Northeast has some pretty cool engines (Bummer for me)

i think what you meant is that the northeast had many cool engines. The NYC Niagras are long gone, unlike the Big Boys and Challengers. The New York Central ran as far west as Indiana and Illinois, i don't think this is a stretch, particularly if your railroad is not set in a certain time period.

Personally I don't have a set time period for my layout, since it is a fictional place I can imagine that is a junction for a variety of railroads that come through town or have trackage rights, or that some steam locomotives were preserved and brought there that hadn't survived in real life.  Although I would like to set a future layout in the transition era, I might still have a separate area where anything goes. A lot of fun stuff out there. I have a lot of respect for any modeler though, that can be dedicated to a specific time period and place.

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

coach joe posted:

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

That is great news.  Just got off the phone with Pat at Pat's trains and ordered one.  I thought if necessary I could play "It's on exhibition".  Now that I can run it normally, what passenger cars set would be best for the gray engine.  All of my other steamers are black.  I liked this one in gray.  Heavyweight, ribbed or smooth?  I like passenger over freight.  It let's me imagine I am on the train and going somewhere.  When I see freight cars, I think of me unloading or loading them.  I think I prefer the dining car or the lounge car over work.

coach joe posted:

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

Yes - the NYC dieselized in the 50's East to West, and after it was all diesel (and some electric) east of Buffalo, steam was alive and well from there to St Louis and Cincinnati and the like, at least for a while longer. Even the P&LE Berks got a short reprieve out west.

The Central's core was indeed Line East, but it was the second largest RR in the country, and went many places - it filled the Midwest rather well. 

coach joe posted:

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

The PRR ran into Chicago as well, so if the OP wanted expand his choice of eastern roads, he could include any Pennsylvania equipment that struck his fancy.

Balshis posted:

coach joe posted:

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

The PRR ran into Chicago as well, so if the OP wanted expand his choice of eastern roads, he could include any Pennsylvania equipment that struck his fancy.

PRR has has some very cool engines also.  On my list for York is racks or shelving to put Engines, locomotives, passenger cars and rolling stock for display.  Layout is looking a little congested at this point.  Ross 4 way makes a great storage area for engines.  What was a yard is not the locomotive storage and maintenance area.  

My own railroad leases much of it's equipment from other roads: you can find a UP Challenger pulling a slow freight alongside a NH EP5 on a commuter run, while the B&O Capitol Limited speeds past our local station. 

Hey, why be logical? I'm having fun!

Here you go of some NYC rare shots from Kankakee,il. including rare photo of its roundhouse. Kankakee about 60 miles South of Chicago. NYC had lots of trackage in  Illinois

Bryant Dunivan 111417 posted

I like passenger over freight.  It let's me imagine I am on the train and going somewhere.  When I see freight cars, I think of me unloading or loading them.  I think I prefer the dining car or the lounge car over work.

If you're imagining, why not imagine yourself in the cab of the locomotive? 

Heres a link to Richard Leonards Steam Locomotive Archive. The 3rd photo is of NYC Niagara 6003 at Chicago's Englewood terminal taken in July 1954: https://www.railarchive.net/rlsteam/nyc.htm

Bryant Dunivan 111417 posted:

coach joe posted:

The NYC had lines into Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis a connection in any of those cities onto Rock Island RR gets that Niagra rolling right through Iowa!  Not a stretch at all!

That is great news.  Just got off the phone with Pat at Pat's trains and ordered one.  I thought if necessary I could play "It's on exhibition".  Now that I can run it normally, what passenger cars set would be best for the gray engine.  All of my other steamers are black.  I liked this one in gray.  Heavyweight, ribbed or smooth?  I like passenger over freight.  It let's me imagine I am on the train and going somewhere.  When I see freight cars, I think of me unloading or loading them.  I think I prefer the dining car or the lounge car over work.

you wont regret getting the Niagara!...when you watch those gigantic drivers dig in for the pull, it'll give you goose bumps.....real thing of beauty!....I have 2 MTH 1 lionel, 1 Williams, and my VL is on its way....let us know how you like it....glad to see the Central infiltrate your layout!

I've seen pictures of the Niagra pulling smooth side, gray on gray streamliners and I've seen pictures of them pulling heavyweights.  So whichever you prefer would work.

The locomotive is called the Niagara, not Niagra.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...York_Central_Niagara