Many years ago I stopped model railroading, mostly because I joined the Navy and wouldn't have room. My parents gave away my old HO scale train components, although my 1971 vintage Lionel train set still resides in their attic.

Today, I purchased two large lots of locos and rolling stock on eBay, consisting of approximately 12 engines, a couple of dummy engines, 3 or 4 switchers, and about 30 cars of various types. Total cost with shipping is about $125, well below the amount that I'd expected to spend. About 8 to 10 of the units are in need of repair, although all supposedly run/roll okay. I hope to put together a nice, usable layout on about $300 to $350 by buying from eBay. Unfortunately, most new equipment is out of reach for anything beyond a basic oval or crossover layout, so for now, good enough is good enough.