How about the saga of Right of Way. Their first big loco-- the C&O 2-6-6-2-- came out at $1200 and sold out. About 10 years ago I purchased one LN in the box for about $700 and thought I had a great deal until a few months later I bought their B&O 2-6-6-2 on Ebay for $306. I ended up buying two ROW 2-8-8-0s, a Shay, and a T-1 and I'm happy I did. Of course these brass beauties are technologically obsolete, but so am I. And many ROW offerings are now truly rare, but few want them.