Building Your Locomotive roster

[rogertra]

Sorry for re-posting the following but Pacific Northern has locked the original thread.  I re-posted this as I'm interested in how other people build their locomotive or rolling stock rosters.

First, let me make it clear that the following are my preferences and are not to be taken as criticisms of those people who do things differently.

Before I even started to build the current GER, ten years before in fact, I wrote a complete corporate history detailing all routes, acquisitions and locomotive roster up to 1972, the year I planned to model and did, until Spectrum released to 2-8-0, when that all changed. 

With one or two minor tweaks, adding a small drivered 2-10-0 and Alco RS-1s and a couple of slight history changes so as to accommodate the 2-10-0s and the RS-1s, I've pretty much stuck to that history.

The history and now from that history the locomotive roster as it would have existed in 1958, have been my guide for all locomotive purchases.

I believe in trying to make the GER as believable and as realistic as my abilities allow me.  When I compiled the GER's history, I studied the motive power of the CNR and CPR in southern Quebec and used that as a guide.  "Were locos of this type and wheel arrangement used in this region of Canada and in my era?" were the questions I asked myself.  If the answer was "Yes", then I could add them to my GER roster.  However, even then, I left some types off the list as being too uncommon. CLC (Baldwin) diesels for example, I considered too uncommon for the GER roster, though I did use the aforementioned Alco RS-1s as a substitute even though none were ever sold new in Canada.

I also believe in having a fleet of locomotives, not one of each.   I don't want my crews to say something like, "Ah, here comes the 4-6-2" but rather "Here comes a 4-6-2", and if possible, I'll have at least two classes of each wheel arrangement.  The exception to this rule is yard engines.  As yard engines are typically assigned to the same yard for years having only assigned to a modelled yard is protypical.  For my yard engines I have 0-6-0, one 0-8-0 and one Alco diesel switcher.  However, this may change on the new and larger GER, once I move into the new house.

On the GER, you will not therefore find any 2-6-6-2s nor any other articulated locos as they never ran in Canada.  You'll not find anything in GER colours who's design screams "Norfolk & Western" (Much as I like the NW), or "New York Central" nor any other design easily identifiable to a particular railroad.  You will however find suitable NYC, Rutland, D&H, and of course CNR and CPR locos as the GER interchanges with all of these.

To keep the over all fleet and class effect when I purchase locomotives, I always order a minimum two, usually three and if the budget can be stretched that far four of each.  If things are tight, I will add additional locos of the same class as finances permit.   I also try to add GER details to the locos so that they all look like part of the GER family.

Does anyone else have the same criteria when building a roster?  Period accurate?   Only locos and rolling stock  suitable for your era and region?   Or are most of you in the "Must have one of those" category?

[Daylight4449]

i base mine on the NYSA&W roster of the 3rd steam era.  I have 1 exception, my love for loco 142.

[jettrainfan]

Must have. I have 2 favorites, B&O & ATSF. #1 problem, Who has seen a B&O with a ATSF?! strange isn't?

[uncbob]

With my own intra state line I use anything from 440s to 484s in steam and GP20 and B23-7 in diesel

I just make sure my rolling stock is appropriate for what engine is being used

With USRA coal cars they can go from post WWI to the 60s

And being a small intra state I ran steam till the early 60s so my 52 box cars and 43 condolas are also OK 

I also have old time Billboard Boxcars for my early years post WWI

My diesels can pull the coal -box-condola  and ore cars and still be proper era

That is what is nice about owning your own line

In addition I only run my own marks on my rolling stock

[Pacific Northern]

Sorry for re-posting the following but Pacific Northern has locked the original thread.  I re-posted this as I'm interested in how other people build their locomotive or rolling stock rosters.

First, let me make it clear that the following are my preferences and are not to be taken as criticisms of those people who do things differently.

Before I even started to build the current GER, ten years before in fact, I wrote a complete corporate history detailing all routes, acquisitions and locomotive roster up to 1972, the year I planned to model and did, until Spectrum released to 2-8-0, when that all changed. 

With one or two minor tweaks, adding a small drivered 2-10-0 and Alco RS-1s and a couple of slight history changes so as to accommodate the 2-10-0s and the RS-1s, I've pretty much stuck to that history.

The history and now from that history the locomotive roster as it would have existed in 1958, have been my guide for all locomotive purchases.

I believe in trying to make the GER as believable and as realistic as my abilities allow me.  When I compiled the GER's history, I studied the motive power of the CNR and CPR in southern Quebec and used that as a guide.  "Were locos of this type and wheel arrangement used in this region of Canada and in my era?" were the questions I asked myself.  If the answer was "Yes", then I could add them to my GER roster.  However, even then, I left some types off the list as being too uncommon. CLC (Baldwin) diesels for example, I considered too uncommon for the GER roster, though I did use the aforementioned Alco RS-1s as a substitute even though none were ever sold new in Canada.

