Very good point about competition...so many catalogs per year, too.
I tend to view the early 21st century of toy trains as a rennaissance of sorts, although some might say it began in the mid 1990s. From the catalog artwork to the actual items produced, and companies were taking chances with new and innovative items.
Again, I may be bias somewhat, as we had a local and very informal group of guys getting together regularly and enjoying the progress we all were making on our respective layouts. If I ever can afford to retire, I'd very much like to get back into a similar group, just run trains and help each other.
