So does anyone here who models in o scale limit themselves to certain railroads or within a certain number of locomotives such as say 9 steam and 6 diesels? This would probably go alongside any theme that a layout has I suppose.
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As my layout progresses and gets larger I am starting to limit my roadnames to only a few now, mainly the Reading Railroad(Reading Lines, Reading Company, and Reading & Northern) and parent company "the Philadelphia & Reading Railways & Mining Company.' Also a few Amtrak pieces.
I want to sell off the other roadnames as there are too many freight cars to keep track of, almost 100 freight cars and close to 45 passenger cars and 28 engines.
Lee Fritz
Sam
I try very hard, but it just don't work all the time.
BUT I'm still trying to stick to very specific road names when it comes to the new more expensive engines.
Larry
Yes.
At some point you have to for the sake of space and the train slush fund. I stick with ATSF and CNW, but have a few SP and UP items. As to rolling stock, I try to do the same, but also look to leased and company-owned rolling stock for modern equipment.
I personally want to limit it to the PRR, B&LE, NKP, and Erie in terms of steam. Diesel will be pretty similar.
I do with my transition era stuff. S.P. being the bulk of steam and diesel engines for both passenger and freight trains. I had to contain myself to only Santa Fe passenger engines and cars. Its' like Clint Eastwood said in Dirty Harry "A man has to know his limitations."
See the sig line. I further limit it to:
Scale
Lionel
Steam-era
Yes, yes, yes, strictly passenger trains.
My scale engines are all T&P. For variety I have different types of locomotives such as 2-8-0, 2-8-2, and 4-4-2.
Douglas
Yes, "local" engines only. That includes - Amtrak, B&O, C&O, Pennsy. Western Maryland is local but I don't currently have any WM engines but have in the past and likely will again someday. Somehow, an N&W Y6B 2-8-8-2 slipped in there also....
Rolling stock is whatever I like.
Yes.
That's true.
O Scale
Lionel
Steam-era
Freight
That said, I currently have NYC, UP, SF, C&O and NH. PRR, SP and N&W on the way.
I have tried over the years to limit the list to B&O, C&O / Chessie, PRR, NH, NYC, Lackawanna / Erie Lackawanna, and (of course) Lionel Lines.
I do however have a UP Challenger that is on permanent lease to my railroad.
Since the question is about personal limits, mine begin with LIONEL, but I'm flexible. If it looks good to me, chances are, I'll buy it. So, I break my own rules of "limits" on a regular basis.
When you model narrow gauge, you have to limit yourself as they hardly ever interchanged with other NG lines (with the exception of the D&GRW and the RGS).
I model only one RR for that reason. You'll see two road names on my layout, but that's because one RR had it's own identity even though it was under same ownership. After a while, almost all the smaller line's stuff got repainted and re-lettered. But it was really just the one railroad.
The RR I model only had three locomotives on the property at the time I model, but I have taken a 'alternate reality' stance to allow myself one of the two that actually were in Alaska on the WP&Y, to be on my layout instead...
Have to, for the sake of my bank account and rapidly dwindling storage space:
- Pennsy (steam, diesel, no electric exc. for Lioenl GG1)
- B&O
- N&W
- a touch of C&O
- a touch of Reading; would have more but no class K 2-10-2 out there.
Also, only PRR passenger rolling stock and therefore only freight locos for other RR's (except for the Reading Crusader)
Also, nothing after 1952.
ALWAYS BEEN LIMITED TO WESTINGHOUSE, EMD DEMONSTRATORS AND GEVO/ ECO-FRIENDLY ENGINES AND RELATED ROLLING STOCK.
YES • I like Detroit & Mackinac Railway along with Detroit Toledo Ironton & Soo Line. All in the:
2015 volume twoRailKing & Premier O-Gauge Trains Catalog.
Attachments
Yes. I try to stick with one road name, BNSF and all diesels (that's all my budget will allow). However, I have had a couple of slip ups. Still all diesels, but the railroad has had to lease a couple of engines from other roads due to increased business and shortage of motive power.
Boston& Maine,Conrail,BC and some fantasy roads.
Many modelers focus on one railroad or a few located close to each other. Personally, I stuck with the Pennsy and try to obtain models of equipment with correct numbers that ran on the Monongehela Division. the assigned numbers applies to locos mostly although once in awhile information on some assigned cabins surfaces.
the other thing is to focus on prototypical models rather generic models painted in a given scheme. Pennsy for example had unique cabooses (cabins) as I think most roads did. Santa Fe style cabooses painted for pennsy just look silly to me. Many of the PRR freight cars were also somewhat unique to the RR.
this is not limiting, it is rather focusing your collecting and model building to create a cohesive whole.
Hello
I found my self picking NYC over everything ,do not know why.
Seems to be more trains made that way than others ?
Growing up in south Jersey ?
Like the paint jobs ?
Always some for sale ?
Really was just luck of the draw , do like all kinds of RR lines paint jobs.
