Steam Engine Rosters

rekline

New Member
As for a comparison with the Spectrum and MTH, I like the MTH detail and the little things they did with the sound and my kids love the smoke, It is pretty cool, The problem is I run it on a DC layout, slowly converting to DCC (when time and money allow, never enough of either) so the MTH runs slow around the track, the Spectrum does better. When it was run on a friends DCC layout, it ran fine, both are smooth runners and can pull enough cars for operations. For the money the Spectrum is probably a better buy but mine doesn't have DCC sound and smoke is not an option.
 

nw-fan

New Member
I concentrate on one road, because there are too many nice engines available lately, and I couldn't afford enough N&W engines to run a layout + extra engines just because they appeal to me but don't contribute to running a prototypical layout.

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Kanawha

Member
The MTH smoke sounds cool, but it isn't that horrible old liquid stuff that leaves a film of grease on the top of the boiler, is it?
 

rekline

New Member
Yeah the smoke is cool and it is the old liquid stuff. I don't use it much but when the kids bring their friends over, It really goes over well.

Back to the topic, Does any know, who makes the best NYC Hudson, too big for my layout but I know some people who have asked me.
 

Kanawha

Member
BLI's NYC Hudson from a few years ago was very nice looking. I believe they are re-releasing an improved version soon.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
The problem for manufacturers is that every railroad had their own ideas of what made the best locomotive, so that even when the locomotives were built at a particular factory, they were still very much a custom design to suit the customer. Diesels are a lot more standardised. While there are some detail differences, and of course the Canadian cabs that eventually became the basis for the design of the current safety cabs in the US, most diesels are very similar from one railroad to another.
 

nkp174

Active Member
The problem for manufacturers is that every railroad had their own ideas of what made the best locomotive, so that even when the locomotives were built at a particular factory, they were still very much a custom design to suit the customer. Diesels are a lot more standardised. While there are some detail differences, and of course the Canadian cabs that eventually became the basis for the design of the current safety cabs in the US, most diesels are very similar from one railroad to another.

I'm generally a pretty intense states' right kind of guy...but as a modeler...thank God for the the government's interference during around WW1 and WW2.
-USRA designs are wonderful for filling our rosters with appropriate power...even though there were slight variations upon delivery...and huge variations by the time the engines were retired.
-Glad for design freeze of WW2...most people don't realize that something very similar to the USRA design standards occurred then as well...the Pennsy had to get C&O 2-10-4s since they weren't allowed to design their own...the RF&P got Van Swerigan Berks...the WP got SP 4-8-4s...etc...

N&W fan...love that roster...beautiful stuff...I'm quite partial to the 578 in Columbus...probably my favorite surviving N&W locomotive (just a little bit more than the J). Gorgeous pacific
 

nw-fan

New Member
N&W fan...love that roster...beautiful stuff...I'm quite partial to the 578 in Columbus...probably my favorite surviving N&W locomotive (just a little bit more than the J). Gorgeous pacific

I actually got to help repaint the 578 about 6? years ago. A group from the N&WHS offered to paint it for the museum in Worthington because it was looking pretty rough. It was a great reward climbing on and around that engine for several weeks. They let us drive some of the trolleys and motorcars for helping out. I have since moved towards Dayton. Last I heard the museum was talking about selling it to the Ohio Central. I don't know what came of that, though. It would be a great excursion engine, and awesome to see under steam again.
 

nkp174

Active Member
Yes...I can actually fill in some of the details on that no-sale.

Cool that you had a chance to help with the repaint!

Jerry Jo whom owns the Ohio Central is big NKP fan. He started off as a volunteer with the 765 crew...still knows most of the older 765 guys and used to employ one of their former members as an engineer. He started off getting whatever steam he could get. As built up his business...he set his sights on the engine in my sig...the NKP's only surviving hudson. He offered St. Louis to pay for restoration of their Katy 4-4-0 just for a lease on the 170...but they turned him down. Next came his plans to acquire an NKP berkshire. The 763 and the 757 were very much un-loved and hence were obvious candidates...it would take the jaws of life to nab any of the other 4 NKP berks. Jerry then began to cook up a scheme to get the 578 to use in a horse trade...to get the 763. When that deal fell through...he just bought it outright as the museum in Roanoke was hurting (in the past it had a few mis-management issues...iirc). I don't recall what Worthington was supposed to get out of the deal.

Btw, the 578 was parked due to internal politics at Worthington. There are a lot of rumors that fly around now...but the truth was that the unifying force between the juice and conventional factions died...and that ended the peace...along with the steam operations.

Do you live very near Dayton? My in-laws live in Kettering.
 

nkp174

Active Member
I live in S Charleston, and work in Vandalia.

Back around 2000-2002 or so, the sidney model railroad club (west central ohio mrrc) ran a series of excursions from Lima to Springfield...and a few of them continued down to S Charleston. I was the dome car attendant on half the trips to s charleston...even though I've never been a member of their club. I received a cab ride in one of their gps coming out of s charleston on one of those trips. My dad's been dreaming for at least 20yrs to take the 765 over the same trackage.
 

spitfire

Active Member
Those of you who model in the steam era. Did you consciously build a roster to have a diverse variety of locomotives, to represent a cross section of the railroad you model, or just buy ones that looked cool and were available at the time? :mrgreen:

I ask because, as you know, its difficult for steam modelers to get specific types of locos even if you go the brass route. :confused: Whereas diesel modelers have a much wider variety available at any given time. Its gotten better in recent years with BLI, the Proto Heritage Series, and others, but still no where close.

