Ordering of rolling stock

I build trains. Passenger locos with matching cars. .Freight locos with typical cars of the era. I don't like seeing a PRR 4-8-2 pulling intermodal  and 80 ft hy-cubes.  I like to find footage or photos of real trains of the era and try and match with models. So I have some 1900's era cars, 1940's era and 1970's era and of late I built some current freight cars. So I have them all....but match them to the correct loco.

I build trains, too.  In my case, I am more interested in appearance than operating capability or prototypical accuracy.  Do I like the individual cars?  Do they look good?  Do they they look good with the locos I run?  Do they look good together?  I am partial to scale reefers (about 40-50 PFE and Map Slogan) and flatcars - not sure why - and considering added some gondolas now.

Heaviest cars follow the tender, lighter cars lead the caboose.  If not you can tilt your train on one rail while rounding 031 curves.

While I realize a freight train in the '50's was apt to have cars from railroads across the country, when I build trains I give them a regional flavor.  For example, this past week I have been running a B&M freight on one of my lines.  Included in the train are New Haven, Central Vermont, Maine Central, Bangor and Aroostock and, of course, Boston & Maine rolling stock.

Curt

I heavily emphasize regional railroads with connections to the area and time I model.

This includes some cars from large railroads, CB&Q, ATSF, MoPac, that served much

of the country.  I avoid modern cars and locomotives and other "out of the area"

rolling stock. 

My trains started out random, however, I like to build trains that are more like unit trains.  I have a reefer train now and a stack train.  I then pick cars that look good with this theme.  For instance, my reefer is mainly BNSF cars.  My stack train is not as specific, I simply pick color and names I like and add them.

 

My next project is a sawmill with lumber storage and I have started looking for cars to fit the theme.

 

I still run random trains and will add a tank car or high cube to my stack train.  I see actual trains that many times will have an odd car near the end.

 

David56

I use a road engine to run around the layout and then drop off the cars to represent a train dropped off for delivery.

 

Then I use my switcher to put them in order for delivery, along with a caboose, next I hook up the engine I want to use for my local and go to work.

 

That way it gives purpose to 3 of my engines, the layout, and why the RR exists

I try to put together what looks good to me or I put together a hopper consist with coal cars. Passenger trains I try to keep the same roadname together, like Santa Fe.

Another thing that I like to do at times is to put together a train having a steam engine and some freight cars from different years, like a Reading Lines T-1 with Reading quad hoppers and some Reading & Northern quad hoppers and a Philadelphia & Reading woodside caboose.

 

Lee Fritz

I try to keep road names together, color schemes together,  My exceptions are my two auto carrier trains, and my truck carrier train.  There, I use whatever inexpensive transport cars I can find that I can attach my 1/43 cars and trucks to. 

I am among those who research and stick to common interchange traffic for the railroads and eras, except behind Lionel Lines locomotives for which the criteria changes to catalog offerings.  No imagination, huh?