The times, they are a changing...

I never meant to get back into the hobby... at least, not this soon.  Highschool was over, college was ahead of me.  I had more important things to worry about.  Exams, my eventual career, wife, kids, etc. It was time to put my trains in a box and focus on other stuff.  Perhaps in 30 years I'd pull that box of rolling stock back out and get back to building model railroads.

That was 12 years ago...  In February I wandered back into a train shop.  I hadn't been in one for years. Curious to see what the manufacturers were doing now, I picked an Athearn 2 bay covered hopper up off the shelf.  My jaw hit the floor.

Metal wheels, wire grab irons, detailed undercarrage and etched metal roof walks! This was a level of detail I'd only ever seen in Model Railroader Magazine. It was a level of detail I always wanted, yet never thought I could have due to time/skill/patience restraints. How was it possible that all of this was available in a ready-to-run car? Amazing! I bought the car without hesitation.

Then I went home and got online to see what else I've been missing out on in the last decade or so.  DCC controlled lighting and sound decoders were bringing an amazing amount of life to locomotives, lasercut products were getting cheaper and cheaper,  great new inovations in scenic products have brought a whole new level of realism to the hobby.

The internet itself has been an amazing addition to the hobby.  Youtube is full of inspiration layout visits, informative how-to videos, and entertaining videos of real world railroads.  Fantastic, searchable databases of photos allow modelers to find information on just about any engine or car in seconds, communities of builders and blogs inspire everyone to build better, and podcasts help those long trips to and from work go so much easier!

And so now I am back in the hobby, and it seems that I've picked the perfect time to jump back in!