As been well stated in the above posts, there is room for everybody. Yep, given my druthers, I'd much rather be in the pit beneath the 489, armed with wrenches and dodging boiling hot water and grease.
But alas, I make my home in California, not New Mexico, and have to satisfy my urges to get greasy with the occasional trip down to San Francisco to work on a certain SP 4-6-2. More often than not, I'm involved in a series of adventures known as Parent, Husband, and Breadwinner. Guess what? When all that is done, little time remains for the greasy stuff (unless it involves my wifes truck...)
So, some of that scarce free time is dedicated to mucking about with a couple of 1/4" scale K36s. As I don't have the luxury of wandering out my back gate to measure or photograph details, I rely on the knowledge and expertise of the folks at the NGDF. In addition, I enjoy the entertaining, and often spirited exchanges that take place here, as well as at "The Goat" and "Freds". I know some of these folks, and hope to meet some of the others.
As for the threads that don't interest you, just ignore them. But do so knowing that pearls of wisdom or a good chuckle may lurk inside.
Oftentimes the model work that folks do goes hand in hand with preservation of the real thing. That is, many modelers support their favorite historical preservation groups by donating time, talent and $$$.
So, lighten up, enjoy the ride. Trust me, life could be far worse!
sda