Exclusively Freight vs Passenger railroads

I have a small single track layout (60' in a single loop) plus a small siding as a shelf layout in our kitchen/dining area  Despite that I have 18 locomotives from 6 railroads that represent 1920's steam to modern diesel, passenger car sets for 3 railroads (B&M, UP, PRR), 17 ore cars and 20 freight cars.

Given what I have to run this mix on, it would be easy to pick one and give upt the rest.

My mood changes daily on what to run.  So I break out what I want, and enjoy the fact that I have them.  I thought once about selling off some of them, but quickly realized that would be a mistake.

I hope someday to be able to build a full-szed layout in the basement.  Even then everything willnot have a place on the rails.  But they will still run.  When the mood suits me.

I run both but like you, when I run passenger trains, I run a named train only.

Freight, usually all-reefer ATSF or UP trains , and/or train made up of 70-ton ore cars, again, or a mixed bag of freight rolling stock, always with steam locos.

I also love to run named passenger train, although I have only four:

- UP City of LA (A-B-A Legacy E set w eight MTH 18" cars.  

- ATSF A-B-B-A Lionel set with twelve aluminum 15" cars.

- B&O Capital Limited with A-B-A Legacy Shark set and seven cars.

- NYC 20th Century limited with Premier Dreyfus Hudson and just four 18" cars for now.

Mike,

Take time to seriously think about your interest in the hobby and how you enjoy running your layout. Getting other hobbyist's opinion's may influence your decision to run the layout for your own best enjoyment. With that said, I see no point in holding on to equipment that does not meet your mode of operation, time period, etc. May as well turn those useless dollars into useful dollars and get more of what is appropriate to your railroad.

Instead of focusing on freight or passenger service, I opted to focus on two primary railroads (Reading and B&O).  Since both operated freight and passenger service, I have both represented on my layout.  I also keep about 90% of all my equipment on the layout, that way I can still enjoy the equipment, even when it is not being operated.

Jim

I like rattler's idea - see how you feel w/out them for awhile. Sometimes going without can give one a greater appreciation for what they have.  You may discover how much you really do like that equipment, or, you may decide that you might as well sell it off.

Make up a couple of your best looking freight trains and mount them for display on wall shelves. You can leave them there for a while, run them, sell them, or just leave them be.

Personally, and do not let the preferences of others sway you, it is YOUR RR, I like a mix of train types on my layout. The contrast between freight and passenger consists brings out the esthetics of both.

Others offer good advice here, I like the pack up and wait awhile idea. I don't really like making hasty decisions without further thought.  I have almost just the opposite of what you do, all freight. I do really want some passenger trains someday. They are on the want list, that is if I ever get the freight want list under control.

Sounds like most people run both. Maybe I will keep the freight I really like and pack it away. Sell the rest and see what happens in a year. I think the last time i ran a freight was last year sometime. A coal drag. After all variety should be a good thing. Still something has to go. I have set a limit and it will be followed one way or another. 

We did it and never looked back. Sold off all (well kept a couple of engines like the Triplex) freight related equipment and now operate strictly passenger service. Very HAPPY with this decision.

I like to run both.  I like to flip flop depending on my mood.

Some railroads started out in the freight business and then got into passenger service.

Now a days passenger service is very limited as railroads focus on income and not passenger service. Even Amtrak would go under if the federal government didn't keep it going.

I am trying to focus on the Reading railroad as there are three companies that could be represented by different time frames. The first being the Philadelphia & Reading Railway & Mining Company, the second being Reading Lines(the freight division), the third Reading Company(the passenger service for Reading RR). I might even throw in a fourth RR, Reading & Northern a regional RR that's now over 26 years old.

The Reading Company had two trains that became somewhat famous in the PA & NJ area; the Reading Crusader and the King Coal.

Lee Fritz

Well, if you are running toy trains, you can just have what you want, and run that

exclusively...what real railroads ran or run is irrelevant.  If you are operating a model

railroad, and the time frame you are interested in saw a mix of frieght and passenger,

then..you run a mix of freight a passenger.  I like the idea of passenger trains having

priority, and forcing freights to wait in sidings.  Just the one kind of train sounds boring, and hard to connect to reality.  Since mine runs a lot of mixed trains, as well as passenger and freight trains, the variety keeps me awake.

We're buying more passenger trains than freight service. Being limited in space the illumination from passenger cars make the display more interesting. I'm not sure but operating accessories seem more available for freight service and take up a lot of real estate I prefer be used for track. I like sitting back and watching the trains run especially at night. So right now we've got six passenger trains and three freights operating on a 8 x 5 display. At night it's hard to notice the freight trains.

Mikemike:

No opinion to offer here.  With that said, here is how I think about this post.  I thoroughly enjoyed searching, and ultimately purchasing each train I own.  Whether freight or passenger, there is a reason I bought them.  Wit twenty five or so complete trains, I surely am not able to run them all at once.  But, if the mood strikes me, I can take one out of it's storage place and run it whenever I choose.  

We buy things we like.  So, I have chosen to keep all my trains, and run them all periodically.  Also, when family comes over, they get to see a new train when I change one or more out with stored ones.  Once you have given up the cash for something you  desire, unless you become completely disillusioned with your purchase, keep it.  At some point, you will take it out again, remember your past excitement about it, and begin to enjoy it all over again. 

I think, in your mind, you already know this.   Bob S.

The Panhandle has (or will have) its occasional passenger train, e.g. The Trailblazer or The Spirit of St. Louis.  But primarily, we make steel around here, with its associated mineral trains, covered coil gondolas, slag cars, and empties.

So yeah, we happily run both!

George

I love watching passenger trains rush past, especially the streamliners.  However, I find freight provides a little more interactive operation.  Granted I am probably biased since I run lionel postwar and postwar type trains, so I have fun accessories to load and unload freight.  I also enjoy having a switch yard and assembling mixed freight trains.

I do like the idea of packing up your freight cars and seeing if you have the desire to put them back on your layout.  If you find you don't miss them after a few months, go ahead and sell them.

I used to only run freight trains as passenger trains were boring to me when I first started in the hobby.   Over the years, after learning the history of many of the named trains, my views changed to where I now run both.   

--Greg