What Roads & Why?

Lionel Lines, followed by anything goes - whatever I think looks cool.  Because they're toys.

 

Pete

Would you adopt a self imposed limit/restriction, re: the type of beer, movies, women, sports, cars, suntan lotions, food, vacation destinations, clothes, razors, hairstyles, shades, thongs, floss, pets, gas, chairs, cooking oil, books..., that you should have...?

 

If I liked it and could afford it... I bought it; no self-imposed restrictions, for me.

 

 

Rick

PRR, because I'm modelling a coal mining town during the late 40's. There's no right or wrong answer to this question, it's just about everyone's personal preference

 

Bruce

I generally freelance (a.k.a. fantasy), but for my scale efforts, I'm trying to concentrate with roads that operated in and around Kansas.

 

My hirail adventures give me an excuse to pick up eastern road stuff.

 

Rusty

I think it likely that your selection would evolve as time goes by, because you will want particularly locos that were not your one roadname - i.e., say you pick NYC and then decide you really need a Big Boy - etc.  I picked, and still clinge mostly to Santa Fe and Union Pacific because I grew up in the West, bought I have a NYC Hudson, a Blue Comet, even a French Chapelon 241.A.  I'd just pick what you want and mix and match - the toy trains won't care if you don't.

It's your railroad and you should run what looks good to you.

 

I grew up and still live in Virginia but my family lived out west and I loved watching the Santa Fe trains in AZ and California. 

 

I thought our layout would be primarily Santa Fe and B & O.  And it is....But that has quickly expanded to include:

 

Norfolk and Western-we had to get a J steamer since I was in awe when it came right through my little town about 20 years ago.

 

Norfolk Southern-love the horse and got some really nice passenger sets from RMT

Western Maryland-we rode the train from Cumberland last year and my son wanted it 

for the layout.  Of course we also have ridden the Grand Canyon line but no representation on the layout so far.

 

C&O/Chessie-goes with B & O system...right?

Union Pacific-found a UP 49er that's cool to run

Pennsylvania-got a great deal on a jr. steam turbine and have some Aero train cars

NYC-found an Aero train and this was the road name on it.

CSX, Soo Line, Rio Grande, and others are also represented.

 

Sometimes I just see an engine and want it even though it's a road name I don't have or wasn't looking for.  All part of the fun.

 

I do like the Southern Pacific and most likely will add those in the near future too.

 

 

 

My family came to America to mine coal in Pennsylvania.

 

So ....

 

East Broad Top .... that served those mines.

 

PRR .... that received the coal from EBT.

 

Anthracite Railroads ... because they operated here in NJ, and adds a bit of variety.

 

Jim

I have one simple rule, if I like the piece I really do not care what road name it is. This makes the selection process really easy.

I've found that I need some sort of discipline in buying to keep from going broke and buying more stuff than I have room to store. So, I generally buy the roads that fit my theme, which is the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Southwestern, "Route of the Southwest Hiawatha." That means mainly the Milwaukee Road and the Southern Pacific, plus some connecting roads. I don't completely rule out other roads (I have a couple of UP and Rio Grande steamers, and a brass John Wilkes, among other things), but it provides some coherence. 

A very personal decision....and what goes on behind closed doors....shhh, we won't tell.  Since I am modeling the Joint Line, which saw traffic from most of the big players in Colorado, excepting the U.P.,  and a junction with same, I can have their locomotives appear.   It is a whole lot easier to research and model a locally operating line, than say, live in San Diego and model Maine two foot narrow gauge, if you want to get boots on the ground and explore your prototype's territory.  And it kind of depends on the era you model.....as to what foreign roads might have intermingled locos.

Confining my purchases to these constraints doesn't even keep things within a budget, but more so than if I practiced an "I want one of each" mentality.

The four railroads I grew up with are Lehigh Valley, New York Central, Pennsylvania and Jersey Central. Most motive power centers around these four.

