I understand your "sickness" perfectly well. I found someone selling off the last pieces from her deceased husband's train collection, which included a Lionel 259 and tender it visibly good condition. Also in the lot was a Coca Cola switcher from a 1974 special set. Since she was selling it for only $20 and on ebay it generally goes for around $50, I bought it with the intention of selling it. Since I later realized I happen to have another car from the set, I looks like it's gonna be running on my layout for a long time coming....
I'm also looking to swap out the dead electric motor from a later-production green M10005, so I'll be watching this thread closely.