Too Many Engines?

At one point I think I had more locomotives than cars to pull, but that has been over come, slightly.  I run for the fun of it being I currently only have a FasTrack carpet loop.  I just cycled through my locomotives.  I set an order, and ran one a day.  I had 6 out at one time, so they each got run once ever 6 days.  Once I have a layout, I hope to keep them all on the track, not to all run at once, but like you, each for different trains that I mix it up and run along the main.  I'm design my layout with a double main on the 1st level, with switching operations, and at least a single main on the 2nd level to run my scale equipment on.  I hope to have at least 2 trains, maybe 3 going around the room on the mains, and one train doing "local" deliveries and switching.

Seems like a good problem to have.

Basically doing the same thing on my layout, too many locos and not enough track.

I try to rotate all of the engines, even the ones in storage, to give them some playtime on the layout.  I tend to keep the same 2 steamers and diesels running throughout the year as those seem to be my favorites. 

One issue that I have recently discovered is some of my early PS2 engines seem to lose their charge if not run frequently enough.

I may look to downsize later this year as I have at least 3 engines that are NIB that have never been run, and several others that just can't seem to make their way to the starting lineup.

Lets see I have 35 engines. They are a mix of conventional and DCS, TMCC. I can run three trains at a time on the layout with comfort. So do I need that many, heck no. Are they a financial burden, no it took 30 years to get to this number. Do some set for a year or more?  They certainly do.

Would I sell any? probably not since part of the fun is having them when I want to use them.

I like my numbers though I do limit buying only one new engine a year so I have to make a good choice.

No right or wrong answer just what works for you. The only thing I ever regret was selling some Lionel Alcos a few years back, I wish I had them back.

The only pain is making sure those with batteries stay charged and doing the complete lube on all them. Even just checking all them is work but still fun work.

I do run them all though it might take a while or years.

The fun thing about this hobby is nothing is wrong the hard part is keeping all of these in running shape, I have one engine that is dead and another in need of help.

Paul:  I probably do have too many engines, or for that matter, too many cars, too.  But I try to run each engine, perhaps once a year or so.  Some I have found, I just left sitting for several years.  Not good, batteries go dead, lubricants become jellied and stiff, other mysterious maladies appear. 

I do note and appreciate that you have a "theme" in choosing your engines:  1960, or so, on the Milwaukee Road.  I'm a bit older than you, I suspect, so I have chosen an earlier era, 1950.  That way I can justify steam engines, which I dearly love, plus first generation diesels.  As it turns out, the steamers get much more exercise than the diesels, which is what I would expect to happen.  I also am a fan of the electrics that ran on the Milwaukee, out west, and so I have a smattering of electrics, too.  I'm working on building some overhead catenary for the electrics but I will admit to not making a great deal of progress.

Amidst this fervor for Milwaukee Road trains, I also harbor a love for Chicago and Northwestern trains of the same era.  I grew up in Milwaukee, not far from Butler where the C&NW had a major yard and division point.  Then I lived in Fond du Lac where both railroads, plus the Soo Line had a presence.  So I probably have another 15 C&NW engines plus passenger consists, a few cabooses and some work equipment.  As far as running these engines regularly, they normally sit on storage tracks below the main level of the table.  They get dusty down there and, again, once a year or so, I get them out, dust them off, charge their batteries and give them a run. 

Too many engines?  Well, please don't ask my wife that question;  she'd give you an affirmative answer right away!

Paul Fischer

Can't have too many!  I enjoy the newness and variety of switching out engines once a week.  Kind of gives you something new to look forward to.  It's fun seeing the different contrasting road names you end up with.  I have 4 small independent loops on my 8 x 12, and if I kept it confined to the 4 engines, things would get boring pretty fast.

- Mike

You can't be too rich, too thin, have too many engines, or too big of a layout (or too much power)!  Unfortunately, I can't even come close to meeting any of that criteria. 

Actually I think it would be nice to be able to have them all on your layout. Maybe not all running at the same time, but at least on a siding or in a yard. I may soon have the same problem, but I don't want to get rid of any, still wanting to add more. Some sort of shelves are coming I guess, with rotating them on the layout. I think it would become boring only having 2 engines and the same consists all the time.

We recently moved and I have a little more room now, but no layout yet. I have been reading about RR operations and hope to add that to the new layout, probably not too complex as I don't understand it all yet (still a bit new to all this).

Before moving, I had a small layout on a temporary plywood table with 2 mains, not connected and ran 1 train on each track, rotating the engines and rolling stock every so often. We had no switches or operation capability, but I had a few different car loads and my grandson loved to load and unload that stuff. He would just pull a truck up to the tracks and that was the freight station. Going to try for a little more operational realism this time.

