I enjoy repairing, kit-bashing and scratch-building locomotives. So once one project is done its on to the next.
I suppose I’m one of those guys most people think has to many locomotives, But I own what I like and I like what I own. I am what I am.
Here’s a few links to some of my latest projects.
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10856
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10032
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10858
A really loaded question! On my railroad, 8 to 9 engines will operate it. Now I suspect I can get all 23 engines on the track at once, but I would have lots of track tied up just to park them.
Jim Bernier
Hey, man… locomotives are where it’s at! It’s what the hobby is all about. The more the better! 
How many engines do I “need”? Well, to operate my layout at full capacity (one 24-hour cycle), I’ll need the following:
NKP:
three westbound time freights
one westbound passenger train
two westbound extra freights
two eastbound time freights, each of two sections
one eastbound passenger train
one eastbound extra
one local switch engine in Bloomington
two spare engines to handle overloads or breakdowns
P&PU:
five switch engines (east yard, west yard, passenger yard, freights, interchanges)
IC:
one Bloomington local engine
one Peoria interchange engine
one Peoria passenger engine
GM&O:
one Bloomington local engine
one F3 ABA set for Peoria traffic
TP&W:
one East Peoria interchange engine
one F3 AB set for through traffic
PRR:
two freight engines
P&E:
two freight engines for Bloomington
one Bloomington switcher
one passenger engine
one Peoria local freight engine
C&IM:
one passenger engine
one time freight engine
one drag freight engine
one interchange engine from each of the following roads:
ATSF, CB&Q, C&NW, M&StL, CRI&P
OK, that’s a grand total of 45 engines, with 38 of them steam.
Unfortunately, my roster is made up of about 150 engines, with over 100 steam. Only about 30 of the engines I’ve got now are good for the roster I’ve got in mind for operations, meaning I’ll need ANOTHER 15 engines. Oh, and since I’m a dedicated steam junkie, I’ll be picking up one or two stray engines along the way…
I am trying to thin down my roster however. I’ve got more than 50 engines that are in the “sell” pile. I’m just waiting for the local shows in December and April to roll around before I can make some ca***o buy more engines!
Addicting, isn’t it?
I’ve got more locos than I “need” for my current layout, but I don’t always want to run the same locomotive. I started out a little indiscriminate, since I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do in the hobby, and so my roster is a little top-heavy. Let’s see…right now I think I have:
Sacramento Northern:
2 44-ton GE (one black, one Zephyr)
1 SW-7 (not prototype, it is numbered as an SN S-1, too cute to pass up)
1 Baldwin-Westinghouse Type E steeplecab
2 single-truck Birney “safety car” trolleys
Central California Traction:
1 70-ton GE (painted but not lettered)
Western Pacific:
1 GP-7
1 S-1
Southern Pacific:
1 GP-7
1 F-unit of indeterminate parentage, with damage
1 unassembled 2-8-0 oil-burner I got with a box of assorted stuff
I also have a Proto 1000 F-3 that I eventually want to paint for SN, a couple of spare Bachmann 44 and 70 tonners to cannibalize for traction motors, and a few Bachmann Brill trolleys for kitbashing purposes.
One’s need for locomotives can multiply based on situation–if I want to run electric, I use the B-W and run the Birney as a way to interfere with a switching schedule, with wood-sided boxcars. If I want to run early diesels I have the 44 and 70 tonners, and if I want later power I have the SW-7, S1 and GP-9 (hey, for me that is later power–the latest era I model is around 1970.) The structures don’t really have to change much, I just swap out car models to reinforce an era’s feel.
Extra engines are also nice for interchange traffic or having to wait for a crossing to clear during an operation session.
But, in essence, trains are kind of like guns. Few people really need more than one or two firearms, but once you start buying them you almost invariably start buying more. Gee, I have a home-defense pistol but I could use a target pistol for the range, and a Magnum revolver because they’re fun, and a .22 because they’re ch