last weekend I bought an atlas MP15DC Gold, making it my 7th engine. While I’m trying to keep the fever to a minimum I was just wondering, How many engines do the average modeler here have?
Maybe we can do a weekend photo shoot some time called “Family Picture” or something similar showing the 5 top engines in 1 photo for each shooter?
Five decent steamers, two ancient docksides from my first layout, S3 diesel switcher (I need one more), an F3 AB pair, and a bunch of old F’s and one Hudson that look OK but don’t run well enough to count.
So, all in all, eight good runners that I use regularly. You might want to differientiate between engines in a collection vs engines used on a layout if you’re going to take a poll. Some people have dozens in display cases. [:)]
Karl
Planning for 9, I know a conductorwith 72 Guilford/B&M/MEC locos…
Many more than I need.
Mark
You have to be kidding. Most modelers have no idea how many they have, and the married ones keep the totals a secret from the wife! Myself, about 35 engines. I used to have over 100 Athearn BB type engines at one time. A friend has over 200 with decoders(he is not married).
Jim Bernier
Two SD7, two NW’s, one PRR I1sa, two A E7’s, 4 F7 in ABBA… that’s about it. Oh and a test pig with a 12 volt analog chassis. I may or may not add the recent Bachmann 45 tonner and a few analog engines for club duty but those can wait until next year. All the rest are QSI sound and dcc. Im gunning for the Proto 0-6-0 PRR with the QSI to go with the PRR I1sa, if one can be found at a good cost.
I found myself with way too many engines at one point, years of selling old engines on ebay and seeding new ones with the QSI. I dont think my fleet will get larger, any new engines purchased in future will be replacements.
Im usually careful to buy engines like new or nearly so. Prices have a way of dropping off a cliff when a new generation of a type engine is announced.
Hmmmm…will have to do an inventory tomorrow, but I can tell you it will be increased by 10 by March 2009 if all of my preorders arrive around when they should [:)] Jamie
Caveat - I have been accumulating my roster, following my master plan, for 44 years now. Unlike some people here, I have never been tempted to sidetrack or scrap my old reliables.
Locomotives come in several flavors:
JNR Steam. 2-8-2s, five each; 2-6-0s, two each, 6-coupled tank locos, 2 each.
JNR Diesel-Hydraulic. B-B, five each; B-2-B, 2 each, B-C, 1 each.
JNR catenary motors. Bo+Bo, 2 each; 1-Bo+Bo-1, 2 each; 2-Co+Co-2, 2 each, Bo-Bo-Bo, four each; Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo, 1 each.
TTT steam. A motley collection of six tank locos, ranging from 0-4-0T to 0-8-0t, plus a 2-6-6-2T freelance Mallet.
Heritage steam. Six modern US prototype steam locos, mostly 4-8-4s, and a GG-1.
Kitbash fodder. Six RTR plus 3 kits, scheduled to be sliced, diced and modified into appropriate Japanese prototype 2-8-0s or imagineering projects.
Holy McGillicuddy, Moses! That’s 48 operable locos - and I didn’t even mention 3 EMU and 7 DMU with motors. (Is it a locomotive if it only moves itself and a load of passengers?) And I almost forgot the four narrow-gauge teakettles…
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with far more locos than I need.)
Thanks for noting your 45 tonner. I forgot that one in my list. That makes 8 for me. I can’t comprehend acquiring 200 Loco’s as noted earlier. I know someone with 100+. I guess if you’re in it for many years it’s not so uncommon.
Thanks for noting your 45 tonner. I forgot that one in my list. That makes 8 for me. I can’t comprehend acquiring 200 Loco’s as noted earlier. I know someone with 100+. I guess if you’re in it for many years it’s not so uncommon.
You have not even begun to get the fever. I purchased at least 7 engines at a swap meet a couple weeks ago.
First of all one would have to define what an average modeler is. Of serious model railroaders (people who this is their primary hobby and actually spend real time on it), that between 30-50 would be the average. 200 definitely NOT uncommon, it is amazing how quickly they accumulate.
Of the 27 locomotives in the photograph below over half of them are owned by one person, and the roundhouse is out of the picture to the left. Normally the diesel/turbine yard is much more crowded. Only 4 of them are mine (the 2 CB&Q E7s, and the D&RGW Alco PA/PB).
What do you mean by top 5? Five favorite? How could one possibly choose…
I have cut back in the last year on buying anything that runs on the rails. I was up to 60 engines and still have over 300 rolling stock. To think I have only been in the hobby for 3 years or just a little longer. Of the rolling stock about 70% see rail time any given time so that is around 210 of them.
On the engines, like many we pick are favorites.
1 PCM Big Boy 90% of the time
1 PCM Y6-b 98% of the time, before it had problems
1 BLI Hudson 90% of the time, sounds great and no problems, well yet.
1 BLI GE AC 6000 Blue line, 90%
1 BLI M1-A 85%
1 BLI Heavy Mike, sound stinks so 35%
1 BLI Class J, sound all so is not that great but great puller 35%
All of the above are sound engines and see the most time.
