Even though I have been looking at a Rio Grande Loco, if i decided to go with GP40-2 Richmond Fredericksburg DCC Loco, then I could not really go with a real modern layout right? I mean i read somewhere that they were bought out by CSX in the 80’s or 90’s? Does the layout have to be exact (time wise) or do people sometimes just build layouts using what things they like? I know that its my layout and I could do what I want, but I would hate to take some pictures of it up and running and have someone say: (That engine did not run that setup, and that’s the wrong year for that building), so on and soforth. Just trying to get a feel for what most people are doing.
7793:
Some people do run the variety pack, and I don’t think there’s many of us obsessive enough to eliminate everything that won’t fit. Some of us have our own fictional railroads, or even locations. A few people build imaginative recreations of what a bygone “fallen flag” railroad might be like today. It is your railroad, after all. You don’t have to make Pot Yard a shopping mall [:(].
There will always be critics, particularly on the Intertubes. This forum is openminded to a fault compared with some. They are best dealt with by an advanced technique called “ignoring”. Some of the loudest critics only criticize because they’re not happy with themselves, and turn the resulting aggressions outwards. In Real Life, most people who see your railroad will be utterly bowled over, if it’s done with any care at all. Then they will either want to pick everything up, or ask you how much it cost. [:I]
At the same time, from D&RGW to RF&P? They’re both cool, but very different (though not entirely unlike each other in some ways). I really feel, more strongly than before, that you would do well to think hard about your likes and dislikes, and perhaps start with inexpensive though good models, bef
When i think of a layout i think of freight, maybe the outskirts of a town with a intermodal station. I want a nice selection of cars in the train, like auto carriers, gondolas, box cars, truck/train, railroaders, coal, so on. I like the Richmond locos as well as i like the Rio, its all visual with me. Im just asking all these questions before i commit any money. (thats not true, i did already buy a coal car, and two auto carriers).
Bear in mind that RF&P GP40-2’s were not equipped with Dynamic brakes, restrict it to a trailing unit that was borrowed to move that traffic over the Front Range. If SP could mix and match leased Amtrak FP40’s with everything in it’s motive power arsenal, why can’t you.
Dave
Both railroads carried a lot of fast bridge traffic, so they’d both be good for that. The D&RGW hauled a lot of coal. The RF&P hauled some, I think. If you’re a strongly visual person, the Grande had beautiful western settings in which its colors looked fantastic, and connected with the WP, whose diesels were equally lovely. The RF&P was eastern, and a lowland railroad,but had a lot of neat urban scenery.
If you model the early 80s Rio Grande, you can even run the Rio Grande Zephyr. They still hadn’t joined Amtrak at that point…but if you model a pre-1979 RF&P, you can do likewise; the Southern Crescent used its rails IIRC.
If you look back at the steam era, the RF&P had really nice-looking locomotives with more elaborate paint than most roads went for, and at least some had names. The Grande had great steam, too, however, and it had to work hard.
What sort of scenery do you prefer? Western or Eastern? City, mountains, forests?
who would they mix and match with for example?
What sort of scenery do you prefer? Western or Eastern? City, mountains, forests?
I would like a small town, but big enough to support some type of intermodal or trailer train operation