I started my model rail odessey with a diorama, and for that I bought an inexpensive SW1200. Then I wanted to see something run, so I bought a Presiden't Choice train set that came with an 0-8-0. That's when the bug bit me and I started planning a layout, based on CN in the early to mid 50s.

Despite that, my next purchase was the BLI Hudson. I just had to have that sound. That led to the decision to go DCC on the layout and to purchase only DCC-equipped motive power. I also branched out to include CP.

As I did more reading and research, and began to learn about prototype operations, I began to think in terms of realistic rosters. My layout will be mainly freight handling, with the odd passenger train just "passing through" on the outside loop. That meant I needed more freight haulers: Mikado's, Consolidations, 10 wheelers. The difficulty for me however is that both CN and CP used mostly all-weather cabs, and those are simply not available in plastic. If you want Canadian prototype engines, you are going to have to go brass.

When I first got into the hobby in 2001, brass could be had for around $1000. Now it's up to around $1700. Then there is the difficulty of converting to DCC.

What all this means is that my motive power purchases have come to a halt. I now have the Hudson, several switchers (both Alco and GM), a CN RS10, 2 Mikes, 1 Consolidation, and a CP F7a-b-a consist (for pulling the Canadian - a high end cross country passenger train), plus a CN Hudson - the only engine in my roster with a vestibule cab.

I am currently working on my layout, and since nothing is running yet there's no real pressure to buy more engines. I'm hoping that at some point, someone will release some Mikes with the all-weather cab in plastic and in the meanwhile I am saving my pennies for that day! :)

Val
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Val, how difficult would it be to scratch the all weather cabs from styrene? Also have you checked to see if any of the detail manufacturers make kits to convert open cabs to all weather cabs? If they haven't, it sounds like a ready made market would be available in Canada for an entrepeneur to start manufacturing all weather cab kits for Canadian steam.
 

nkp174

Active Member
Perhaps Dr. Wayne will stop by? I think he's done that sort of thing a few times...and he seems to do things efficiently (so you wouldn't have to do something tedious).
 

spitfire

Active Member
Russ, there are a couple kits on the market - none fit my BLI mikes. :(

I have contemplated scratchbuilding... so far it has not progressed beyond that stage! sign1

nkp174 - yes, Dr Wayne has done that sort of thing. I have been doing my best to sweet talk him into a conversion. :D He has a lot of other projects ahead of mine right now.

Val
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
Russ, there are a couple kits on the market - none fit my BLI mikes. :(

I have contemplated scratchbuilding... so far it has not progressed beyond that stage! sign1

nkp174 - yes, Dr Wayne has done that sort of thing. I have been doing my best to sweet talk him into a conversion. :D He has a lot of other projects ahead of mine right now.

Val

Hey, Val, I haven't forgotten your request. ;) However, the CNR had a lot of Mikados with open cabs, especially in the various sub-classes of S-3s, which were USRA locos or USRA copies.
This one is an Athearn that I modified for Mister Nutbar.
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If you choose to build an all-weather cab, the easiest (and most sturdy) way to do it is to build right over the existing cab, only removing that which is really necessary. Below are a few examples, all free-lanced, but it wouldn't be that difficult to make them more prototype-specific.
Early Bachmann ATSF Northern
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Tyco/Mantua 2-8-2
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Bowser NYC K-11 Pacific
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Wayne
 

donr928

New Member
I have to agree with CCT70. If I like it, I will find an excuse to need it. I like to kit bash and scratch build, so you will not see many other engines like mine. I buy lots of parts at flea markets and try and create something similar to engines I have seen in books. This is a hobby and is supposed to be fun for me. If others don't like my engines, they don't have to look at them.

Don
 

Glen Haasdyk

Active Member
The difficulty for me however is that both CN and CP used mostly all-weather cabs, and those are simply not available in plastic

I know Miniatures by eric makes three diffent all weather cabs in resin. I haven't tried them though. I recently bought a basket case President's choice 6060 (bullet nosed betty) that had a wrecked cab so this will probably be a good cadidate for the all weather cab conversion.
 

Kanawha

Member
Those BLI Mikes are really nice engines. I love mine, need to weather it still though. It'll have to wait till Spring. Too many projects at the moment.

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CCT70

Member
Btw, the 578 was parked due to internal politics at Worthington. There are a lot of rumors that fly around now...but the truth was that the unifying force between the juice and conventional factions died...and that ended the peace...along with the steam operations.

Sounds like what happened with a well known fight between the juice fans at a certain Northern California museum and their steam dept. Trolley Nazi's won, the Steam guys moved on and in the end, two VERY historic WP steam locomotives sat locked away in a car barn, hidden from the public and treated as disgraces to the collection for MANY years. Alas, they wouldn't entertain any attempts to relocate them to a place more suitable for them where they can be enjoyed and restored.
 
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