Thanks Jeff. Don't worry though, I don't feel like anyone's piling on me. Even the earlier comment Bill made which I took exception to turned out to originate from misunderstanding, not from ill intent. Such things happen on the internet and his continued responses caused me to respect him more, not less. Discussion like this would never drive me off this board and I don't see why it'd drive off anyone else, either. The boards dedicated to my other hobbies are substantially less civil than this place.
Bill also made a comparison between the true believers and the non believers. That's a great analogy. I have no particular favorite railroad and never will. The very nature of my interest is in the technology itself, not in specifics. Consider my interest as akin to going to church to admire the architecture. To me the RGS 20 is unique only by virtue of having been lucky enough to be spared the cutter's torch. I like it because it looks nice and I like most any steam locomotive, but to me it's still some random engine out of thousands. To him it's something more, a "gem" as he calls it. I may not share that appreciation in this specific case, but I *fully* know where he's coming from (we all have our own "gems" that other folks don't see any special value in) so no disrespect there.
And don't worry Bill (or anyone else). I do tend to post seriously but it's an academic sort of serious. I respect differing opinions and certainly am not unhappy with this discussion. I take an admittedly direct approach (and prefer it in kind), but there's no ill intent. If folks disagree about things, good. I like seeing other viewpoints; if I didn't, what purpose would an internet forum serve?