Lets see:

3 Galloping Geese (1 PS3), 2 docksiders (1 TMCC), PS2 Big Boy, PS3 Northern, PS2 4-6-0, PS2 Coors Light Silver Bullet Set (Expanded), a couple conventional Steamers, a Pair of K-Line Santa Fe Warbonnets, and 2 more on order...

Layout had active sidings for 5 at a time. PS2 / 3 Stayed on the layout, others rotated or were used on Christmas layouts.

Others got run time if children visited and wanted to see them run. (They like the Docksiders whistle)

New Layout will have more on track storage. PS-1 Galloping Geese are getting TMCC upgrades (keeping the AWESOME sounds) so I can run them more.

I say as long as the bills are paid, I'll keep getting new Items to add to the Layout.

Hi Paul, have not seen you post for awhile. I think there is no such thing as too many engines. Most of us buy what we like, and if they don't get regular run time, that is OK too. The issue is the manufacturers keep coming out with new equipment that is a must have in the collection. Do we slow down when we have several engines, sure, but the "must haves" keep coming up.

For me in a full run session, I can run eight passenger trains simultaneously without them getting in the way with each other. There can also be activity at the roundhouse/turntable area and the sidings. Certainly enough to keep you busy.

Too many engines...

For my small layout, that's very true. It is L&N specific, mid-50's, with a pair of GP9's as the most modern motive power. A Rs11, ALCO S-2, and a Yard Goat. It would be difficult to have all five on the layout at one time.

Though I do display (only) two locomotives.

I have six locomotives that will never run, as I see it now. So, I suppose that, be that thought, I have 6 too many engines.

An interesting question.  Some time back there was a discussion or editorial about setting limits or defining interests.  That discussion struck a chord with me.  I have been slowly shedding stuff since them.  That doesn't mean the folks that buy every new loco offered are wrong and I expect that running the same stuff over and over will get boring.  I plan on setting limits.  There are one or two items I would like to have and about 8 I currently own that need to find new homes.  I have settled on a region, a road name and a time period.  My goal now is to learn to improve scenic techniques so that it looks good.  Before it was all about the trains, now it is all about the stage.

Hi,  I model the New Haven.   One of the most famous New Haven engines is the EP-5 electric.  I started purchasing EP-5s whenever I could when I got into O 3-rail about 10 years ago.  I realized that I had too many engines when my EP-5 fleet reached five.

The New Haven Railroad only had 10 EP-5s in its fleet.  I can't operate anywhere near the number of trains that the New Haven did.  One EP-5 would handle all of my layout's electric passenger duties.

My dilemma increased when MTH reissued the EP-5 with PS-3 electronics this year.  Do I sell all of my EP-5s for pennies on the dollar and upgrade with one new engine or do I just add to fleet?  I will really must think about this.  

This is like the discussion that is going on in another forum thread about how many Big Boys to buy.   My home layout couldn't even run one Big Boy.  My club layout has room for one of these to roam.  How many Big Boys can one person run or even display?

I think that most people who have been in the hobby for any length of time have too many engines no matter what the gauge or scale.  I know that my HO friends have many engines sitting around their turntables that never run.

Joe 

I, like Mike Caruso, have 4 small loops on my 12x13 layout. I have far too many engines for it, but like Passenger Train states there is always that must have engine which got me to the point I'm at now. I switch things up when I feel the need to do so and not by any timetable. It works for me.

Joe B.

I'm at exactly fifty locomotives right now, and there's nothing I want on the horizon.  On my two small 4x8 layouts I can run four trains simultaneously, but it's unlikely I'll ever run all of them regularly.  Continuing to grow my collection feels unwise.

Additionally, with my commitment to only a few road names, and with only Williams offering a broad selection of conventional engines, the market for me is substantially smaller... which frankly, is probably for the best.

only have a carpet layout..11x18...I have three trains so far..want to buy three more and im done buying trains for good..

First of, I can see no possible reason why you should reduce the number of locomotives and/or rolling stock you have on your layout.  It sounds like a lovely layout with a lot to look at (any chance of pictures?  I'd love to see it.)  Anyway, the locos on sidings are doing something important, in my mind, looking good, adding to the "railroadness" of the layout.  How you rotate which you run is less important than that you can. 

It was not clear from your question if you were actually asking should you just remove some from the layout or remove some and sell/get rid of them.  I answered the former above.  As to the latter, absolutely not.  Maybe you can only run a few engines but that is by no means any reason not to have many more than that: it is good to have variety and a choice and rotate the locos you run.  I can run three trains at a time - four in a pinch.   I have around 100 - 115 depending on whether you count an A-B-B-A set as one or four, etc.   I rotate them, running everything once in a while but mostly what I feel like running, and that chances with my mood.

When we run out of space to have them, we'll probably stop purchasing new ones.  And a mixed blessing is there appear to be way more eastern road names than western ones, ... being on the West Coast ....

