I once met a modeler whose dream was to get a 30 X 40 room and fill it up with a giant Z scale layout. He never got a chance to fulfill that dream, though he did leave behind a truly wonderful HO layout. Too bad his kids weren’t in the hobby. They might preserved his layout or continued it. As it is, they tore it apart and it ended up being sold at yard sales, flea markets and junk shops. Whatever didn’t sell or was destroyed in the teardown, was thrown in the trash or burned. I did manage to get a few pieces of his enormous empire. Two of them are still in my possesion and are treated with great reverence and respect.
I am in the process of helping my wife’s family clear out the home of an aunt who died, with no direct decendents. It make you realize how much of what we cherish in life becomes so much clutter to someone else. Here we are spending hours, and dollars on a hobby that may well mean nothing to anyone once we are gone. The important thing is that we get the most out of this great hobby while we can enjoy it and not plan on leaving a legacy.
Good points!
In the UK the Gauge 0 Guild provides a service connected to the operation of wills (can’t recall the correct name for it) which makes sure that whatever you want done with your trains (within reason and the law) gets done. This means that a family will get the best value from your investment… may not be great but better than yard sales and the trash can.
The Guild is on the net (somewhere).
Don’t know if the NMRA does this…