My new ( income tax refund ) toy

[Biased turkey]

There is no scenery on my layout ( yet ) so I can run North American or European locos and rolling stock.
When I got into N scale model railroading my intention was to model German prototypes only. But then by lurking at The Gauge forums I realised that modeling North American prototypes has tremendous opportunities, and that there are excellent US-Canadian modelers on this site.
So here is my latest toy, a Fleischmann German DB86 tanlk locomotive. A smooth switcher. I selected that model because while most North American locos ( Atlas, Life-Like ) have at least 1 flywheel, roughly 50 % of Fleischmann switching steam or diesel locos are equiped with one.

 

[rogerw]

Fleischmann are great pieces.

 

[Cannonball]

That is one sweet looking steamer!

 

[Biased turkey]

Thanks to both of you for the nice words.
I'm facing a dilemma here because I like to model German steam locos, but when it comes to diesel locos I prefer to model US made diesels ( Geeps, Alco ) because the choice of US made diesel locos is broader than the choice of German diesels ( and the US made diesel locos looks better and very impressive ).

 

[CNWman]

I'm facing a dilemma here because I like to model German steam locos, but when it comes to diesel locos I prefer to model US made diesels ( Geeps, Alco ) because the choice of US made diesel locos is broader than the choice of German diesels ( and the US made diesel locos looks better and very impressive )

Make up some story about like how the steam loco(s) were sent to America w/ top secert Nazi intel in the boiler while the shipers thought it were just regular old locos being sent to America. Then in WWII they were fired up and used to move troops and suplies. Now a group of enthusiasts have succeded in letting the locos stay operational here in America.
Just an idea from the top of my head I'm actualy gonna throw real world realisim out the window when I get a British loco '04' my layout

 

[bigsteel]

aaah spending money wisely i see....LOL.them german did have some sweet lookin locos :thumb: --josh

 

[Biased turkey]

CNWman, I don't have as much imagination as you have, but I could make up a story that's not far from what really happened in my home country ( Belgium ).
Right after WW 2, Belgium received several German steam locomotives as war dammage compensation. Why not have the same kind of compensation for the US and Canada ?

 

[Biased turkey]

aaah spending money wisely i see....LOL.them german did have some sweet lookin locos :thumb: --josh

Yes, I told my wife that it's an investment

 

[jambo101]

Make 2 layouts,one for German steam and one for American diesel..Nice Loco

 

[Biased turkey]

Make 2 layouts,one for German steam and one for American diesel..Nice Loco

I don't think that's the kind of suggestion my wife would like to hear, BUT how about a single layout with removable buildings ? Because after all, what differenciate a German from a canadian layout are the buildings and the rolling stock. A hill is a hill, a German or an US truss bridge look almost indentical, roads looks very similar .
I want to switch from US-Canadian layout to a German one, no problem: I'll replace the DPM roadkill cafe with a biergarten, the bakery with a saurkraut factory, the colonial house with a timbered chalet, the depot with a "station halt" ( I already built that one ), and the Jack Daniel's distillery with the Lowenbrau brewery.

 

[3railguy]

Make up some story about like how the steam loco(s) were sent to America w/ top secert Nazi intel in the boiler while the shipers thought it were just regular old locos being sent to America. Then in WWII they were fired up and used to move troops and suplies. Now a group of enthusiasts have succeded in letting the locos stay operational here in America.

If I'm not mistaken, Germany did loan some steam engines to the US or they were confiscated and train ferried here during WWII. It was something I read but I can't recall just what or where.

 

[60103]

There's the idea. At the end of the war, while the US was pinching all their rocket scientists, Canada stole the railway engineers and a collection of steamers.
Or we've "borrowed" a loco to see what the latest developments are.
A goodwill tour like Flying Scotsman or Coronation?

 

[Biased turkey]

There's the idea. At the end of the war, while the US was pinching all their rocket scientists, Canada stole the railway engineers and a collection of steamers.
Or we've "borrowed" a loco to see what the latest developments are.
A goodwill tour like Flying Scotsman or Coronation?

You mean something like that 60103 ?
I can really run the DB86 with the TH&B boxcar because both have Rapido couplers.