My name is Daniel. I was an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and am now a writer who has

published three books including South Korea: Our Story by Daniel Nardini.

                    Despite the fact that many things that I used to know when I was growing up being made

in the United States, there are many things that are no longer made in America anymore. One such case

is the manufacture of model trains. In the United States, both children and adults love model trains as a

hobby and as a way to connect with other people who have a shared interest. But like just about everything

else, model trains are no longer made in the United States. They are being made in Third World

countries like so many other toys my generation grew up with. Today, there are only two companies

that make model trains in the United States---Hartland Locomotive Works and Bowser. These two

companies employ Americans who make model trains the way they were made 40 to 50 years ago, and 

their model trains are still popular in this country. They still have the quality and performance that model

trains made in America had, and these model trains were made to last for 10 to 20 years. For those

who are making these model trains, it is not just a job, but a way of life that has been a part of their

families and those who have enjoyed this hobby for years. In the town I live in, there is a railroad club

where people and their families get together to work the model trains and recreate scenery of places

they have traveled through on trains. Although it does not play as big a part as it once did, trains are

still an important part of Americans' lives and there are those who buy and collect model railroad

trains for their homes. Many Americans prefer those made in the USA, and even old model trains are

bought and collected. Model trains made in USA are a source of pride just like reproduction Koryo

porcelain is a pride for so many Koreans or traditional furniture is a source of pride for many Chinese.