I like most of everyones reply to this thread "UP doesnt exist here" LOL The only UP engine I have is a Rivarossi Big Boy, purely for display. I recently streamlined my loco roster and decided upon an era to model, so off went a few SD35's, GP35's and older units. As of last count, I had 2.5x as many locos as rolling stock, and I've got about 60 pieces of stock. Although, some of the locos are display units, with the exception of the few excursion trains every once in a while. I have a complete Super Chief, Blue Goose, and Daylight set on the shelf, and working on a Crescent set. But, most of my work horses are modern SD's and GE units. I model Mainly Norfolk Southern, and Southern Pacific using GP38's, a GP38-3, a couple of GP40's, SD40's, SD50'/60's, SD70/m's, Sd80mac's, C44's, AC4400's, Es44AC's, and even a AC6000 in SP scheme. I even have a SD50S, NS# 6502, kitbashed from a Rail Power Sd50 shell on an Athearn SD40-2 chassis. I don't care much for the new Gensets, so there won't be any here.:tb-wink:
Well obviously you have a steam train and a diesel train. Nyuck Nyuck Nyuck. Oh crap another old thread. LMAO I thought it looked familiar. I'm still trying to minimize my fleet. although I must say my car to loco ratio is still good at roughly 30 locos to 120+ freight cars and 30 or so passenger cars. I think my layout can only hand about 8 locos and 50 cars in an operating session. When it comes to rolling them I can load up though.
..I could use the old JP Morgan saw, "If you have to ask....." I guess it depends on what you want to model. I model the CM&St.P going from the turn of the Century to the 70's. For the early years I have a Consolidation and a re-worked Mantua 0-6-0. For the 20-30's I have a Baltic. For the 40's I have a Northern, a pair of FT's, an SW1, and a few Alcos. For the 50's I have F units. For the 60's I have a GP30. For the 70's I have a couple of U boats and an FP-45. I try to keep my roster somewhat accurate for the partiuclar time period. For example, to model the 70's Milwaukee Road I need at least three engines. One to pull the train, one dead in tow, and another to pull the wrecker to pick up the first engine after it derails somewhere on the D&I line. As for the Borg.....I keep cans of Krylon (Espee Red (but it comes out black?!!), CNW Green and Rio Grande Black) in the trunk. That way, if I am ever at a grade when one of their lash ups comes by, I can "tag" them as they roll through. I've gotten to the point that I can replicate the original paint job on half an engine...in under 30 seconds.
Since my Seattle Great Western is fictional... There are around 90 locomotives, all modeling the "steam to diesel" era, that includes road switchers, switchers, passenger and freight locos from every builder from around 1952 (we'll leave out Ingalls Shipbuilding). Every manufacturer is represented so sometimes, just for fun, there will be an "all FM day", or an "all Baldwin day"! When it's "Baldwin Day", "Sharks" (they had steam boilers, didn't they?) provide passenger power. Of the 90 locos, 10 are steamers, both brass but also Spectrum, P2K along with an Athearn Pacific. There is also a short "electrified zone", handled by 3 Bachmann E-33's. The diesels are E.R. Models, Kato, Atlas, P2K, BLI, along with 6 Athearns. 3 of the Athearn TrainMasters were remotored with NWSL motors. Been at this for over 45 years but darn that eBay! When they happened on the scene, the president of the Seattle Great Western just couldn't control himself! I had nothing to do with it. I'm just a regular lunch bucket guy at the engine house waiting for his next assignment! :tb-confused:
You only need one locomotive per train every one past that point is a want. The exception is if you have grades you need enough power to get over the grades plus 20% per train. Exception #2 If all your power is on one side of the railroad you have to lease power for the trains on the other side of the railroad, kinda like UP. "Still Training After All These Years"
You say to yourself, "Okay I have enough trains." Then you see that Kato just put out a new train and you say to yourself, "Okay, I have enough trains AFTER I purchase this one."
No rules, no rules, no rules! Ok one, "Have Fun" "Wrong", you ask? Nope, No, No Way, Not At All. "Wrong", I repeat? Not a chance. And, no quilt trips allowed. You see you need the extra five just in case one of the ones you could afford breaks down. I mean you can't have your trains stuck in some hole because one of your locomotives went dead on line. Gosh, what a discussion. I do have more engines then I need. No doubt. But I need to fill out the roster so I can operate in lash-ups of three or more. So...I ain't done yet.
Or you go to a train show and come home with 3 more engines just because they were $25-30 for Kato and Atlas engines and fit the roads you like.
Ill finish buying them when they stop making them! Heres a pic (not very good) of some of my ho scale locos, i wont mention the n or g scale fleet... P1010324.JPG :: SOME OF MY COLLECTION @ Fotopic.Net paul
You need only ONE engine. You can run only one engine at a time. But if this engine fails it's good to have another one. :angel: And for variety it's good to have another one. :angel: Wolfgang
Many Locomotives Most of us myself included have more locomotives than we really need. There are about 200 here and about 500 freight cars. Espee is the road of choice with BN a close second.
Harry here in Colorado Springs ... Okay, I'll jump here with all four -- try something like (last count for insurance purposes) 100 diesels -- I am still reworking the freight car inventory -- especially when I am "missing" at least four freight boxcars. My layout fills a 1,092 sq ft basement -- and those four could be stuck anywhere on the layout. # # # hed
Harry here in Colorado Springs ... WOW! Two hundred locos? My roster is still growing -- and I am out of shelf space to store "off-line" both diesels and freight cars off all kinds -- never mind the commuter cars I am working on for the commuter service I am (sounds like real world) trying to get in to service. # # # hed
Paul the pictures of your Chessie units brought back boyhood memories. I grew up with a Chessie coal spur about 20 meters behind my house. The unit coal trains had just cleared the tipple when they went by my house, so they would still be moving slow, 5-10 mph I guess. I would run out to wave at the crew and get them to sound the horn. It got to where they would expect me and many times would throw a bag of candy to me. Thanks for bringing back the memory. Also looks like a nice collection of CSX power. As far as the number of engines I have, it's nothing like what some of you lucky guys have. I have 4-5 left over from my HO days, both Santa Fe and Seaboard System geeps. So far none for the upcoming N scale project. That will change in about 2 weeks when the fat man in the red suit (actually it will be his helper, my wife) brings me at least one Atlas diesel, probably the RJ Corman GP38. The start of an addiction, I'm sure.
