Does anyone else around here have a favorite engine on their layout or collection? Are you partial to a prototye locomotive? My favorite model is my A-B set of Athearn-Genesis Burlington F-3’s, becuase they’re the 1st engines I’ve owned, and they were given to me by my parents.For the “real” railroads, the couple of Kansas City Southern SD-40-T2’s (a.k.a. Tunnel Motors) that roam around Carrollton, Illinois are great!
CB&Q rules!!![;)]
WAbash RR, too![;)]
EVERYWHERE WEST/WAY of the ZEPHYRS!!![8D]
I personally love GP-9’s and SD-9 lcos, i espeacially love the high nose, although some came without it. i personnaly own a GP-9 high nose CP-RAIL unit, and i like it the best because it is a very smooth runner
My favorites are the GP9 and the SWs, because I grew up around them.
When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to get a ride on an SP SW (1500, I can only guess, I was 13 or so at the time) and a GP9, as well as a ride in a caboose. Those memories have stuck with me since…
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to climb all over an SW9 of the Olympia and Tri-Cities railroad, and got to take a lot of pictures in and out of the cab. If I could figure out how to post a few of them here, I would.
LL Proto Y3 2-8-8-2. An eastern vistitor on my layout. This is the all around perfect model locomotive. She preforms just like a diesel. No wobble, no surging, steady slow speed, can take sharp curves, and has sufficient pick up. If only all plastic steam was up to this level…
Atlas GP38. Absolutely the best running engine straight out of the box ever made. And I’m very very disappointed in the SD35 and U30C. What happened to Atlas?
Mine is an N-scale Lifelike GP20. Smoothest runner I have, and it can crawl along at an almost imperceptible slow speed. The shell detail is very nice too. Here is a shot of it in action:
Either my Proto 1000 C-Liner A-B set in NYC livery, or my Athearn SD40T-2 in SP livery (this is one of the latest ones with the upgraded drive system). All are quiet, smooth runners - the C-Liners can haul trains that my Dash 9s struggle with. I also have a Proto 1000 Erie-Built which is equally superb. The SD40T is my most recent purchase - was lucky enough to find a store with remaining stocks of it that they’d bought as part of a clearance.
On the subject of SD40T-2s, does anyone know which pilot plough to fit? I’ve looked through the Details West website and found two or three ploughs that look close, but I’m not sure which I need. Any advice would be very welcome!
Mine is the United Goninan CV40-9i. An all Aussie locomotive with three power setting available. To looking locomotive, beats your $*@! SD70Ms and other locomotives. All the Aussie locomotives can operate in any kind of weather or situation.
Err… dunno what part of Aussie GDRMCo is from, but I’m from Melbourne, and in hot weather my Aussie commuter train is usually cancelled because the airconditioners fail. (Who would buy an airconditioner that doesn’t work in hot weather???)
I’m with MABruce - my favourite locos are my (N-scale) Lifelike GP20s. They run at least as well as my Kato and Atlas locos, but for the price of a couple of Katos I have bought a fleet of Lifelike GP20s. I’d really, really like Lifelike to bring out F7s in N scale (I hope someone at Lifelike is reading this.)
I’ve been posting about “real” SW1500’s in n scale for awhile now–glad to see I’m not alone!!! The current favorite engine I have is an Atlas B23-7 in the UP scheme. [^][#ditto][tup]
Id have to say my HO scale Boston and Maine proto2000 S-1 switcher. They hadnt come out with the decoders for the S-1,2,3and 4 switchers at the time, and I was told my only options were using an N-scale decoder or stuffing a ho size decoder into the unit. And even then i was told id probobly have electrical trouble.
So I honed out the underside of the nose and snipped the high soldering points on the decoder else it wouldnt fit, installed the new lighting, and put the ho chip in. Its neat moving her around the freight yards of the Providence Northern model RR club, and she hasn`t given me a peck of trouble.
My favorite model engine at the moment is my new BLI USRA heavy 2-8-2. I do believe the sound has something to do with that!
My favorite prototype engines are the Nickel Plate’s USRA light 2-8-2 clones. These engines were the ultimate in the USRA design, “super Mikes” if you will, with worthington feedwater heaters, booster engines, long distance tenders and enough piping to keep any true steam nut happy for years. Modeling them’s a pain tho…
Thankfully, BLI will be coming out with the USRA light Mike in the summer, so I’ll be able to have my favorite engine with sound pre-installed!
Anything that says Maine Central works for me ( but NO Guilford!! Guilford owes the town of Watreville , Maine $300K + in back taxes!! )
My favorite 2 locos are: My DAUGHTER’S ( Yes, I got her hooked too, Now, if only my wife…?) AtlasGE U23B, as I’ve never heard a quieter locomotive, and the Athearn Genesis F3A(Maine Central, of course), which is wating for me at my LHS. I really am not wild about F units, but the detail is superb, so , I JUST HAD TO GET IT !!!
