I have banned diesels from my collection other than one.

centralRR Nov 16, 2009

  1. centralRR

    centralRR TrainBoard Member

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    I have banned all but one diesel from my collection and layout :) Diesels, while neat and the face of modern railroading, are totaly borring to me. Give me a noisy, hot, smelly and dirty steam engine any day. My one lone diesel is a model of the Southern 4610, only because its in Southern Green and I have a soft spot for that. My roster includes the following steamers. All are PFM/United brass unless listed otherwise. One NKP Berkshire, one NKP USRA Light Mikado, two Southern PS4 Pacifics, one C3 150 ton 3 truck shay, Penn Line PRR L1 Mikado, and a Bachmann PRR K4 Prewar version. All are painted expect for the USRA Light Mikado as I just started detailing the model to NKP and its not ready for paint yet. All are run weekly at the huge local club layout. Both NKP engines are heavily weighted with lead sheeting packed through out the model. Yes steam can be cantankrous, troublesome, extreamly fustrating at times. But once I get the bugs out of a model its a joy to behold and an immense satisfaction to me. None have been remotored, but all have been stripped, cleaned and regreased. All have big genuine Pittman motors in them as I stick with the early PFM/United imports prior to Pittman discontiuning thier line of motors. I find the later United copies of the Pittman design to be noisy and vibrate. And while not as finely detailed as later imports, they are pretty much bulletproof once tuned up and handle be transported to and from club without damage. Cheers Mike
     
  2. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Mike,

    It is your railroad and you can do what ever you want.

    That had to be a well thought out difficult decision to make.

    I agree that the steam loco's do look nice with all the moving parts.

    I know some model railroaders that have nothing but steam and will not let a diesel in the building and then there are some that are nothing but diesels.

    I run mostly diesels but I have a few steamers for the occasional special event. Read: was too far into diesels before I got my first steamer and I don't like to part with any thing.

    Gary
     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I can't find any fault in your choice.

    Diesels used to be much more interesting. The variety of prototype sized manufacturers, paint schemes, shapes and styles. But with the dawning of mega-mergers, it all changed. Today, diesel bodies may be functional, but are quite unimaginative. Put that fact atop their lack of animation.... Boring is too mild as a descriptive word.

    Boxcab E50
     
  4. COverton

    COverton TrainBoard Supporter

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    I am a devoted, die-hard steamer nut. But....I have a few well-chosen diesels to keep my 'era' looking correct, and I must say I am happy to have them because they work and sound well...even the teensy SW8 from P2K, and even on my long insulfrog turnouts.

    I was given my first diesel, an unwanted P2K FA2/B2 set, which now has a dummied B unit with sound and decoder. I have always been grateful for the gift, and it fits nicely with my period Pennsy steam. Second purchase was the SW8 in CPR livery, and the third was a beautiful black N&W FM24-66 Trainmaster that I managed to photograph nicely coming out of a snow-bound tunnel portal a couple of years ago...some of you may recall that image.

    Then, I fell in love with (don't laugh!!!) the Warbonnet livery, but on the SD75M. What was I thinking...noooo idea...it just happened. So, I purchased two DC models and had a Revolution from QSI installed in one and the Tsunami 1000 in the other. Darn, but they are beautiful! So, my steamer crews, just like they did 50 years ago, will have to slide over and make room on the bench...and keep the muttering down!

    :mbiggrin:
     
  5. Wolfgang Dudler

    Wolfgang Dudler Passed away August 25, 2012 TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Yes, it's much fun to run a steamer with sound. You can run it with your ears. :angel:

    But my layout is more modern, 70 - 80. And so I've a lot of diesels. I like my paint scheme.

    Wolfgang
     
  6. jhock

    jhock New Member

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    I agree the early diesels are much better, the modern ones all look a bit a like. I however model up to date, but I have the answer!

    Model a short line, the perfect excuse to run some great old diesels in modern setting. At the moment my little short line is served by a SW1200.

