Idea for a Model Railroad to fit what you bought

[60103]

We are all (nearly all, anyways) subject to buying locos and rolling stock that don't really fit a model railroad -- one each of all the big locos instaed of a fleet of medium sized ones.
So my suggestion is to model one of the divisions near the major shops.
Most railroads tested newly re-built or repaired locos on lesser trains on a line near the shops. This let them run-in at moderate speeds and loads for a couple of days. It meant that even crack passenger power might be pulling a branch freight or passenger train.
So pick a lesser (but sturdy!) line running out of Altoona or wherever your shops were and let them run-in all the fancy locos you bought in a momentary brain seizure.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Good idea except it doesn't answer the problem that I had when I first started model railroading. I wanted to model Santa Fe so I bought anything decorated in Santa Fe colors, then I found out that manufacturers decorated everything in Santa Fe colors whether the Santa Fe had them or not. I first discovered the problem when I bought a pair of Athearn F-M Trainmasters, and wanted to change the number on the second one to a second number used by the Santa Fe. I ended up giving the models to a kid that I built a 4 x 8 layout for.

 

[MasonJar]

Russ,

Those are "demonstrators" that the (prototype) manufacturers painted in RR colours, hoping to influence management to buy the units. The manufacturer has run them over to the main shops, and is letting the RR "test drive" them...

Andrew

 

[logicman]

So pick a lesser (but sturdy!) line running out of Altoona or wherever your shops were and let them run-in all the fancy locos you bought in a momentary brain seizure.

Not sure I fully understand the concept "momentary", David!

I'm still buying. :mrgreen:

That's a great idea! :thumb:

You could display almost anything that way, with a sort of
'in', 'out' and 'pending' set of tracks.

 

[60103]

I had it pictured as a distance out on the line so we didn't have to model the shops themselves.
I once had some suggestions for suitable lines.

 

[logicman]

I had it pictured as a distance out on the line so we didn't have to model the shops themselves.
I once had some suggestions for suitable lines.

How about a line leading up to a helix, or an up-down horse-shoe?
Load-testing and brake-testing are great excuses for a steep gradient.