I also believe in having a fleet of locomotives, not one of each.   I don't want my crews to say something like, "Ah, here comes the 4-6-2" but rather "Here comes a 4-6-2", and if possible, I'll have at least two classes of each wheel arrangement.  The exception to this rule is yard engines.  As yard engines are typically assigned to the same yard for years having only assigned to a modelled yard is protypical.  For my yard engines I have 0-6-0, one 0-8-0 and one Alco diesel switcher.  However, this may change on the new and larger GER, once I move into the new house.

On the GER, you will not therefore find any 2-6-6-2s nor any other articulated locos as they never ran in Canada.  You'll not find anything in GER colours who's design screams "Norfolk & Western" (Much as I like the NW), or "New York Central" nor any other design easily identifiable to a particular railroad.  You will however find suitable NYC, Rutland, D&H, and of course CNR and CPR locos as the GER interchanges with all of these.

To keep the over all fleet and class effect when I purchase locomotives, I always order a minimum two, usually three and if the budget can be stretched that far four of each.  If things are tight, I will add additional locos of the same class as finances permit.   I also try to add GER details to the locos so that they all look like part of the GER family.

Does anyone else have the same criteria when building a roster?  Period accurate?   Only locos and rolling stock  suitable for your era and region?   Or are most of you in the "Must have one of those" category?

Your  historical overview is in error.  The GN ran 2-6-6-2's into Canada in the Southeast BC Coal Fields and also  serviced a couple of the copper mines in thew West Kootenays.  In addition the CPR did run an 0-6-6-0 for a short while.

[jward]

a good start for a diesel era layout would be to determine what locomotives your railroad would have bought to replace steam. that would give you an idea what your railroad would have been running in say 1960.

you can then start adding second generation locomotives like gp35s and gp40s to replace the oldest of the original fleet, deleting the less reliable first generation locomotives first, such as baldwiins and fairbanks morse. you can update the roster on a year by year basis until you get to the era you intend to model.

a few rules to go by:
1. if the railroad traded in older power for new, it was usually for locomotives from the same builder up to the mid 1960s, for example, b&o traded their ft's in on gp30s.

2. general electric didn't start building road diesels until the early 1960s. since tthere were no first generation ge's to trade in, they would accept trades from any builder.

3. in the first generation, the steam locomotive mentality of buying specific locomotives for specific jobs ruled. by the second generation, railroads were more interestedin standardization, and bought fewer different types of locomotives, but in greater quantities.

4. the most common locomotives built sold well for a very good reason: they were solid performers. any freelance railroad should roster some of these types.

5. resist the temptaion to have one of everything on your roster. it will be more convincing to have several locomotives of the same typoe, than one each of several types.

6. for those modelling a prototype railroad, keep in mind that oddballs were often concentrated in certain terminals o avoid having to stock parts for them systemwide. an example: penn central/conrail concentrated their alco century series units out of conway, pa in the pittsburgh area, and their general electric u series out of selkirk, ny (albany)

[pdlethbridge]

 I loosely base my rail-road on the Maine Central. It had a bunch of steam and diesels.
Steam includes the following, 4-4-0, 0-6-0t, 2-8-0, 2-10-0 and a 2-8-2. the tank and decapod were not actually on the MEC.
diesels include, 44 tonner, H-16-44, GP7, GP35 (2) and a SD45 with the H-16-44 not being rostered by the MEC.
If I get any more steam, it will be another 2-8-0 or a 4-6-0. Both these engines were very common on the MEC.
For diesel, it would be F units, but like the steam purchases are not in the budget.
Small engines, short cars and 22" minimum radius in 64 sq. ft.

[Nigel]

Must have. I have 2 favorites, B&O & ATSF. #1 problem, Who has seen a B&O with a ATSF?! strange isn't?

St Louis Union Station

My focus is N&W, 1950 to 1955.  I do have a couple of later diesels, and do accept demonstrators that were used during that time period.  In recent years I have cut my locomotive collection to about a quarter of its maximum count, and will probably add a few more in the future - some 4-8-0s especially.

[pdlethbridge]

picky, picky, picky, Do you count rivets too

[rogertra]

/quote]

As I was discussing Canada, I thought the implication was obvious.  Guess not. 

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

Most of my roster for B&O Steam the B&O really had. there's a few they did not have tho. The J Class(intended to represent the B&O Streamlined Pacifics as they are only available in brass), Alleghney(wanted to do it as C&O 1604, and I will probably transfer it to the C&O soon) and the Climax's. B&O had proposed a Berkshire but never built it. and the B&O owned a couple of shays. What they looked like however, I have no idea.