I have 4 loops of track. Two O and Two G on the upper level. I run 4 trains at a time. One on each loop. I am not a  great multi tasker but this is what I do. I run my trains,ride my excersize bike and read the forum or other train related sites on my laptop which is set up on my MTH bar stool.

How are you upgrading them and keeping the sounds?  I ask because I have quite the fleet of PS-1 locomotives, but have gotten a taste of TMCC.  I can see just unplugging the PS-1 boards from the motors and adding the TMCC electronics for the motor control in some of my bigger roomy locomotives, but others barely have the room for the PS-1 electronics.

Don't ask.

I usually keep three engines on my layout, however I run primarily at the TMB club. Since there is no storage at the club most of my 40 engines are boxed. I have too many engines when I run out of storage. I'll generally sell off to make room as well as fund new purchases

Steve

I'm just about at the limit of display space now, so have no reason to buy any more engines.  I do not store equipment packed away out of sight.  I can and do run three trains simultaneously, choosing  whatever suits my mood at the time, and display two more on the layout.   As Lee said above, "It adds to the railroadiness."  I like that.

There can NEVER be too many Texas Special engines!

Steve, Lady and Tex

You have two time periods and two settings.

Find a place to build a modern layout that is set on the Norfolk Southern railroad.

Move everything modern to that layout.

Andrew

Every year at TRAINSTOCK, I look at the glass display cases full of engines that line the walls of the room and I say to myself.... "it's OK, I don't have THAT MANY!

Ed

Justification for multiple locomotives. Taken from the car (wife was driving) coming down Cajon Pass.

I have 20 locomotives and no layout.  You're doing fine.

Wow!  This is a great shot.  I love it as is, and I copied it and blew it up a bit here on my computer.  Of course at that distance it gets fuzzy if you zoom in too much, but I can zoon quite a lot and tell a bit about the differences between the different locos when you zoom in.  Nice.

Thanks for posting.  That is a lot of HP in one bundle - more than some supertankers have.

"What is your way of giving all your engines some running time? Have you also thought of downsizing your locomotive fleet?"

Have you thought about paying it forward and donating some Milwaukee Road motive power to a good cause (me)?

"Too Many Engines?"

 I haven't read thru all the replies. I don't have them all. So no, I don't have too many.

 After being scolded I tried selling off a couple. I missed them as soon as they went into their box. Afterwards she asked "if I liked them so much, why did I sell them?"

 Urrrrgggg!

I'll be attending Scott's School of Model Railroading. I need more ideas on handling the Mrs.

Maybe some S gauge engines next???

That's right!  You know what they say: "Collect 'em all."

They don't say" "Collect almost all." -- You're not allowed to stop adding locos until you finish the job!

The day this topic started I was thinking about putting one up to see how many people desire/have/run only 1 engine and very few cars.

I have 10 engines, and find it hard to justify having them.  I like them fine, but if I had to give them all up but one, the choice would be easy, my Williams brass Mikado with PS2.

Back to the 10 I have.  I wouldn't mind getting a F3A and a N&W Class J or K2a, but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon (my wife's in the hospital after suffering a heart attack last week).

So I have to be satisfied with what I have, I don't run them enough now anyway to justify having more.

Bob - I hope you wife is doing better.  Best of luck to you and her.  

Thanks Lee, she's had it rough the past 1-1/2 years and this kinda topped it.  Hopefully she'll start rehab today or tomorrow so it might be 2 weeks before she comes home.

Right behind you, 10 locomotives and no layout. I'm half way there.

Too Many Engines! Are you kidding?  You can never have too may engines.

I have in excess of 200 and no plans to sell any of them. Selling my engines will be up to my heirs, if they so desire.

I think I married her sister 

Bob Delbridge - Best wishes to you two.  When one of the couple is stricken with something serious, both are affected.  But starting rehab is an encouraging sign, eh?

I thought it kinda funny,  Steve's well thought out plan ( line 4), and my only 2 MKT,

my plan was very hap hazard !

Williams - Katy - trainworld

Wbb- Tp/spec,- Pats trains

MKT - box car-- ebay

Katy,- trailers, a 1992 Greenburg train show

You know it TrainsRMe!

I look at the numbers of loco posted here and am amazed at (1) how much $$$ people have spent and (2) how long some of you must have been in the hobby.

My 1st engine was a RailKing RS3, back in the early 90s.  So I guess I've been in O gauge/scale for 20 years now, wow.  I'm averaging 1 engine every other year.

We don't get any O scale trains shows like the O-Scale Nationals or York, so there's not much action or bargains to be had in this area.  I've never even seen some of the engines from older manufacturers like All-Nation, Red Caboose, etc and barely recall seeing ads for AHM/Rivarossi engines.  When I hear about them I'm usually short of funds or just purchased something that took what little hobby dollars I have.  More power to you guys that have the means to grab it when you see it