About this time in 2014, while eating bfast at a local greasy spoon and watching Christmas Story on their flat screen, I realized that I had not owned a Lionel electric train as a kid; choked down the rest of my food and dashed home to hit the internet.
Found a dealer in New Hampshire offering the Polar Express Anniversary edition; and then it started; next a Lionel Lionchief+ B&O, then a Legacy Pere Marquette, then a VL Big Boy, and then .......... you get the story.
Chuckle at myself when ordering more track for the PE back then; didn't know the significance what O36 meant. Then found this forum - the rest ...........