I just picked up a WBB Girls Freight Set with Steamer for my niece and a Texas Special Passenger Set for my newborn nephew. All for less than $450. Of course the engines will have to be unpacked and test run, despite knowing they will work right out of the box 
UPDATE 12/26/12
Here's a quick review of the WBB train sets that were received as gifts. Overall, I was really pleased with the two sets. I suggest grabbing some heavy duty tape to help the flaps on the boxes stay closed.
Girls TrainSet - This was a real nice seven piece set. The steam engine and coal tender are the stars of the show. The steam engine is very hefty. (As it was passed around, it was almost dropped three times.) This heft made it a real good puller. It responded well to the throttle. This locomotive will fly (and off the tracks it flew), so be careful when you run it. We added smoke fluid to the stack and rings of smoke came out. It wasn't a ton of smoke, but was pleasant to watch. The paint was well done. The coal tender contains the sound board and will play a whistle and bell. The whistle blows a long, long, short, long sequence. The rolling stock will definitely handle any childrens hands. The detail was molded on with the exception of brake wheels and air resevoirs. The only issue I had with the freight cars were the wheel sets. The side frames are made of plastic and the holes to hold the needle nose axels were a bit tight, so the cars won't roll freely. Also, a few of the metal brackets that hold the side frames were a bit out of gauge. A couple of axels fell off as the cars were removed from packaging. I was able to bend them with my fingers. I'll be heading over with some lube and needle nose pliers and will go over each piece of rolling stock.
TexasSpecial - This was another great train set. It consists of a powered F3-A unit, a dummy F3-B unit, a Vista-Dome, a Pullman, and an Observation car. The A unit was smooth and quiet when it ran. The markings and paint on all of the pieces were crisp and well done. The sound chip plays a bell and horn. The horn played a long, long, short, long sound. The passenger cars are O-27 size. Each of the cars were lighted.
Of course, if the niece and nephew become train addicts, you'll be the most awesome uncle in the doghouse. 
