Backscene
Chris Leigh ponders our collecting mania and offers some of his projects for disposal to new homes.
Too much of a good thing?
We railway modellers seem to be ‘hoarders’. I don’t mean we’re the first in the queue for toilet rolls in a pandemic, but we do seem reluctant to get rid of anything. It’s not just a reluctance to throw things away, with that familiar quote, “Well, you never know when it might come in useful”. It’s the desire not to part with something because of a sentimental attachment.
I’ve still got one or two Dinky Toys from my childhood, for instance, and worse – I find myself regretting having disposed of something long ago, despite the fact that it would not really be of any great use if I still had it. I’ve even bought several of the Dinky Supertoys that I loved when I was a kid and they are ‘displayed’ (ie they gather dust) on a shelf in the kitchen.