I will run what catches the eye ,the more colorful the better and if I do not like and the price is right
There's always the paint shop for a repaint !
Paint it semi/flat black and put PC letters on it or blue and Conrail it
Union Pacific steam only.
Great Northern, Burlington Northern, Amtrak, anything that really has or does roll through Marias Pass in the Montana mountains.
B&O, Chessie System B&O, CSX, Amtrak in O scale. No C&O or WM. In G scale, no limits.
Rick
Western Maryland and B&O - steam only.
My goal was to limit myself to modeling the PRR in 1949. However, I couldn't do it because I have a few items that I really like that were not on the Pennsy's roster that year. These include an HH1, or Y3, that was gone in 1948. A N8 caboose in its initial paint scheme that didn't arrive on the Pennsy until Jan 1950. A couple of REA reefers with the red logo that wasn't used until the mid-50s. And I'm looking for a Q1 which was gone by 1946, but I just want it. Other than that, I've done pretty good at staying focused.
Yes.
I grew up in the early 70's and used to see Reading trains a couple of times a day roll through the village I lived in. Last 22 years have lived near a former B&O line. Thus, I model both the Reading and the B&O.
I also have a set of modern CSX locomotives as this is what I currently see and am getting a set of NS locomotives.
I have limited the number of trains to what will fit on the layout (including the turntable area and all my sidings.)
Jim
Not especially. The budget does allow some neat stuff, but when a mega-sale hits, I'll jump on it.
I'm mostly UP (VL BB and others), Pennsy (VL Centipedes and conventionals), and other such major names (because that's what's out there for sale.)
But I picked up a LionMaster Conrail SD-80 from a forum member that is super great, a, C&O K Line Challenger from another forum member that is also cool, a Legacy GMO GP-35 from TrainWorld at a literal song, and other such deals as that. Have a Williams Southern Mikado too, so I guess I'm all over the map. And all the usual Lionel and K Line Conventional RTR stuff too. Err, and a bit of RMT Beefs and baby passenger cars.
Heck, I'm all over the place!
You just never know what you might run across that unique and interesting, and if the price is right, even better. There was a time when I was Craigslisting in the Austin area like a fiend, and grabbing whatever was interesting at that time. (phase that passed )
My layout is slowly becoming Average Rural America (which means anywhere from 50s-present) and so the buildings and trains reflect that. I do try to match up road names as best I can when running all three loops, but it's more of a "is it a steam day or a diesel day?" kind of thing that tells me what to run. But, the buildings too are all over. Woodland Scenics, Lionelville, Plasticville and Menards too.
It's what happens when you've only been back into the hobby for a few years.
Ya get whatcha get!
And yes, I'm super-pleased with all of it!
.
At one time, NO, there were no "limits". If I liked it I bought it...but things got out of control. Today? Definitely YES for locomotives...and sort of/kind of ok, not really for freight cars!
It is interesting you bring this up. It has been on my mind lately. I started out modeling Lionel Lines. What else was there??? As I progressed into a larger layout and the equipment offered was so superb I started modeling the Santa Fe and UP. I do not collect trains. I operate trains. So, all of my equipment is for a specific purpose. My Passenger cars are all Santa Fe and my freight equipment is relative to the vignettes on my layout. They just happened to be pulled by UP because I fell in love with the SD70Ace Heritage series and GP7s'. Beautiful, forgiving engines that have been pulling freight on my road for the last 6-7 years.
New things happened when I was able to acquire a beautiful K-Line set of Reading F3s and 18 inch passenger cars. I live in Rhode Island and have been attempting to acquire Providence and Worcester equipment - that's a challenge!! My Daughter lives in NJ and I go their frequently so it would be pretty easy to build my route with some NY and Jersey liveries. And the P&W provides interconnect service with NJ & NY.
About 1/2 of my railroad has been built up with my scenery efforts. I modeled Boston on the East side and wouldn't it be nice to model the other side of the layout with a Jersey/NY scene and then I could host the Reading, Amtrak and the Providence and Worcester.
I just don't know how I am ever going to put the Santa Fe equipment away...
I try to collect eastern roads, especially the ones I see here in Pittsburgh. For example, CSX, NS, P&LE, and Chessie System. Somehow, UP and Santa Fe engines have made it in to my collection...
Lionel Lines
I run Lionel 60%,MTH 40% operate SP Steam and Diesel through the 50s,same for UP,Santa Fe and Western Pacific.
Mikey
The last layout we had the motor power was Pennsy. Mostly diesels too.
Yes
Not limit, but I focus on only a few RRs, Union Pacific, Santa Fe mostly and D&RG a bit. But I will get any loco built by any RR if I like it, even if it was overseas. I usually re-paint and all the loco to be UP or ATSF though - for example I have a N&W J done up in UP greyhound livery.
As to limiting the number of locos I have . . . who would want to do that? The best loco I own is always the next one I buy!