Faculty Publications

Final Stop: Navigating Legacy & Estate Planning for Older Men who Participate in Model Railroading

Document Type

Article

Keywords

estate planning, Facing mortality, possessions, railroad modeling, serious leisure

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Mortality

Abstract

The paper considers the role and potential benefit of hobby-related organisations and associations providing resources to help their members prepare for estate planning, specifically encouraging them to create a plan for what to do with their hobby-related possessions. In a series of interviews with highly committed railroad modellers, the authors gained insight into the hobby-related possessions the men accumulated over time. The modellers showed strong identification with their possessions, sometimes amassing substantial collections. While these items bring strong meaning and purpose to the modellers, they potentially pose complications to their survivors. Creating a plan for hobby-related possessions may help ease some of the burden placed on surviving family members after an individual dies. This paper presents a follow-up investigation with a railroad modeller who has a large collection of model railroad items and administrators from the National Model Railroaders Association (NMRA) to better understand the need for educational resources geared towards end-of-life planning. Available resources and recommendations are discussed.

Department

Department of Family, Aging and Counseling

Original Publication Date

1-2-2026

DOI of published version

10.1080/13576275.2025.2612182

Link to Full Text

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