If you're new to S, there's plenty to explore, grab onto, hunt down, and enjoy. Knock yourself out. But honestly if you've been in it any longer than 10 years, S stands for starved. Starved for variety. In fact I can't help but think manufacturers like Lionel, MTH, and AM are in awe of how S-gaugers aren't bored to death. We get excited about re-release after re-release with a tweak here and a tweak there of the same meat and potato engines that we've had and been fed for years at a time while scads of engines enjoyed in other scales are completely missing from our radar and likely outlook. We have our heads in the proverbial S-and. So much fun model railroading passes us by in the process. S by comparison is like looking at the real and model railroad worlds through a straw. I still have S and the majority of the track on my layout is S, but I sold about 98% of my S locos and rolling stock. Since then I've discovered why that was easy. Even though I delved deeply into S for over 21 years (postwar, modern, conventional, TMCC, Legacy, DCC, by L/AF, AM, SHS, BLM, AHR, and others including custom conversions for myself and customers), there were very few to none of the great engines I really have a passion for because of their design, designer, color scheme, uniqueness or all four and none of them were in sight. Examples include the American and British streamlined steam engines of the 30's and 40's, but it doesn't end there. Do yourself a favor and save a search on eBay -- HO, locomotive, steam, most recently posted -- and get an alert for that on a daily basis. Give it a week. Wow. Just look at the amazing range and variety out there. The reason I went so deep into S was where else is there to go? You can't go wide. You're hemmed in. In fact, now that I can get a hold (literally) of almost any one of the greatest engines ever made, I find that I'm happy just running them on DC -- no sounds, no smoke, no impersonations of that stuff -- just what any model train engine can truly represent of its 1:1 big brother -- motion forward, motion backward, and maybe a headlight. But man, do they look great! ATSF Blue Goose, NYC 20th Century Dreyfuss Hudsons (all varieties) , M-Road F-7 Pacific, SP 4449, N&W 6XX, LMS Coronation Pacific, etc. and others like the LV John Wilkes and Frisco Firefly that I never knew existed but now aspire to someday add to my line up. They're amazing. I honestly can't believe how much wider my vision of and appreciation for what incredible steam engines there have been throughout history and are available in miniature since taking off my S blinders. Try it. You might like it too.
No disrespect, but the 2019 Lionel AF releases are so boring. The third release of Berkshires now with some applied details and enhanced electronics inside is something get excited about? Really? A tweak on u-boats that have been out for years? For that matter, an oil tender version of AM's Pacific for hundreds of $'s more than virtually the same engine released over 10 years ago? Get out of the rut. See how much more there is to have fun with.
I still cherish and enjoy the S that I kept and friendships from that, but realize now how limited S is in terms of what it affords you to enjoy about real and miniature railroading. I wish it were different, but don't foresee that changing.
Dave