Custom (Imaginary) Railroads

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
How many people have done their layouts completely in their own imaginary railroad? Custom painted locos and rolling stock.... The whole works. I'm seriously thinking about getting a few undecorated F units and doing this. Mostly because I'm pulling my hair out trying to find what I want and getting everything to match.

How hard is it to find undecorated rolling stock? (More sepcificly in N scale.)
I've seen several undecorated locos out there but never really paid attention on rolling stock.

How much does it cost to have a loco and rolling stock custom painted when you discover your own painting tallents are less than acceptable? (Such as my own)

I know there are at least a few with their own railroads.
Help me out and fill me in on the good, the bad and the ugly.
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Might want to try a fallen flag. One that ran for a few years, then got gobbled up by a bigger railroad, or even just went under.
Thats what I did. Mine was a real line, ran for a few years, went into bankruptcy a couple of times coming out under different names, (then became the Central New England, Member Abutt is modeling the same line, but in the fifties...It had been taken over by the New Haven way before then.)then was taken over by a real railroad until it was abandoned completly. I'm doing mine as if the rails still exsist today. This gives me the opportunity to come up with my own paint schemes, and since I'm modeling today, I can run those huge modern big horsepowered diesels and modern rolling stock.
Here's a history of my own world...
http://nara.11.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=79&sid=e8f197a78c4e85efbd89f2050341ab53

Undecorated stuff is getting harder and harder to find. What I've seen, Atlas is still releasing locos undecorated, more than any other manufacturers. As far as trying your hand at painting...Like my dad says...Practice makes perfect.
 

myltlpny

Member
I had an N-gauge free-lanced railroad once. I stuck to pretty standard paint schemes, and relied on decals I made on the computer to add the necessary "umph", if you know what I mean. My basic scheme was Depot Buff with a blue stripe. But it was the herald and lettering that made the car.
If you're interested, try looking through some clipart collections. If you play around a bit with the computer, you can combine clipart and text to come up with a very believable herald. The only thing to remember is to stay away from anyting requiring white, as most printers don't print white, but rely on the wite paper to show white. All that's required is a printer with some blank decal paper.
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
ozzy said:
why do you need undecorated? why not just repaint a decorated?
Good point.
And one I don't really have an answer for.
Except I like the idea of taking a loco or a piece of rolling stock that's never had a logo on it before and giving it my own.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
My few locomotives for my freelance RR are repainted athearn units. This switcher was Pennsy black before donning its new colors.
 

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fsm1000

Member
Mine is TOTALLY mde up. Even the story behind it :D LOL
Hopefully soon I will post the story of my real [imaginary] railroad :)
 

rekline

New Member
I am trying my hand with my own line, I like Pennsy but wanted to get some experience in trying my own. So far the paint job has come out ok but need to get the decalling right. I just picked an name with the initials of my kids. Still looking for something that starts with a Z, for ZSR - Z???? Southern Railroad. I usually pick up Athearn Blue Box undecorated, They are relatively inexpensive so good to practice on. I figure a couple of locomotives, cabooses and some boxcars and I would be all set. The rest can be filled in with other roadnames.
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
rekline said:
I just picked an name with the initials of my kids. Still looking for something that starts with a Z, for ZSR - Z???? Southern Railroad.
Zephyr maybe?

The Zephyr Southern Railroad....
 

rekline

New Member
Discounttrainsonline. I picked up a GP60 some boxcars and a caboose.

http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item140-4751.html
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item140-1200.html
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item140-1249.html

I have been looking for a switcher of some kind to work around the future yet unplanned yard but haven't found one undecorated yet.

I thought of Zephyr but I don't think it sounds like a place more like an specific engine. I was thinking Zina or Zuma but they really don't grab me yet. Should have named my son something with a more common first initial.
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
rekline said:
I thought of Zephyr but I don't think it sounds like a place more like an specific engine. I was thinking Zina or Zuma but they really don't grab me yet. Should have named my son something with a more common first initial.
Zion perhaps?

And thanks for the links. :)
 
Zion is a real place in GA, Mt. Zion to be exact...
My RR is the Midwest Ga RR or MWG RR for short. I used to be in N scale, and used old lifelike engines for my RR, just repainted CSX's.
I used a paint scheme from GSWRR (GA Southwestern RR) and put in my RR's name.
mwg.JPG
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
Thoroughbreed said:
Zion is a real place in GA, Mt. Zion to be exact...
There is also a Mt Zion, IA. Although the place isn't much to speak of these days.
I'm sure there are at least a dozen other Mt. Zions around as well.
And I like the eingines! :thumb:
 

rekline

New Member
I was sort of thinking of Zee, for the Zee Southern Railroad (ZSR), has a sort of comic sound to it. Home office Zee (Basement). I am still open for Ideas and will post a pic when I get it to a point where a picture is worthwhile and not in pieces.

I have also gotten undecorated stuff at my LHS, he is more than happy to order anything that I want. Not always the best price but good service.
 
We've strayed a bit from the original question, I think, but that's ok. However, I would just like to offer a thought or two. My railroad (yet to be built - exists only in my head), the Housatonic and Cayuga, is totally my imagination; but I grew up with the New Haven and kind of got stuck on what I saw, particularly on the Berkshire (or Housatonic) line. Therefore, my plan is to have a road that goes (strangely enough) from Housatonic to Cayuga (both real places, but probably not on my railroad), with perhaps Somewhere and Nowhere along the line. There will be a definite New Haven influence, with several locomotives and other rolling stock; and one locomotive in particular (an RS-3) which was "purchased" from the New Haven and relettered for the H&C, while keeping the NH color scheme. The road also has a "sub-title" of "The Time Warp Line", as the theme will be basically the 1950s and '60s; but with the option to occasionally have a modern piece or two of equipment show up.

In other words, I think that perhaps one can combine the best of both worlds. Anyway, the whole idea is to have fun.
 
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