1 PK 2000 SD-7 40%
2 PK E-7’s A and B A is sound and B is powered 40% when I drag passenger cars.
2 Athearn SD-50 40%
1 Athearn Dash 9, 70% till it cooked again?
1 Athearn SD-40 2 40%
1 Atheran FP-45 25%
15, that is all my DCC engines, now for DC.
3 PK 1 F-3’s Great pullers never got around to installing decoders 20%
2 Athearn F-7 A&B both powred 20%
1 Kitbash Dash 9, 40%
1 kitbash B40-8 30%
4 PK 2 BL2 20%
So I run 26 of the current 52 at last count. I have a U-Boat and 2 E-6’s that I have not seen for a year?
Cuda Ken
Having been in this hobby for over 50 years, your question made me do some thinking. As time goes by we all seem to buy more stuff than we can ever use. The great thing about that is we get a chance to find out what works well and what does not. Since my current layout has reached a stage of completion that allows me to practice my operating plan I find myself running some favorite locomotives while everything else just sits on the shelf or in it’s box. When the guys come over, the operating plan calls for 4 sets of road power and enough yard engines for 5 other jobs excluding foreign line power that is making interchange deliveries. Like the old PRR I had to have some of everything in the diesel line and by now I have settled in to a few favorites. We usually run Atlas GP7’s mu’d in sets of 2 or 3 powered units and if we want a lot of engines on the head end we splice in a dummy geep or two. As for yard engines, the drill job usually draws a Kato NW2 or a single geep. Our utility/trimmer engine is usually a little SW-1. Another NW2 handles the industry and freight house switching while a pair of lifelike SW’s mu’d are on the interchange/delivery job. Our transfer job rates one or two Kato RS2’s. They are the friction bearing models painted in Illinois Central black. Those two are probably my favorite locomotives and were easy to paint and weather to look like the ones the IC inherited when they bought the old Peabody Short Line at E. St. Louis. Modelers have it pretty good these days and I find the Atlas and Kato engines to be the best runners. I do have 16 ICRR brass steam engines that have never seen regular service on my layout although, I do occasionally run a couple of the PFM 2-8-4’s and the Alco models 2-8-2’s The other Sunset and Hallmark brass isn’t worth the trouble. When I started in this hobby I had a couple of the old rubber band Athearn and a few Varney locomotives with egg shaped wheels.
I’ll echo the “more than I need” reply, but I love steam engines - especially brass ones. After I finished my turntable, I gathered the roster around it:
The photo is not all inclusive. At last count I have 14 brass steam locos (Four are Shays, one Heisler).
As much as I love geared steam, my NWSL USRA 0-6-0 is my prize - it once belonged to Linn Westcott - it came with a COA signed by Hariett Westcott. It has a shorter-than-stock drawbar to bring the tender a more accurate distance from the cab. I understand that this was important to Westcott, so I assume that the drawbar is Linn’s own handiwork.
I also have 2 railbuses (one brass and the other is my own kitbash.
At one time I had more locos than rolling stock - did I mention that I love brass steam engines?
I am not sure either, having recently sold quite a few; I think that I am under 100 locomotive models now. They range from an Alco Models N&W Jawn Henry to a Mantua 0-4-0T, and even include a more than a dozen diesels.
Well this is my strong point in the hobby. I am well over 400 units. Locomotives are my favorite things to collect. They are all diesels and range from D&H RS-3’s to BNSF AC4400CW’s, I love them all. My layout has a general theme so I have most on a display and they dont get run very much. I have been asked why I have so many and my answer is, because I want them, I dont need to explain it to anyone. I dont just buy any unit, I have a list of ones that I really want and if I find it and can afford it I will get it. I have been doing this for many years and they just keep adding up. I dont beleive in the phrase “thinning the collection” . Why sell any? You bought them for a reason in the first place.
I have a total of 50.
26 Athearn’s
13 Proto 2000’s
6 Bachmann’s
2 Atlas’s
1 Mehano
1 Kato
1 unknown.
In S scale I have: RTR 1 GG1, 2 SW1, 1 SW9, 1 2-8-0
Kits (to be built) 1 2-6-0, 3 2-8-0
on order RTR 2 NW2
In Sn2 I have RTR 1 brass Forney
Kits 4 Roundhouse HOn3 kits to kitbash into Sn2.
I also have 6 HO engines, 3 O engines, 1 G engine, 1 N engine.
So that makes about 25 total in all scales.
It’s more than I need, but I am sure I’ll be buying more.
Enjoy
Paul
I’m a modeler, almost all of my locos have been kitbashed, painted, lettered by me. Not shown are my steam engines, no where as many, maybe 15-20. Here are my diesels:
