Keith, it sounds like we were like-minded tinplate fans (when I was still active in the TCA). I still have some nice cast-iron wind-ups, and pre- WWII streamliners, which were my favorites. I finally got priced out of the trains I liked by people with unlimited budgets and ruthless attitudes. Certainly, there were plenty of friendly people who just liked classic toys, but the general atmosphere changed enough in the early 1980s that I bailed. Call me a wimp, I won't flinch. Accuse me of painting the whole lot with an overly broad brush, and I will sheepishly apologize to you and the other nice folks. Now that I have (relatively) big bucks I can spend on my hobby, I'd rather use them on live steam.
regards, -vance- Vance Bass Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Small-scale live steam resources: http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass
