Why do I like the 1950s/'60s so much?

[GS4]

Rob, I'm another one who is going to blow your theory apart or perhaps you can explain how a guy who was born in the early '50's, 1952 to be precise, in England, migrated in '53 to South Africa, where he grew up and still resides, who has never seen an American train in real life, has an addiction for modern day American railroading !!!

Sure I have a love for steam locos, as they ran here until the 1980's. My favorite steam locos are SP's GS4 Daylight 4-8-4, the 4-8-8-2 Cabforwards, the N & W Y6b 2-8-8-2 and South African Railways Class 25 4-8-4, Class GMAM 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 Garratt and Class 19D 4-8-2 with a long van der Bilt tender. Yet I have no desire to model any era before the mid 1980's. My favorite railroad is the BNSF, though I do have a liking for the SP in pre-UP days. I also have an interest in the BNSF's predecessor roads, BN, ATSF, GN and CB & Q.

As to British modeling, not an inkling of interest, this despite the fact that my father was a British modeler, who had an extensive O gauge layout before the war.

Cheers, Simon