Yikes! Another Diesel Arrived.

Bobby

I guess only a very few of us can really say never ever when it comes to trains.

I certainly can't. No telling what I will drag home anymore.

Bobby Ogage I know what you mean. I thought steam was the only way to go but actually, I grew up in the Covered Wagon and first generation hood diesel era. So I have slowly been "steam cleaning" my railroad and replacing them with diesels. I now have an F-7ABBA, two GP-9's, an RS-3, SW9 and an SD70ACe. I have only 3 steam left, a Pacific, a Mountain and a Mikado. Everything I mentioned is Milw Rd, with the exception of the SD70 which is NS. With the Legacy and DCS sounds and smoke units, the diesels are just as fun as the steam.

Bobby O -

 

Welcome to the "bright" side.

 

Santa Fe an excellent choice.  

Never say "no way" Bobby. Once lured to the dark side, there is no going back. I was once like you.  Soon you'll be buying various models of Geeps, SD's, u-boats, and my favorite, Alcos to run in mixed lashups with 3 or 4 different road names in a shared power scenario. Feel the power of the dark side.

Face it! Come clean! Some get their highs off drugs, alcohol, women, or work! It's an addiction. For me its a model train that gets me going and causes my heart to skip a beat. If its Milwaukee Road or Northern Pacific its even deadlier. 

 

BUT admit it! We're junkies!  Its not Oxycontin but an F3 or a steam locomotive can be just as addictive!  

Dark side?!  How can there be a 'dark side' with trains???!!   

 

If it rolls on rails, I like it!  Enjoy your F units Bobby!!

Park 'em in the back of the yard, put a few steamers around 'em, and no one will know your little secret.

76ft modern diesels rock!  No matter what kind of mean names you give them!

 

Now I must have a set of D&H ALCO PAs, but if a Cab Forward becomes available that will rule my next buy. Thanks for the encourage re my outlook about diesels and the Wrong Coast. 

 

Does anybody have a Rail King dummy Santa Fe "A" Unit to sell or trade?

Hello guys and gals......

 

I feel the same way with my new Williams NW-2 and its a GREAT little engine for 109.95 from Pat's trains.  I loved that switcher .

 

the woman who loves the S.F. 5011,623

Tiffany

 

I agree w. Matt........

 

Chris

Interesting. I too have been adding more diesels than I ever thought I would.  I find myself running them more and more. Also they take up less real estate on the layout which is nice. My interests seem to constantly, albeit slowly, change with my layout. Never ever boring.  

Bobby Ogage - I am a devote steam locomotive guy, myself - small or big, early or late - I love steam locos.  But I think there is no better looking, or more noble and near flawless locomotive in performance and role in railroading history, than the Santa Fe F3. I have perhaps a dozen diesels, including a few oddities like a U-boat, a DD35 and a Trainmaster I just wanted to have, and nine Warbonnet F3s. 

 

So, if you had to be seduced over to the dark side, I think you definitely listened to the right siren song on your way!!!

IMHO Alco produced some of the finest looking diesels ever made.

Steam is impressive to be sure; however, the experience of sitting in the cab of the lead unit of a heavy train staring down at the ground for the first sign of forward movement with the sound of more than 10,000 horsepower loading up behind you is pretty darn stirring in its own right.

 

Bob  

  I broke down and bought that MTH Maryland & Pennsylvania SW1 with PS3.  A sweet engine!  I said that's it; no more!  But then MTH comes out with a Canton SW8, also with PS3.  I saw this very engine back in the late 70s at the Canton's old enginehouse.  I took a black and white photo of it along with some other Canton locomotives.  Trying very hard to hold off.

Give in to temptation.

I just cannot get that loving feeling for the rectangular boxes on wheels, so I cannot see anything beyond a 1st generation covered wagon on my layout. Oops! Only a mother could love a BL2.

 

Steam will rule on my layout, but once in a while a PA, or an FA, of an F3 may wonder onto the main and into the hole just in case a steamer goes lame. And just maybe a covered wagon growler might get a passenger train assignment.

 

Matt, I love your idea. Park them in the yard and hide them between steamers.

 

Hmm. I have three sets of diesels now: New Haven PAs; Texas Special F3s; the Santa Fe F3 set. Conspicuously missing is a set of Rail King D&H PAs, and a set of NYO&W Fs. I can't believe I am saying these things! Must temper my Dark Side thoughts.

I am afflicted with an addiction for Geeps. 

Just condsidering my roster:  I do have more diesels than steam, but that was strictly because there were more available.  I restrict myself to Milwaukee Road and some C&NW but everything must be vintage 1950.  The manufacturers, probably because all they have to do is paint an engine in Milwaukee Road colors and it's correct for the road and that period, but steam engines are more road specific and in order to do one correctly, it must actually BE a model of a Milwaukee Road prototype.  So that explains why I have more diesels.

 

However, in considering what I operate, 90% of the time, I find myself operating steam, simply because I like the looks, the movement and the sounds of steam.  The diesels are usually parked in the engine yard in and around the diesel shops. Fortunately,  unlike the real railroads, I can't experience any cost savings by running diesels instead of steam!

 

Paul Fischer

Being the world's biggest Dieselover....where do ya start with this one?????  Anyway, now that you've discovered the good stuff...ya might as well just jump in with both feet and have some serious fun....not to mention better operation, pulling power, fewer problems, etc.  I could go on, but if you don't get the picture now, you will later.  Just think of the possibilities!  Now you can open up to straight electrics,

and ....Don't look now....Union Pacific Turbines !  In the mean time, may I recomend a scale FM Train Monster, an RS1 roadswitcher from MTH or Atlas, and an Alligator DL600B from Atlas Trainman, high or low!   Bon Apetit !

Electric engines, trolley cars, street cars and interurbans have higher priorities than diesels in my love of toy trains. Every once in awhile I imagine changing over to tinplate now that MTH is making really good reproductions. 

 

Yup, I can see a few more diesels on my roster. Perhaps a small diesel switcher or two will do a better job running through yard switches than the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 currently doing the yard work.