Collecting Hobby Trains
The word hobby comes from the Latin verb habitare, to do. So literally, “to do a thing often”. From this root stem, the word went on to mean “a custom, practice or mode of acting”. Thus the origin of the modern hobby horse is from the custom of doing something many times in a specified manner or order: a prescribed or typical routine.
From earliest times, through much of history, leisure time or activity participation has been essential to human existence. Ancient peoples spent most of their time doing activities that were important to their survival or helping fellow humans. Hobbies and interests were central to their interactions as groups. Practical necessities, such as food and shelter, also formed the contentment of life for some pre-historical people. The arts, technology, mathematics, and other intellectual pursuits were not as important as social bonds.
In the industrial age and into the early 21st century, with the rise of scientific and technological advances, came changes to the ways people lived. Hobbies and interests were relegated to the background or replaced by more practical pursuits such as working in factories, office buildings, and farms. This change in the way people lived affected all aspects of daily life. Hobbies became things done only for pleasure or out of necessity. Work, on the other hand, became something done for profit.
Fortunately, the industrial revolution of the early twentieth century gave the hobbyist and his or her interests new outlets. Manufacturing and marketing made possible the manufacturing and marketing of hobbies and crafts and, with these outlets came a great way of sharing the joys of these pursuits. Now, it is not unusual for hiring managers to say, “I know you enjoy working on your own model train, but we need you to go shopping for some trains for us.”
Hobbyists and collectors are also discovering that socializing in many forms is a wonderful substitute for work. These hobbyists are finding that their hobbies are an outlet for their creativity after a hard day’s work. Hobbies such as cross-stitching and quilting are forms of social interaction that do not exclude anyone. Anyone can participate in these activities. And, because these hobbies do not require much skill, they tend to be much less expensive than joining the ranks of the twenty-year-olds who are working two or three jobs to pay for their hobby.
For all of these reasons and more, the hobbyist has much more options today than he or she did a generation or two ago. The Internet has opened up innumerable opportunities for this exciting group of individuals. They are no longer confined to traditional hobbies stores that cater to one segment of the population. They can purchase all of the supplies and materials they need to build their own toy train collection from the comfort of their own home. All of these options show that this group of people is enjoying life more than ever before, and it looks as if hobby collecting will continue to be a popular activity well into the future.
