I see when I visit the Sacramento Railroad Museum. (I really like steam now!) My little girl who always used to accompany me to the Sacramento Railroad Museum is now going to college so I just save most of my drooling to models now. But I've always loved the aspect of trains.

I used to breed and race thoroughbred horses as a hobby, and have decided to leave trains and go back to it. The train hobby has gotten too expensive.

I always loved Toy Trains, besides my neighbors in South Philly refused to let me park a WWII tank collection on my street.