Whats your favorite unit train to run?
If I myself had a model layout to run it would most guarantee be a loaded coal train with a pair BNSF SD70MAC’s on the point.
BNSF RAILFAN.
How could you leave out the reefer blocks!?
A long string of dirty transition era reefers. Sweet.
Transition era, what about the Santa Fe Spud Special? ACJ.
A 36-car ore train plus caboose, pulled by two C44-9Ws, all decorated for SP.
Did SP really run ore trains anywhere? I don’t know, but I do it anyway.
Double stack container train. I run a mix of piggyback and double-stack cars in my “Intermodal” set - basically one 3-unit drawbar double stack set, one 5-unit articulated double stack, two Walthers 5-unit spine cars and a 5-unit Impack set. I haul this with an Athearn Dash 9, Athearn AC4400, and Bachmann Dash 8, all in CSX livery - looks very impressive, now I just need to build a proper layout for it!
I would like to run a nice string of RoadRailers.
[8]TrainFreak409[8]
Definently one of the coolest things in transition era modeling, although a 100 car train or 40’ boxcars ain’t bad, either.
It gets even better when a string of Alcos, ABBA F units, or Superpower steamers are on the point.[:D]
A long cane rake hauled by a new E.M Baldwin, Clyde or Comeng B-B with a mid train helper and a brake car bringing up the rear with a flashing EOR light.
Since I live near RoadRailer territory I’ll say Road Railer’s
I wanted to vote for Intermodal/TOFC, Intermodal/COFC, and Double-stack simultaneously. Can you figure out that I model 1999?
There is a branch line from just South of Staunton Illinois that runs north to a mine. There is only one train a day. It heads into the mine, loads up and heads south. In Benld, IL is a small park. The tracks run over a very weak looking bridge, but you can get right beneath the train. The kids love it!!
i would have to say i like the BNSF earthworm train made up of those brown trinity hoppers. slap a couple of ac4400’s or dash 9’s on each end, and maybe a couple in the middle and you have one good looking train.
and yes, the Southern Pacific did run ore trains up into the early 90’s i think. maybe they ended in the late 80’s. they ran from a mine near Indio, California over Beaumont hill to a mill in the Los Angeles area somewhere. i think a normal train had anywhere from 7 to 12 locomotives on it.
cmj89 Who was that back in the 40’s that ran that practice with the solid string of refer box cars back in the 40’s? Was it the AT&SF or was it the SP? I think it was the SP?
BNSFrailfan.
I love csx double stacks and tofc trains. I would love to run a 50 car intermodal stack train using mostly Intermountain twinstacks hauled by 2 Broadway Limited CSX AC6000CWs.
Actually, I think both of those roads did that. AggroJones models the Santa Fe and EsPee, maybe he can confirm this for you.
Santa Fe ran the long reefer blocks across the desert. Sometimes just a solid string of ATSF lettered ones.
Southern Pacific co-owned PFE with Union Pacific, which also operated a huge fleet of reefers.
I choose the Mixed Freight because you never know what’s going to be on that type of train.
Altough I vote Double Stack because of the colorful variety of names they bring every day, I like the TankTrain very much and I wish someone would produce the recent type we are seeing right now on unit trains like Ultramar’s UltraTrain (usually pulled by a pair of CN SD75is or C44-9Ws or a combination of both). MDC’s models are from an older type and do not represent the large interconnecting hoses the new ones have.
Martin
Québec City
I assume you mean on a model railroad. No matter where, coal train. By far the easiest to run on the prototype and looks pretty darn good too.