Venturing into pedal steel territory

Hi all,



I'm newly infatuated with the pedal steel guitar - in particular I love the sound heard on Mike Batt's 'The walls of the world'.



I'd consider buying an instrument, but wouldn't know which to pick and before I go right in, I'd like to know how much can be done with a normal electric guitar. Any tips on a sliding tool, tuning, more resources, etc?



Thanks much,

Stefan

Venturing into pedal steel territory