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Hi Rob, Missed your response so hopefully you'll see this. If you count the Great Falls Division, without ever meaning to I've lived less than a mile from some portion of the W&OD most of my life. However, in the eastern half - really more like eastern third. In the early 60s I took music lessons on Church Street in Vienna and saw a train come through two or three times - always behind C&O power by then, though. (By the way, at that time the last traffic light when heading west on the Leesburg Pike was in Falls Church). I visited many of the sites along the right of way before they were demolished. Of course I wish I'd taken more photos even though at the time I thoguht I'd taken too many. Regarding the Sierra 2-8-0s, yes I know they're quite similar. Sure is too bad, though, that they were oil-fired. I perhaps don't have the skills, but certainly do not have the tools (i.e. a $300+ resistance soldering set) to tackle such a conversion. Regarding brass: all true. Its also true that over the approximately 45-year history of serious brass imports, prices have increased only slightly more than inflation while quality has improved dramatically. But two additional comments: (1) the curve hasn't been a smooth one. The Eighties were the glory years for price/performance. (2) Inflation or no, there are still psychological barriers, to which I fully adhere. In this market I place them at $500 and $1,000. The shattering of these have basically priced me out of the brass market even though in terms of inflation and my income, I'm probably technically better able to pay the asking prices today than I was in the Eighties. In any event, I personally think that we are nearly at the end of the production of new brass - UNLESS China can be the next new source for quality but affordable production. Look at the number of importers that have closed; look at the age of the principals in the remaining ones; how many new brass models (except cabooses for some reason) are being brought out these days? I feel fortunate that I started when I did. Today, I would turn my back on brass; assembling any kind of respectable roster seems out-of-sight at current prices. As it is, I've bit the bullet recently to fill out some holes in my operating scheme and its very possible that I've made my last brass purchase. So I guess I disagree with your belief that the importers will find some magic way to return to pricing acceptable in the marketplace. Don't under-estimate the upfront investment in detailed plans, drawings, and castings; even though the models are to some extent hand-made, they still need to be made in runs in the 50-100 range. The run-up in brass prices has been a tremendous boost for quality plastic diesels, but nobody is ever going to be able to field a realistic stable of quality plastic steam. As a final aside, since you mention Howard Zane - a great guy, as you say - I've often wondered what percentage of all the brass steam is in the hands of a small number of elite collectors? I sometimes think it may be quite an appreciable percentage ... who knows. There is still a model rail club in the Vienna depot, but they have been closed to new memberships for some time. I don't know of any other club in the Washington area that has a permanent, fixed location. You might want to consider joining a modular club.
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