Joe,
They're hard to come by in most areas, so you're not alone. I understand about projects. I'm way over my head with to-dos.
The mechanical series have been around for many years and are any "1000" series machines
http://www.bernina.com/en-US/Product...ssic-Series-us
And there is still the 950 mechanical/industrial being made.
I'm sure all of these have some kind of nylon gears.