 

Tony Sincius

TCA# 97-45101

I do see the reasoning behind limiting Road Names as trying to buy it all will bankrupt most of us.

I am Going for Steam only (with the exception of the Galloping goose in all it's variations).

I am also Running D&RG (and sub flavors) and UP as the major connection.

D&RG is what ran near where I grew up, UP Had the Big Boys that ran just west of there as well and UP provided the connections west and north.

Northeastern roads -- because I live in the northeast.  NYC, PRR, RDG, etc.  There are occasional exceptions, but that's what I try for.

Most of them......

C&O-family worked there....grew up around it

B&O-same as above

PRR-my wife's family lived and worked

NYC-Dreyfus...had to have one on the layout

SP-GS4 and Cab Forwards on the layout

ATSF-Warbonnet and passenger trains

SOU RR-Crescent E-8 I rode a number of times

UP-Big Boys and Challengers and Turbines

MILW-Hiawatha colors and passenger trains

READING-Crusader

N&W-J's, Jawn, Mallets

VIRGINIAN-colors and coal drags

DRGW-The Look, rugged power......and I use the scheme for my Denver NC to RioGrande Ohio fantasy railroad.

And others sneak in too!!!!!

Seaboard Air Line for motive power and passenger cars, all others for rolling stock.

 

Why...(1) because they originated in my hometown and (2) I'm tired of seeing nothing but NYC, PRR, ATSF.  Of course this means I have very little in the way of engines and rolling stock and have had to repaint/reletter/ or hack existing stuff or make my own and get decals made.  I can't bring myself to like (i.e. buy) something because it's the only RR name they offer.

 

OOPS!  I do have 2 pieces of ATSF rolling stock, a Lionel flat car and a tank car, only cause they're cool

 

If I had to choose another RR it would be one of the following: N&W, ACL, or GN (love that Glacier paint scheme).

If I bought whatever I thought looked cool there’d be no rhyme or reason to my purchases. As doubtful as it is that descendants would embrace what I leave behind such a collection would have no interest for them.

So because of my interest in Genealogy and my family has a personal and professional history with railroading I stick to lines that compliment these things.

Dad Retired from The Milwaukee Road and Grandpa from the Southern Railway so those are my Primary lines.

Dad also worked for the EJ&E and Bessemer Lake Erie and Grandpa for Georgia Southern & Florida briefly at the beginning of his career which I believe coincided with the end of GS&F. Most of my oldest brother’s pension is from his career in the Proviso Yard with Chicago North Western. So those are secondary interests.

My Ma’s Father’s entire working career was with Morton Salt. He rose from office boy to office Manager and eventually retired the as the first General Office Manager in the history of the company, overseeing operations in all the offices across the country. So I also try to incorporate Morton salt into the display.

The railroads i grew up around B&O,C&O, western maryland and chessie system then CSX. BTW my great grandfather on my mom's side worked for the B&O railroad and retired from it. I think where i got liking trains from him.

I mix and match everything. I just like all trains and running them around the track.

Just a suggestion, you may want to decide on an era to model, i.e. mid 1940s thru mid 1950s (big steam and early diesel), or mid 1950s thru mid to late 1960s (hardly any steam but all first and second generation diesels for railroad paint styling that no longer exists), or totally modern with all of todays "high tech." big diesels.

I grew up new the Santa Fe Pasadena sub and witnessed its gradual transition to BNSF. I only buy locomotives that are SF, BN or BNSF.

CNJ because I grew up 1/2 block from the main line in Bayonne.  Lehigh Valley because that was the other RR close the house.  

NJT, CSX, NS if I want to make the RR feel more modern.  

Yes they are toys but I find a more narrow focus works better for me.  I have begun to subscribe to the "less is more" theory.

I am in the same line of thought as Chessie1971.

 Being originally from Elsmere, Delaware - B&O and Reading. Most of my relatives lived in Wilmington, so I saw a lot of PRR/PC GG1's. (They're still my favorite electric!)

