Fellow Trainzers, Coffe Drinkers, Tinkerers and Comedians,
I never expected such an overwhelming bunch of responses to my initial post. I believe I now have enough information to move on.
I've come down to 4 choices - 1) modify the one I have to see if I can increase the heat output. The worst case scenario would be that I set the family room on fire.
2) Make my own heater. Worst case here would be that I set the family room AND the entire house on fire.
3) Remove the shade from a lamp, turn it upside down, and plop the light bulb into the coffee cup. That's an interesting and innovative solution, but not exactly what I was hoping for. But thanks for the idea anyway.
4) Go with the hot plate idea. For $24 it seems like the best solution.
Thanks for your help. If you don't hear from me again, it's probably because I changed my mind, and made an attempt at building my own. In that case, my wife will be selling my discs of Trainz on E-bay at a bargain price. Stay tuned.