What 10 Engines would you keep? A realistic Question!

ken G Price Feb 14, 2014

  1. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    A hard decision but I have already reduced my collection by quite a bit so if I have to go with only ten wouldn't be too much of a hardship. I run my F units as sets of three or four so I count them as a single locomotive. Three 4 unit sets of Alco FAs, one each of Alco RS-1,2, and 3, and two F-7s and one E-7. One Challenger and one Kato Mike finish it off.
     
  2. Frank Campagna

    Frank Campagna TrainBoard Member

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    4 FA-1's for through freights (2 2unit sets.). 2 RS units for local freight. 1 RS unit for reserve power. 1 S-2 for the main yard. Two locomotives for connecting roads. If still running passenger service, only one locomotive for connecting road.
     
  3. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    John... I'm glad you brought this up.
    I have a hard time even playing along with these threads because I run in multiples of 3 or 4 locomotive lash-ups too.
    With such a reserved amount of locomotives there will not be enough to run more than 3 passenger trains.
    Since passenger service is the a main interest for me... particularly the California Zephyr... and I have all 5 of those sets.
    Since I have all of the motive power for the three railroads that headed the train... I'd have to make a decision whether to keep only one road with all their motive power... or select only ONE set from each road.

    So Here GOES... running out of the burning house with all five California Zephyr passenger sets and 10 locomotives:

    Kato - Alco PA1-PB1-PA1 D&RGW in the Aspen Leaf scheme
    Kato - Alco PA1-PB1-PA1 D&RGW in the 4 stripe Royal Gorge scheme
    Kato - EMD F3A-F3B-F3B Western Pacific Silver/Orange/Black scheme
    Kato - EMD E5A with the CB&Q Silver Streak Zephyr Set (might try to sneak the other two E5A too ;) )

    Whew... Now I gotta run back in to get everything else!!!! :wideeyes:
     
  4. Dave

    Dave Permanently dispatched

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    Calzephyr, I have to ask the question and no harm is intended. Do you have all five California Zephyr sets because you are a collector or do you run all of them? I am just wondering because, unless you can read the car names as they are going by, aren't all of the CZ sets the same cars with different names? Again, just wondering outloud.

    Thanks for playing along with the thread though. I like your taste in CB&Q Silver Streak set; I think Kato did a great job on the finish of that set. They sold three engines for that set but does the prototype run more than one loco at a time for that short train?
     
  5. Doug A.

    Doug A. TrainBoard Supporter

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    Not speaking for Calzephyr, but from my perspective having unique numbers (names) is most useful for photography, when our n-scale models look G-scale sometimes. Then, in pictures for all the world to see it is apparent if there are dupes.

    That may be a little over the top, but it's also about..."maybe you can't see it, but *I* know there are dupes and it bothers me". Or conversely, a little pride in the fact that all your cars and locomotives are unique. To each his/her own, right? And in most cases numbers/names can be read at standstill so....useful for operating sessions/switching if you're into that sort of thing.

    I'll admit to being so "diligent" (read: crazy, irrational, etc.) about it that I even have individual intermodal container/trailer numbers....you can't generally even see those in photos!
    :wideeyes::cool:
     
  6. longislandloco

    longislandloco TrainBoard Member

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    Great, I get to buy 4 more for my little LIRR layout, maybe 2 RS3's and 2 H16-44's.
     
  7. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well... actually...

    I have 7 California Zephyr sets... but... only 5 are with different road names. Let me explain...

    When Kato announced the California Zephyr back in 2003... most remembered (particularly me) that Kato was not one to run passenger consists very often. Once a run sold-out... you could grow very old waiting for a re-run. When the first run came out I acquired three sets of the CZ and all three sets of the F3 ABA locomotives. My intent was to re-name/re-number the two extra sets. At that time it was my intent to only have three 'running' sets with the matching motive power. Within about a year... Kato did the formerly 'unthinkable' and announced a second run of the CZ. Well... that was just fine with me because I had NOT re-named/re-numbered the first sets... though I did buy the Micro-Scale decal sets. Now I would have 4 sets of the CZ with unique names/numbers. The second set had an error on one of the cars... Silver Bridie... should have been Silver Bridle. Some discussion was made that Kato might re-run the set to correct the name... Instead... they announced a whole new 3rd set about a year later... UNFATHOMABLE... but now it appeared that Kato would end up running all 7 CZ sets (some say only 6 sets existed) because there were 77 Budd Corrugated passenger cars for the CZ.

    Well apparently Kato will make as many California Zephyr sets as they can sell... I expect another announcement any day now. :startled:

    I ran one of the CZ first run sets at the club layout on 'Open House' days for the public to see. None of the other set have been run. I didn't start out as a collector per-se... but... I pretty much am a collector whether I like it or not. I did want to have a good representation of the California Zephyr with motive power. Now I have 2 ABA sets of Kato PA' in two different schemes. I have lots of ABA sets of F3's in all three road names. I'd love to run everything... but... the reality is that unless I can make staging yards to hold five 7' long consists most of these are going to be sitting in a display waiting to be run... maybe.
     
  8. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    There was an HO model railroader in our club that had built over 100 Athearn tank cars... all of them were Hooker cars... and they had the same road numbers. To say he was in love with the Hookers... would have been an understatement. But then he decided that they all needed to have unique road numbers... not because you could read the road numbers... but because he knew that they all had the same numbers and it bothered him.

    BUT HE WAS NOT A COLLECTOR... he would run them all... at one point he had 105 cars running behind several diesels. He couldn't put any more because they were chasing the tail of the caboose around the layout.
     
  9. jtomstarr

    jtomstarr TrainBoard Member

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    In keeping with the theme... what about passenger cars and freight cars? Yes, this includes Cabooses.

    Tom
     
  10. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    To avoid confusion I'd encourage you to start a new thread and make the quantity one hundred. :) Just and idea.
     
  11. Dave

    Dave Permanently dispatched

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    Grey One....good idea. Start a thread with a 100 car limit for rolling stock. I actually have been working on my list and am only at 85.
     
  12. CarlH

    CarlH TrainBoard Member

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    Some of these are sentimental choices, not made purely on merit:
    1. Athearn Challenger
    2. Kato F3 A+B pair (CB&Q)
    3. Kato UP SD70 (sorry I am forgetting the details)
    4. Minitrix Santa Fe F9 (a sentimental choice, but a great engine for its day)
    5. Kato NW2
    6. Athearn MDC Consolidation
    7. Minitrix Penny K4 Pacific (another sentimental choice)
     
  13. ArtinCA

    ArtinCA TrainBoard Member

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    2 SW or MP engines
    4 CF-7's (got kits for those)
    4 SD9's

    That's about all a shortline would need. I could also swap out the Cadillacs for GP38/40's and that would be good also.
     
  14. Pacodutaco

    Pacodutaco TrainBoard Member

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    3 - Atlas GP-9
    2 - Atlas RS-11
    1 - Atlas RS-3
    2 - Atlas GP-35
    1 - Atlas GP-30
    1 - Altas SD-9

    I love these guys.
     

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