Transistor Substitution

Thanks for all the replies so far. While what I've seen so far is definitely helpful, particularly regarding the 2N3009, I'd like to take a step back and generalize the question a bit. Let's say you have a system where something dies, and you trace it down to a particular transistor. You do a search for the part number, and find out that particular part is no longer manufactured and/or available. You find a datasheet, though,, and between that and the circuit you get a pretty reasonable idea what the transistor's specifications ought to be like. So far, so good. The problem I run into at this point is how to go about finding a modern substitute. Some of you are up on your specs for modern transisitors to the point where you can just casually say, "Oh, well, I know a part that ought to be able to handle that," and you're home free. It's admirable, and I'm glad many of you are in that position. Unfortunately I'm not, and I suspect I'm not the only one. :/ I'm _hoping_ there's an alternative to just blind-referencing thousands of transistor specs in hopes of running across a suitable one. (I suppose "repeatedly pestering those of you who _have_ kept up" is an alternative, but somehow it doesn't seem like the most acceptable one. <g>) * Soooooo...: I guess my real question is, once you know what properties you want in a transistor, how do you go about finding a transistor that's currently available which matches or exceeds those specs? Is it simply a question of plowing through datasheets, or are there resources available to help narrow down the search to a handful of possibly-suitable parts? ...It's not just the 2N3009 I'm after, obviously. :) -O.- * - If somebody who _has_ kept up were to offer a "Transistor Cross-Reference Service" for a slight fee, I suspect the hobbyist market could keep them in fairly adequate beer-money. :)