Why 30,40, 50?

Well, I'm quite honestly afraid to know what I have invested in mine or exa tly how many I actually have. I love locomotives, especially first and second generation diesels, and steam, so if something new comes out that catches my eye, and works with my particular railroad and area, I'm likely to grab one(or two. Thank god I have an understanding wife.

 

Ahhh geez, reading this thread just makes me want to buy more. Even now it occurs to me that I don't have any lease locomotives, and the Atlas GP38s in the GATX scheme are awfully tempting.

 

just in case :shade:

 

I too am a bit nutty, I try to rationalise every purchase, I agonise over quantities of units to order, even so, in 5 years, I am up to 105 locos. The problem is the manufactureres just keep on releasing great locos that I want.

I try to keep to a strict era & RR prototype 2000-2005 BNSF/UP, but I found myself buying a Great Northern GP9 the other day (for my museum train) & an IC GP40 (as patched run through power, but really because I love the paint scheme)

I even have a UP Challenger coming, 3985 could be seen on an excursion through my prototypes area!!, of course, the problem is I dont ave any UP pass equipment, oh no! here we go again.

Its really a bit obsessive.

 

If the question remains why so many of one loco. I'm actually way behind in my purchasing.

After it's final delivery in 1950, the CGW owned about 74 F-Units. This was there only over-the-road power until 1963 when they received 8 GP30's (c'mon Atlas, more numbers) and 9 SD40's in 1966. So for me I get basically three locos to choose from. This will no doubt cause me to have a lot of the same loco.



Jason

 

Sick, sick, sick, but sick in the right direction

A word of condolence and hope to those who have succumbed to the "crack" of excessive N scale purchases. One of the coolest thing about this hobby, in my humble opinion, is that the stuff we're buying can be resold -- and you might even turn a profit!

When I started planning my D&RGW layout, I was hoping to focus on the early transition era (1950-1954), and I bought quite a few locomotives and freight cars to support this. Later, I decided to move my focus to (1) 1963-1968 and (2) 1972-1975, both of which require different locos, or some of the old locos in different paint schemes, and a new generation of rolling stock. So I've put everything I didn't need on eBay. Although I think I'm still slightly in the red, I'd estimate that I've made back about 85% of what I initially spent, overall -- and we're talking about maybe $2500.

Looking at the numbers, my wife said, "Is there another hobby on the planet where you could get your money back like that?" I think so -- photography, for example. But N scale is pretty cool in this respect.

One important lesson here is that it makes sense to spend a bit more and buy good stuff with good resale value.

So that's it! The solution is to spend more!

(He is heard mumbling, 'want MORE SD40T-2s... want MORE...')

Your fellow crack-head,

Bryan

 

A lot will depend on the era and locale you wish to model. We may never get there and may never get the equipment to do it but everyone has to have a dream

For me to model the area (Vaughn, NM) I have three roads, ATSF, SP & RI.
But now that's UP & BNSF.
And SP means SSW as well.

To model the first time I was there (1972) will require plenty of F's, GP7s & 9s, 20s, 30s, 35s, SD24s, 40s, 45s, F&FP45s, Alco DL-600bs, GE U25s, 33s, 36s, 23s for ATSF alone. Almost every train that ran thru had 6-8 locos.
For SP it means Fs, GPs (9s, 20s, 30s, 35s) in almost any manner as well as lots of SD45s and some sd40s, GE: U25, U33, U36, U50.
RI needs all sorts of Fs, GPs (7s, 9s, 35s, 40s) in up to 5 different paint schemes and Alco FAs, GE: U25, U28, U30, U33.

BNSF currently runs about 60 trains a day thru there. UP runs about 20. And there are interchange trains in both directions that start on one and end on the other.

To run a typical 10:1 fast clock operating session that equals a 20 hour day and lots of trains that will run thru Vaughn.

Again, we may never get there and may never get the equipment to do it but everyone has to have a dream.

 

I keep telling myself that "this month I can run all SF, next month I can run all SP, then all BN, then maybe toss in a Rio Grande month.....":tb-biggrin:

-Mike

 

My modest collection of locomotives stand at 14..Plus 4 Atlas GP15s on order.I am satisified and don't think I will be buying any more after the GP15s.

 

Well i am a UP nut and western railroad fan and i may not get every type engine that the railroads had but i am having fun trying. I love watching big UP power going around my layout but i also like cab forwards and other western steam that have been built. I also like the massive turbines and diesels like the F3's, F7's and even the new SD70ace's. Now i know why i will continue to purchase locomotives now and in the future. It's just too much fun.

Dave

 

Well I have three lines to run, so two locos on each then two in the yard, and a few spares to switch out when needed..
Out of the spares I have two SD's & 1 GP and one Switcher
Got it all covered as far as I see it.
But some have much larger layouts and or like to collect Locos. Either way you choose it it's all good.
I did forget to mention that I have two trains that are up for display only. One a SD 70 ACe with ten cars, and a SD 80 Presidential with ten cars as well.

