Do you mix-up your "lash-up"?

You've presented a great variety there.  My favorite is to run an ALCo FA with a BL2. 

TrainsRMe...Great idea. Any photos to share?

Thanks.

Walter M. Matuch

Heck yes. The Milwaukee stuck anything that would run on a train. This shot has a Trainmaster, Alco and Baldwin doing the work. Many times I ran a electric "Joe" with GP-9s the road called Spnicks. Don

I agree, while I rarely put the sleek F units with the modern diesels, I do mix up diesel units.  I even mix up road names!  

I was told by an NYC expert, that they did not mix mfg in lashups until after they locos went through their first major overhaul.  At that point the MU hookups were standardized.   This was usually about 15 years into the life.   Also as built, none of the covered wagons (F3, F7, Alco Fa etc) had MU recepticles on the nose.   At least I was told that and it is true of Pennsy which I researched.    Again after the first major overhaul, they got those also.   

What it means is that most or all RRs did not do much mixing, at least across brands in the later 40s to sometime into the late 50s or early 60s.   After that they did it a lot.

As for roadnames, there was not nearly as much run-through power in the old days - 40s-60s as there is today.   There were some special instances such as the shared train that the PRR and NYC ran from Elmira NY to someplace.   It ran with NYC power one week, and PRR the next.    There are probably other examples where RRs might have mixed power in those days too, but I think they are rare. 

Today on the other hand there is a whole lot of it.

With the Penn Central it was typical to find "A dog from every town" in the consist.  I often run MU consist with several manufacturers represented.  Here is a grain train with an EMD F-3 on the point, followed by an Alco RS-27 and an EMD GP-40 on the rear.  Once I get my U-23-B, I can represent the "Big 3".

Tom

fun thread!  

although i would never do this.

I was under the impression that coupling all of the same kind was a "brace" and a coupling a variety together was called a "lash-up". 

During the early diesel era, railroad seldom mixed manufactures. Later they mixed manufactures and models almost indiscriminately, except for Baldwins. Baldwin locomotives had an oddball MU system that was incompatible with any other manufacture.
Early Lionel Odyssey engines don’t play well with others so I usually run them with MTH dummies. I particularly like running newer locos with older models from a different manufacture. With sound units, I like to MU an EMD with its 2 cycle high revving prime movers with an Alco or GE with its slow revving 4-stroke prime mover. It creates an unusual tone.  

My son and I ran a 4-6-6-4  GG1  and A-B-A E8/9 as a lash-up  only have pics of it on VHS tape .Was  quite a site ..

I run a CSX SD70ACe with a Steelers 2-8-0. Both are MTH. Ocassionally, I get my train club's SW9 and run that too.

Absolutely.  I see mixed "lashups" in real life all the time.  The more variety the merrier.  This is an old video from the layout I had to take down .

Ben

Here's an unusual consist brought to you by yours truly at Perth Amboy on July 15, 1982:

Bob

A couple of Atlas Alco C630's, a Weaver U25B, Atlas RS-1, and (2) Atlas GE wide body Dash 8 40 BW's.  All units are powered.  Lionel Cab1/Command Base Consist.  All units have EOB electronics.  Click on the last image to access a (5) engine consist.  All Atlas.

The second clip was of an AVR train outside our club in Venitia, PA. The odd unit is at the end of the train.

I like it when steam has to give an assist to diesel in a lashup - like when Rail King Santa Fe Northern no. 2927 has to help out E-6s with a 13 car "Texas Chief"!

Hey Walt! What kind of rope do you use when you lash those engines together?

Remember...don't "lash up" to the hand rails. They bend.  

Walter - Thanks, sorry, but I'm not in the photo business at present:  Had to replace the computer and didn't notice that the new one doesn't have a slot for the camera's flash card.

Rich...I know from first hand experience that handrails do bend! After startup of CR in 1976, was called as Conductor for an extra turnjob to run lite from Dover to Pburg, NJ for our train. Had a trio (is that word ok?) of SD-45s...2 ex-RDG and 1 ex-EL. Even though the ex-RDGs were dual controls, the engineer wanted short hood forward for the trip over dark territory to Pburg. So we ran around the RDG + EL pair with the other RDG unit. New brakeman forgot to unhook the safety chains on walkway between the EL and RDG units...pulled the entire front grabrails off the RDG unit! After a bit, he noticed the sparks from the dangling handrails too! Wrote it up as bent handrails on inspection report and never heard anything about it later.

By the way we did have to get some rope at a local True Value to 'lash-up' the handrails anyway.

Here is the RDG unit WITH handrails.

Walter M. Matuch

I once MU'ed a Conrail SD70 with a CSX SD70 and ran them in command.

What's so unusual about that you say? They're not even different locomotives you say?

The Conrail was a Lionel, the CSX was MTH.

TMCC and DCS. MU'ed in command. And pulled a train without giving either unit agita.

I may repeat the stunt one day, just to film it for YouTube.

---PCJ 

Baldwins had a unique pneumatic MU hookup, other locos were electric for MU engine controls.

Union Pacific sometimes ran sets of DD40 - SD40 - DD40. The SD40 would be an 8000-series SD40-2 with higher gear ratio like the DD40's so they could cruise at 70mph or a little better. Apparently it was just the right HP combo for many of the long-haul hotshots. Some railfans called this consist a "Big Mac".

Not my photo.

I often run an Ohio Central GP38 behind an EMD SD70M-2 Demo unit.

My favorite is this excursion train that is a Cab-Forward with a C-420 diesel backing it up.  They are pulling stainless Lionel Lines passenger cars.