Like C.Sam, I was drawn to the American Flyer ALCo North Coast Limited when it came out in the 50's. I spend many an hour looking at it in a catalog. Never got that, although I'd like to some day just for the memory. I did get the K-Line F-3 NCL set a number of years ago, though, to satisfy the need (!), and it's great.
I also have a memory of seeing the Lionel Canadian Pacific F-3 set and passenger cars at a department store back in the 50's. I thought that was quite something, but never got it. These were way out of reach for my father. When I saw the Lionel Illinois Central F-3/aluminum cars passenger set on a shelf in a hobby shop in Chicago during the holidays about 1987, though, I couldn't stop looking at it. It was gorgeous, and a couple years later I bought it. I was hooked.