 

I realise this is a very old thread that's been resurrected, and still dont know what the title actually refers too, unless
However Bryan your consists for the RG would be classed as atypical- yes may have been seen but quite unlikely to be found regularly. Photographic evidence simply doesnt show it.

All F's were 4 unit 'locomotives' exc the last 6 F7's which were brought up to 4 units' by addition of F9B's. A 5th B unit was an occassional option, as that unit had to be taken from another set remember.
The CZ used both F3 sets by roster, FT or F7 sets and then PA (by 60's) relegated to backup use. The PAs were much more at home on locals (Yampa Valley Mail) and Prospector etc. Was a PB thrown in to replace an FB, sure. Note the F3 were also 4 unit sets.
Strangely the formula was continued even with the 'Road Engine' era as you say; 4x GP30s, GP9s etc and these groupings were frequently seen.

You were less likely to see homogenous 'sets' of GP30/35 in later period. Strangely you've missed the frequent 2-3 T2; 2-3 GP40 or SD45 plus an older Geep or SD tacked in there. In the later period different 'pairs' of Geep is more likely than a 4some (exc GP40 obviously- the workhorse since '66, like the SD45.)

And while the RGZ started with 4 units, it rapidly reduced to 3 plus the HEP car in the later years after wrecks and tonnage/ speed didnt warrant the extra horsepower.
regards,
dave:tb-frown:

 

Interesting subject! Can we see some photos?

 

I have 9 locomotives in the main roadname I'd like to focus on,Louisville & Nashville.


Of course modern CSX also gets my interest,so I'll probably start buying engines in that roadname as well so I can swap out when I feel like it. I think I have four CSX engines @tm(not counting a duplicate of one of them),one R.J. Corman locomotive,a Santa Fe unit,two Southern engines,and a couple others I got in a thing off ebay that I've been tempted to sell since I have no need for them and figure someone might be interested in working on 'em(they're older engines,some need work.)


My L&N Engine Roster:
#508 - GP9 - Atlas
#954 - ? - Atlas
#1300 - C420 - Atlas
#1301 - C420 - Atlas
#1609 - U25B - Atlas
#1611 - U25B - Atlas
#1624 - U25B - Atlas *
#4523 - SD35 - Atlas *
#5031 - ? - Atlas (it's a switcher,but the model escapes me this morning.)


*denotes Family Lines paint.


I'd like to increase my L&N fleet,but I haven't seen too many more L&N engines out there. One or two have decoders in them,and I'm still using DC.

 

This is confession time for me.......
Basically, I consider myself the ultimate equipment junkie with accumulation syndrome. Even back when I played competitive tennis, I took 7 identical rackets to each tournament.
I can take it back to my childhood, but my parents didn't deny me, and the only thing I remember are those "valley" times, when I couldn't afford zilch, and when I recovered, I spoiled myself.

I rationalize this equipment junkie thing by the one time I played a tournament with my new graphite racket, and my old aluminum Prince which caused tennis elbow. Midway through the final, my strings broke on my #1 racket, and with the Prince, I blew a big lead, and swore never again to short myself with substandard equipment. I know that memory lurks somewhere deep in my psyche.

As for Calzephyr, a long time friend of mine, I was there once at our swap meet when he decided to clean out his loco inventory, and I was his biggest customer. I still have everything I bought from him.

Right now, I have too many locos, too much rolling stock, too many passenger cars, way too many vehicles and structures, and enough scenic materials to do about 10 layouts. I have about 10 parts boxes, and about 20 unfinished loco projects.

I guess I have this serious.

Since retiring and space is requiring to be saved, I am a little more cautious, and now only buy one of every new loco that comes out, and carefully pick my rolling stock. I rarely buy new, except with new issues, and love to rehab broken locos and bring the dead ones back to life.

I do not subscribe to any other vices, and I just went through a clean out process, and only miss a couple of locos that I sold but shouldn't have.

Don't worry, I'll be all right.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

 

From the thread it seems to be divided two ways - one for practicality, one side for the pleasure of collecing.

For me it's not about accumulating lots of motive power. For me it's having a spread of motive power that allows me to accurately represent trains from the era I'm modelling with a realistic locomotive consist on point.

For the Santa Fe in the TX/NMR border, in the 50's this means A+B+B+A/B F-units on freight, E-units pulling feeder passenger trains, and zebra striped GP's on local freight, with the odd smattering of on-the-cusp-of-retirement steam power in the 2-10-2's in NM, Mikados and Northerns pulling the freights.

If I want to run an east/west fast, east/west through and an east/west local - that's already 4 F*A's, 12 F*B's and three or four GP7's. Of course I'm going to double them up a little bit, but this is on a layout that only has one town and one staging area - it adds up quick.