Thanks for the kind words. The engine was my first try at a repaint in quite some time. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it turned out. I still need to replace or repair the headlight socket, as it has a short in it somewhere. I didn't plan on using the red tender with the engine, but it matched close enough for my liking, so I stuck with it. I was going to repaint an 8 wheel wedge tender to match the engine.
I don't recall where the musical car came from. I thought I bought it on ebay, but I didn't see it in my purchase history. I did see the caboose, and I know I bought it before the music car.
Most of the tin houses are Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store finds. A few of them came from Big Lots a few years ago. Those came with some pretty horrible cookies. I had some glittery Christmas trees that looked like they were made out of coat hanger wire that went with the tin buildings, but I cannot find them anywhere. Those looked really neat with the buildings.
I keep an eye out for the modern Marx cars, especially the Christmas ones. It's a fun group of trains to collect. They are rare enough to be a challenge, but they usually don't sell for enough to break the bank.
J White
