Are You a Steam or Diesel Person?

What is a Diesel or an Electric?

Honestly, if it has steel wheels and runs on steel rails, I love it!

But having to choose motive power, I'm partial to electrics, specifically the GG1.

All diesels for me, except for one steam shelf queen.

I love the BNSF AC4400CW!

I love them all!

 I grew up seeing the last steamers but I love the sound of a diesel a lot more. It's the internal combustion like a hot rod or hot bike. SD 45's and tunnel motors climbing Tehachapi on a summer evening( while their gyra lights paint arcs on the hills ) were probably the sweetest sounding railroading ever....DaveB  

Steam is nostalgia, diesel is reality. Both fun to watch. Never saw one run but love the pictures of the big,boxy electrics that ran under the wires in the NE and West.

Steam! Although I do have and operate a couple diesels.

While I prefer the sight and sounds of steam locomotives and the nostalgia they bring, I model a few specific short / tourist lines as well as Polar Express and since all of them have both steam and diesel in their liveries, I have both steam and diesel in my collections, but, as said, I prefer running steam.

For me, modern day diesel and electric motive is boring in appeance and sound, just not personally appealing. 

Both.

Hardcore N&W Steam.

Borden Tunnel,

   Your picture of the Brunswick Green 4504 GG1 One Striper coming out of the tunnels is just fantastic, man what a real picture to have taken, a real Framer of the Great old Engine, when it was in perfect condition.

Thanks for posting it!

PCRR/Dave

I have no real preference, I love all of the ones I have

98% Modern Diesel...with a Jersey Central Blue Comet and a Lionel VL Big Boy thrown in for fun...it was just too hard to pass up that big boy!

     I am not into the early steam but I like the later steam before diesel started taking over. I like early diesel and not so much the new diesel. Choo Choo Kenny

Yes

Love 'um both!

Peter

Thanks, a friend has shared his collection of GG1 photos with me. He took quite a few photos in the late 1970s-early 80s, and has collected many more!

Steam.  Granted there's nothing like a long streamliner pulled by some F3s, but everything else, give me steam.  a diesel train just rolls along; with steam, you've got smoke and lots of moving parts.  Watching the linkages on the drive wheels has always been mesmerizing to me.  Steam has character and you can feel the awesome power.  Nothing like that first big chuff when a steam loco takes off.

I 'd like to think a little of both. I do prefer 1st or second generation diesels so I can tie my steam engines to the time period I model.

I like late steam and early diesel, so my steam and diesel likes go together perfectly.  My layout "era" is 1949, near the middle of the steam to diesel transition period.  Perfect for my PRR duplexes, E7s and passenger sharks.

Oops.  Just notice this was on the Real Trains forum.  Got to watch that better when I select a topic from the side bar.

If I'm going to watch some trains, they will be steam.  I also like pictures of big steam, like Kazar's above.

I like them both and have many of each. However, that being said, I lean towards steam. There is so much more action going on with a steam loco vs diesel/electric. 

Yes:  If it runs on rails, I'm apt to be interested in it.  Born just a bit too late to witness steam in action, I have always had as favorites the streamlined E and F series from EMD.  Although ATSF is my favorite, almost any scheme looks good on them, IMHO.  

When I came into this world the first generation diesels were still around.The gp7 and 9 gp40-2 a few years later the biger locomotives started showing up.Like the sd45 and sd40-2 ge locomotives to.But while watching an old movie from the 1940s.They would show a steam locomotive moving at a good speed.Some times you would see a well know actor on the locomotive.Later on I found out that the steamers I liked was called late or modern.I just like steam seeing the sid rods moving the sounds.If I get another diesel it will be ft.  

Hardcore steam. 

over 150 steam and 1 diesel here

probably 60% new diesel and 40% Steam but when I get my NYC Streamlined J3a and if I am lucky to the the 115 Anniversary Steamer then it gets closer to 50 50.

I have a lot of steam, diesels an electric. Love them all, including  my subway cars!

Being a toy train layout.....

     I like both.

• Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway.

Steam!

Both, steam and first generation diesel.

Steam for me. That's why I can't wait for rare steam excursions to come near me, such as the upcoming Bethlehem-Pittston 765 trips. I live just a few miles west of Allentown. I like the chuff sound that steam makes, as well as the whistle sound. But, some diesel horns aren't bad. I'll ride a diesel excursion if I have to or if it's a rare mileage trip.

That's pretty much how I feel.

I'm more interested in steam, no question, but I like chasing and photographing modern trains, so that of course means diesels.

Not sure why, but I've always had a soft spot for electrics, too. I live somewhat near the end of the long-removed electrification for the Milwaukee Road in WA state (I was alive when it was still running as a kid but didn't move to the area until I was in my late 20s) so I like the juice jacks.

Generally, I like mostly steam on narrow gauge tracks:

Personally, I am a fan of both types of locomotives. On the steam side, I lean towards the big articulated locomotives (Challenger, Big Boy, AC-9/AC-12 SP Cab Forwards, as well as the Hudsons) and on the Diesel side I lean towards the early GP units (GP7/GP9), the UP GTEL Turbine units (especially the 3rd generation "Big Blow" units), all F-Units, all E-Units, and the SD7/9/SD40T units.

Steam or Diesel?

Yes.

Both, with an overwhelming majority, 96% diesel.

Don't have them yet, but when I get my Atlas A-B-B-B-A F7's (November) I will have 24 diesels and 1 steam.

Will be selling some (MTH F3's A-B-B-A both passenger and freight) in the next 90 days at a very reasonable price.

If you are interested in them now email me and I will send pictures and asking price.

I do Live Steam, so I like to run Steam engines, I collect both diesel and steam. I like the steam as prototypes more than diesels, Just the roaring thunder of the steam engine heading down the line, I have had the honor of seeing 3751 going down the San Diego-Los Angeles corridor, been in the cab and got to blow the whistle. Seen 4014 at the Pomona Fairgrounds and chased it from Colton to Barstow.

I only have steam locos but I do like diesels. 

These F units would be high on my list if I decided to collect them:

Santa Fe freight blue/yellow; GM&O; Milwaukee Road and CNW

These G9 units appeal to me among others.

PRR; Zebra Santa Fe; CNW

There are of course other diesels I like but too long a list.

Yes.  

Really both,  grew up in the early diesel period in the 1960's but how can any train head not develop a passion for steam engines.   I think I have more steam than diesel but plenty of both and plenty of both are run on my railroad

I have not yet seen the words "stiesel" or "stelectric" show up yet, so I'm throwing them in.............

steam without question..mainly anything with a Belpaire firebox and red keystone on the front.