 If I went modern era, living in lower Delaware now, CR/NS change over. I was surprised how often the SD-80MAC's showed up in Harrington, DE.

 Based on a color scheme, easy - Delaware and Huson. - The ALCO's make it even better!

 Based on muscular steam - Chesapeake & Ohio. (Big Lima Superpower!)

 Based on what I like - Western Maryland and Reading. There is enough equipment available to make me happy(and keep me hunting). I can stay toy like or go highrail/prototypical. Some of my favorite locomotives are rostered here - Western Marylands I-2 Decapod, Readings G-series Pacifics {and of course the ALCO diesels }

 If I went to a west coast railroad, it would mostly likely be the Spokane, Portland & Seattle - nice looking steam {and ALCO's }

 

 And, as Texas Pete said, Lionel Lines - it goes with everything!

 There is something cool, to me, about the idea of having a highly detailed layout and running a purely Lionel Lines consist through it - freight and passenger.

 

 

 

Monon and the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad for my son, grandson and I and a NYC Mohawk for the wife.  My wife's great grandfather was an engineer on the Michigan Central, and the Monon and CSS & SB because they were part of the city we live in.  The CSS & SB still operates down the middle of a city street here for a few miles.

I have mostly eastern US equipment (PRR,NYC, E/L, Lehigh Valley) but I also have out of town guests such as the Santa Fe Super Chief, the Canadian Pacific and even Lionel Lines. It is a toy and it is my call.

 

Steve

In time your buying habits will gravitate toward one or two roads. To this date I still have no clue why I like Chicago & Northwestern since I haven't set foot in CNW, CGW or Rock Island territory. Go figure.

The ATSF, merely because I've loved the warbonnet since I was a kid.  A Marx ATSF E7 passenger set was my second set, in 1957.   Also, any other particular model that appeals to me:  NS, NP, B&O, Penn, RI, NYC, WP, well, you get the idea.

I don't know that this will be legalistic, just some loose boundaries I created.

 

After all, I have a 6 and 2 year old who are doing this with me and with that, anything can go.

 

As for the fantasy part, it's all true.  I am just musing as to what my choices are and why and was curious of others choices and why.  It's just interesting and fun to know.  I do believe the RR's I picked leave a lot open.  The only one I may add immediately would be NS, in effort to encompass the Southern railway.  Reason is, Chattanooga, I love the station and the big Southern coaches.

 

As for picking an era, that won't happen.  I love steam and early car bodied diesels.  There are some I like between the car body times and the modern wide nose cabs, but not many. Even though as I kid I saw these growing up, I preferred at that time the car bodies for diesel power.  So for EMD it's SD70's and forward, GE the Dash 8's an forward.

I am partial to the NE railroads between the 50's and 70's, but I not against buying any locomotive that has a color scheme that pleases me like the Central of Georgia. Since I am the CEO. I can do what I please. I am not such a purist that I get in my own way. Buy what you like and enjoy it!

N&W steam with connections to my Grandfather, Father

N&W Fallen Flags Virginian, Nickel Plate, and Wabash

C&O for the cool paint jobs

Coal fired Turbines based upon my Dad's time on the N&W 2300. By including the UP #80 Coal Turbine, my layout clock is stuck on 1960.

 

Gilly

My railroad is of course Milwaukee. I personally like to limit myself to one road name and in fact one year, 1953. With a few very small exceptions. Like black electrics that were  painted the tri-color version before 1953. In ways I guess it saves me money but that's not the reason. The main reason is the challenge. I looks strange to see a layout with Santa Fe and Pennsy on the same line. Nothing wrong with that mind you but to me it seems strange. Don

That explanation makes a lot of sense.  Having a challenge such as that can be very fun and rewarding.  I think if I ever do a layout for just myself, I would go a similar route.

I started back into the hobby 22 years ago as a diehard PRR guy.  After a year or two, that qualification expanded to any railroad that operated in PA.  A few more years and the theme expanded again to include any railroad whose locomotives could have operated into or through PA.  Eventually I said the heck with any restrictions and will now buy and operate anything that meets my fancy.