    I have got my eye on an Alco HH660 and S1 from Atlas, Fairbanks Morse H10-44 from Proto 2000.

    The mind is willing but the wallet is not!
     
  7. Tim Loutzenhiser

    Tim Loutzenhiser TrainBoard Supporter

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    Back in the mid 1970's I was a hardcore diesel fan. My dad would take me to Sycamore Hollow Hobbies in Fort Wayne, Indiana which was was owned by Dick Yager. Dick was a big NKP fan, and had some nice brass. He would always tell me that one day I would catch the steam bug, and would be hooked. He was pretty much right - I did catch the steam bug, and for a long time I was hooked. When I lived in Connecticut and Florida I didn't have a single diesel (well, in HO anyway).

    Well, as time went on, I did start to pick up interest in diesels again, particularly first generation. These days I have more diesels than steam in both HO and N. But I gotta admit there just is something about steam that just gets to you. This past summer I got to see SP 4449 as it traveled through Michigan and it was fantastic. I ran my C&O 2-8-4 at our HO club meeting this past Saturday, and I was running my N SP 4449 earlier today on my N layout. And tonight I'm going to put in one of my DVDs of B&O steam and diesels running together in the early and mid-1950's - the best of both worlds!
     
  8. Jon Grant

    Jon Grant TrainBoard Member

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    I have time for both.

    My layout Sweethome Chicago is set during the late 1930s, so is almost entirely steam. I am currently building another layout, Sweethome Alabama, which is set during the 1990s, so is entirely modern-ish diesel.

    I work/play on whatever takes my fancy that day.

    Jon
     
  9. SteveM76

    SteveM76 TrainBoard Member

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    I share your love of steam. If you see one Dash 9 you've seen them all!
     
  10. centralRR

    centralRR TrainBoard Member

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    I get my fill of diesels at the local club if I want to. But when I am running the yard, everything I can stick a steamer on, gets one! Yes diesel modeling and railfanning for that matter used to be quite interesting with all the different models, different railroads. Now its just the same stuff on almost every train, its rare to catch an EMD on most trains, espicaly on the NS and CSX lines we used to live by, most everything had GE widbodies on them. If and when I get to start a USA prototype layout here at home, it will be during the steam only era on the NKP in Kokomo Indiana, crossing of the IMC district and the Cloverleaf, plus the Pennsy had a main thru here from Chicago to Cincy. Here is my newest modeling project. Did some horse trading for a PFM/United USRA Light Mikado. Previous owner weighted it down nice and heavy, 1.5lbs for just the locomotive and replaced the incorrect PFM cab with a Mellor USRA cab with the correct rounded roof. I have all the detail parts on order to convert her to NKP 587 other than the pilot and the big tender. For now she will run with the USRA tender and the original PFM pilot. If anybody knows of a NKP style pilot as a brass detail part, please let me know. Mike
    [​IMG]
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  11. jeffrey-wimberly

    jeffrey-wimberly TrainBoard Member

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    I used to be a steamer nut but since my layout is set in the latter half of the 20th century and includes present day diesels are the rule, though I rarely run anything newer than the 80's. I still have 6 steamers, 2 of which I run sometimes pulling tourist trains.
     
  12. centralRR

    centralRR TrainBoard Member

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    Here is a group photo of the engines, 1 is missing as its off in Cali getting painted. Mike
    [​IMG]
     
  13. friscobob

    friscobob Staff Member

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    The modern-day diesel scene is why I stay in the 1970s and model the Frisco. The only steamer on my otherwise all-diesel roster is a Russian Decapod by Bachmann (the Spectrum line). On the diesel roster, the non-1970s exceptions consist of a GE 44-tonner, Also RS1, Alco/EMD RS2M, Alco FA1, and EMD E8.

    Were it not for the variety of leaser and rent-a-wreck color schemes, the modern diesel scene would really be boring.
     
  14. jeffrey-wimberly

    jeffrey-wimberly TrainBoard Member

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    Precisely the reason I freelance.
     

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