Finding Information About Bachmann and Non-Bachmann cars/engines/locomotives

[john.001]

Where can a person locate specific information about older HO Scale cars/engines/locomotives?  Specifically:

Full Sized/Real World

1.  Dates/history of the unit/car/engine/locomotive

HO Scale Information

2.  Service Type (e.g., freight, passenger, MOW (whatever that is)
3.  Reporting Mark
4.  Road Number (if not on the unit); AAR Code, etc.

I've acquired several "new" old units (e.g., Virginian (VGN) 2610) Hopper 344C apparently by Tyco), BN 100024 (box car) again, apparently by Tyco, etc.  Surely, there's some specific www site or book. 

[richg]

Very easy. Use the below search engines. I do that a lot. I have accumulated a few hundred URL's with good model railroad and prototype railroads. The downside you might say is organizing your Favorites to easily find the URL you want at the moment.

http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en

http://search.yahoo.com/web?fr=yfp-t-701

http://www.scroogle.org/

Rich

[jward]

post what you are specifically looking for here, and we'll try to answer your questions....

as for diesels, here are some ballpark figures:

cab type (f7) emd: 1940-1980
cab type, non emd 1945-1970 (alco fa, baldwin shark)
switcher type (emd) 1940-present
switcher type-alco 1940-1980
switcher type baldwin & others 1940-1970
road switcher type, emd high hood 1950-1990s
road switcher type emd low hood 1960-present
road switcher type, baldwin, fm 1945-1975
road switcher type, alco rs2, rs3 1945-1975
road switcher type, alco high hood 1955-1980
road switcher type, alco low hood 1960-1985
ge u series 1960-1990
ge dash 7 series 1977-2005
ge dash 8 series 1984-present
ge dash 9 series and ac series 1995-present
ge evolution series 2005-present
emd, mlw wide cab (canada) 1970s-present
emd, ge wide cab 1990-present

please note that these are ballpark figures for when these locomotives were used on the major railroads. they are for the most part accurate within a couple of years.