Since I am very interested in railroad history, this seems to be the approach that works best for me.

Curt

I'm quite new to O, really just catching the bug when my Dad gave me his pre-war Lionel and Marx trains last year. (Previously and currently play with N and HO/OO, where I tend toward British stuff.)

 

I find myself gravitating toward SP as it existed in the '60s and '70s because that's what I saw running around the San Francisco Bay Area. I know I'll never have the room for a large O layout, so I pick and choose pretty carefully. Boxcars mostly.

 

However, I was at The Train Shop in Santa Clara one day a few months ago, and a Lionel Polar Railroad Hot Chocolate car called to me. It doesn't fit in with the SP theme, but  I love hot chocolate and as was mentioned above, they're toys, and it was fun!

 

Fred

I've often said I try to "buy local". I try to get all engines in the following. Rolling stock I tend to buy what I like, with some emphasis on the following. 

 

B&O

C&O

Western Maryland

Chessie System

PRR

 

I live very close to the B&O's Metropolitan Sub, a line I've grown up around, watched and ridden MARC trains, CSX, probably Chessie in my early days, Amtrak's version of the B&O's Capital Limited, etc. In addition, many, many visits to the B&O Museum surrounded me with B&O "things". Many of the locals around here still call CSX "The B&O" and many B&O things survive. The Georgetown Branch still has the B&O Capitol Dome logos stamped in the bridge piers in Bethesda, Gaithersburg's pedestrian crossover has the City Logo and B&O Emblems, the B&O Station in Gaithersburg has a B&O Caboose and RDC car on display, in addition to the BC&G #14 2-8-0. Up until recently, the B&O CPL signals were still in use, etc, etc, etc, etc. TOns of things add to my interest in the B&O. 

 

On my way to school, I travel not only on the old B&O line, but also a small section of the Pennsy's NorthEast Corridor and Ivy City Yard surrounding Union Station in Washington. 

 

Western Maryland I've always like, despite being about an hour away from the closest ROW. I bet my interest is in part to seeing the WM equipment, and riding behind it in the B&O Museum. A cab ride on the Western Maryland #734 helps as well, even though it never ran on the WM. 

 

PRR...My dad was not a train person, but always leaned to the PRR when buying trains. Plus, I travel through a small portion of the PRR's NorthEast Corridor each day and the Ivy City Yard near Union Station in Washington. I've been to Horseshoe Curve once, as a spectator a few years ago and walked the museum and streets in Altoona. I've never been back since, but on May 27th of this year, I will ride a train pulled by NKP 765 from Lewistown, through Altoona, around HS Curve, and to Galitzen and return. 

 

I have cheated in my engines...I do have a New York MTA Subway set, an N&W Y6B 2-8-8-2, and a BNSF SD70ACe. 

Having grown up in New England, I have many fond memories of the old Boston and Maine and its connecting roads:  the Maine Central, New Haven, and the Central Vermont.  Which is why I have a preponderance of B&M equipment in my train collection, followed by the MEC, and NH.  I am hopeful we will see some CV GP9s from either Atlas or MTH in the not-too-distant future. 

I envy those who can limit their modelling to one or two roads.

 

I run/model everything that I like from Central Pa to Western Pa.  

 

C&PA

WA&G 

Bellefonte Central

PRR 

Shawmut

LEF&C

Union RR

Penn Central

NS 

Conrail

B&S

B&O

I didn't grow up with any trains but I did go to Strasburg RR every year! 

My grandfather worked for the PRR for 42.5 years at Columbus, Ohio, so you know where my loyalty lies.  But, growing up and looking at Lionel catalogs, I have recently fulfilled a lifelong dream to own Santa Fe and Texas Special F-3s along with streamlined passenger trains.  I hope to be able to use them in some small version of a Chicago Union Station with my PRR trains.  My world, not prototype.