I decided to make a database for my freight cars. Upon listing all of them I found that I had a total of 101 freight cars of all types. (58 of these being reefers) This just got me to thinking. (I don't do that often.....it hurts):funny::frustrated: I have only been in the hobby for 3 years. Some of you have no doubt been modeling for 30 or more years. I would be interested in hearing how many freight cars each of you have. Also separately, how many passenger cars. (I currently have 27.) Along with this if you would tell us how long it took you to accumulate this number of cars. I hope some of you will find this interesting enough to participate. Cheers
Good topic! I keep a database too. Looks like I have 30 locomotives (with 4 to come soon), 223 freight cars (with an estimated 16 to be added this year), 11 cabeese, 1 MOW car, 10 passenger cars, and 6 Pullman cars. Like a lot of folks, I have a list of things that I am looking for on eBay, etc. (attached). I have been accumulating these items since about 1995, give or take a year or two. Charlie
Current rooster shows I have 798 cars ready to run (not including cars that I'm kitbashing, decaling, or awaiting MT couplers). I used to buy every 1950's west coast car (and selective east coast cars as well) that came out but I've become more selective for the last 4-5 years knowing that most of my cars will never see the rail. I've been on and off in N scale for well over 20 years. As for passenger cars, I don't have an accurate count but that's probably over 100.
While I am an HO scale guy, this isn't entirely an N scale specific topic. I have around 175 freight cars and 53 locomotives. I'll sell a few this year, and perhaps pick up a few. I "need" more hoppers. I've used various freight car inventory freeware but I use my own spreadsheet on Microsoft Works. Works for me!
I use Excel (attached in post above). It's not fancy but it lets me search when I am checking eBay, etc., looking for stuff I don't have. I can see the road numbers, etc.
I use an Excel spread sheet. I have far, far less than I used to. Somewhere between 25 & 30 engines, and about 215 cars. Just no need for those many hundreds more pieces I once owned. They just sat and never turned a wheel.
Freight cars: probably over 10,000. Over 2,000 coal cars. Passenger cars: over 100. Six Kato CZ sets. Locomotives: over 200. Years: 40. Sanity: doubtful.
Freight cars,mostly 1970 era,but I have steam,intermodal,auto racks,ETC,probably 2500 or so cars total,never really counted.Probably 60 passenger cars.50+ cabooses,most custom painted,custom built.At the moment,finished,sitting on the RR or in showcases,405 locomotives,working on ten more.Most are custom built/custom painted..I have stuff from Bachmann Dockside to Big Boys,Bachmann 44T to U50/SD90...My present RR is a 12X12 walk around room size layout with 3 levels,2,2 track mains,LV on the bottom level,CNJ/D&H/EL/PC on the top..Over 45 years in it..
Wranglers will never be considered cars... they are in a class of their own. 20 Locomotives (all custom builds I did myself). 170 cars, mostly covered hoppers 0 passenger cars 1 MOW car (Jordan Spreader) This is my collection of the last 4 years. I've worked to keep the cars relevant to the line I model. I have no intermodal or auto racks as I model a branch line that doesn't have that type of bridge traffic. I've got metal wheels on 70% of the cars, about 10% have graffiti so far and 40% are weathered. I also have 1 Wrangler and 1 CJ2A
I keep an Excel data base also and on disc after my puter crashed back a few years ago. Locomotives are difficult count since I run most everything but steam as at least two locos on the head end with F units being the exception. That said my F units, all powered, are considered as one loco whether in AA, AB, ABA, or ABBA. So if I count powered units with diesel I'm at about 75 units, but my running as one loco with the Fs it is about 50. Steam currently is at 30 locos with a few more awaiting conversions or decals. Logging locos and critters number about 30. I currently have about 60 cars in the M. of W. category and about the same amount of logging cars. Logging camp cars number about 40 or enough to do about three log camps. I have about 80 passenger cars with the majority being heavyweights and four business trains of about four cars each. I have about 700 freight cars all now in the 1950 or earlier era and the spread sheets let me keep track of car numbers. So I know that in some cases I have 4 or 5 cars all carrying the same number that need to have the numbers changed at some point. My freight car count has gone down in the last years as I thin out stuff that was just too modern like the big NP Pig Palace car and a number of covered hoppers and mechanical reefers. And I will probably thin out some more. I also thinned out a lot of poor running steam. My car count is based on the idea of having cars in the yard and at industry sidings which tend to eat up the car count from those actually behind locos.
Holy moly is right! I can't imagine having that many. And six CZ sets! When I purchased my Silver Streak my wife said "but you already have that", thinking they were the same. Just curious what your wife (assuming you have one) said. As for locomotives I have 24 diesels (all first generation) & 9 steam engines. I use an Excel spreadsheet very similar to Charlie's.
I don't know what his wife said but I know what mine says every time something new arrives. It's too bad the profanity filter only works on the software.
I've been dealing with US outline N for about 18 months. I have 25 locomotives, including 4 in Amtrak livery, 7 passenger cars, 90 freight cars, 2 RDC units and 12 cabeese. Regards, Pete Davies
13 Locomotives (AB sets count as 1) 21 Freight cars 1 Caboose 2 Passenger 1 RDC Looks like I need to go shopping
