I suspect Mr. Kepner got tired of people in the railroad hobby telling him what he should do with his property, so basically said to everyone, "up yours," and decided not to break up the collection in his own lifetime.

Not only did people tell him what to do, but also trespassed on the property at Merrill, sometimes for the purpose of making defamatory videos about him to post on the internet. In normal civilized society, that is considered outrageous behavior. But for some reason, in the railroad hobby, it is considered OK. It is why participating in this hobby is ultimately so disappointing.