Although many don't wish to acknowledge it, there is an entire segment of the hobby that is simply centered around "collecting" locomotives...in numbers far, far beyond any possible hope of future use on a layout. Many don't have any current layout and little prospect of building one in the future. The fact is that the locomotive buying mania probably is what keeps the manufacturers in business, as the number of hobbyist who honestly have viable layouts is only a fraction of those needed to account for the total number of engines sold annually.
Even those with extensive layouts often "collect" simply because they have a particular interest, or attraction, to some particular class/type of locomotive or a manufacturer. I've known hobbyists that collect Tyco ( :cry: ), Varney, Mantua, or brass locos. I personally have collections of early Aristo-Craft as well as brass camelbacks that have never turned a wheel on my layout.
So...I guess it's really just the nature of the creature when it comes to freely purchasing engines in numbers far beyond a practicable, usable, number.
CNJ999