I have been a fan of Lord of the Rings from childhood. When the Lord of the Rings movies came out it was the last push that I needed to change my On30 railroad location from the arid west of the United States to an arid area on a fictitious planet, fictitious continent and fictitious country. The fantasy location of my model railroad will enable me to enjoy myself, engage my boys in model railroading and to increase the depth of the life simulation that my layout can support.
As I work with my fantasy model railroad I am getting a lot of extra enjoyment from resolving the many issues around building not only a layout and a railroad model but also constucting the details of a new fantasy world.
This approach to the hobby is adding to my fun factor and that is what a hobby is all about.