C&O Steam is all factory painted except my 2-8-0 and soon 4-4-0 if the pulling tests go smoothly(i have a feeling they will) i need something to pull my new C&O Roundhouse OT Coaches)

Ma & Pa Steam i have is mostly factory painted, the Ma & Pa Baltimore Terminal is about a 5 minute car ride from me. I pass it everymorning on the light rail. Goign to try to replicate(or base) a section on my layout where the B&O bridges the Ma & Pa and the Northern Central/PRR will become C&O Trackage.

I have a PCM T-1 Reading, but I have it in AFT as the AFT T-1 is deteriating in the B&O Musuem. besides thier pennsy GG1(the very one that crashed into union station) its gotta be one of the ones in the worst shape.


Rest is all pretty much for the Museum I'm going to build into my layout.

Rest of the stuff is mostly old time stuff i want to have on a museum that will be built into my layout. some of it display only, some of it pulling excursion trains.

[Jhanecker2]

I would like to run anything that ran into & through Chicago from about 1930 to the present period and beyond.   That will give me a large selection to choose from. John II.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Ma & Pa Steam i have is mostly factory painted, the Ma & Pa Baltimore Terminal is about a 5 minute car ride from me. I pass it everymorning on the light rail. Goign to try to replicate(or base) a section on my layout where the B&O bridges the Ma & Pa and the Northern Central/PRR will become C&O Trackage.

Am I correct in understanding that the streetcar museum is on the old Ma & Pa property?

Apologies for the OT question.

[Atlantic Central]

Like Roger, the roster of my ATLANTIC CENTRAL is carefully constructed to be believable for my locale and era.

The ATLANTIC CENTRAL (ACR) is set in the Mid Atlantic in 1954.

Most steam is USRA or USRA copies, suplimented by some newer power purchased in the 1940's

The moderate and continious nature of curves and grades crossing the Appalachian Mountains requires large but nimble locos. So rigid wheelbases are restricted to under 20'. No 2-10-2's, no Northerns with 80" drivers, etc.

This means that articulated locos are prefered in favor of overly large non articulated locos. But even articulated locos are restricted in rigid wheelbase, so locos like a 2-6-6-6 are used, large drivered large locos like 4-8-8-4 are not.

Like Rogers GER, the ACR buys in groups of two or more. And not every wheel arangement is liked by the chief mechanical officer so that selection is limited as well.

All locos have a family look and are given (or must have) some specific details. Almost all locos with trailing trucks have been modernized with cast Delta trailing trucks and most all tenders follow one of three basic designs.

While the following is not a complete list, it gives some idea of the "family" nature of the roster:

QA.      DISC.
2         Baldwin 4-6-0's
5         Baldwin 2-8-0's
8         USRA Heavy 4-8-2's in three different sub classes
2         USRA Heavy 2-8-2's
4         Lima Super Power 2-8-2's in two sub classes
2         USRA 2-6-6-2's
2         USRA 2-6-6-2's
2         4-8-4's built for the ACR by the Reading based on their T-1
1         Lima 2-6-6-6
1         2-6-6-4 built for the ACR by the N&W
4         USRA Light 4-6-2's in several sub classes

There are no 2-8-4's as our 4-8-2's and super power 2-8-2's perform just as well as any Berk.

There are no 2-10-0's or 2-10-2's as the 2-6-6-2's and 2-8-8-2's handle the drag freight work better on the curvy route.

All 4-4-0's have long since been sent to museums. Only the two 4-6-0's remain for light passenger duty.

Speed is important for much of the service we provide, making the 4-8-2's and the large drivered super power 2-8-2's the main power on many manifest freights.

Newly popular piggyback service is also an important part of our business, again making speed important. The 4-8-2's, SP 2-8-2's as well as the 2-6-6-6 and 2-6-6-4 are important for this service.

Diesels - since it is 1954 here we are adding diesels, mostly EMD and ALCO products, mostly cab units still run as matched sets, ABBA or ABA, etc.

EMD F3's, F7's, FP7's, E8's and ALCO PA's, FA's

Some road switchers have also been added, GP7's, RS-3's and two brand new SD9's.

The matching appearances and limited number of types gives a strong family look to the whole roster.

Sheldon

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

Ma & Pa Steam i have is mostly factory painted, the Ma & Pa Baltimore Terminal is about a 5 minute car ride from me. I pass it everymorning on the light rail. Goign to try to replicate(or base) a section on my layout where the B&O bridges the Ma & Pa and the Northern Central/PRR will become C&O Trackage.

Am I correct in understanding that the streetcar museum is on the old Ma & Pa property?




Apologies for the OT question.

yes it is.  With the exception of the roundhouse which is now the salt dome for Baltimore City.