Hi everyone, this is my first post since I joined the forum, I also started to subscribe to MRR today and I really like this site and all. Please do exscuse me if my language is not perfect since I’m from Sweden.
I would like to have some help, can anyone here tell me wich american locomotives and cars that would be suitable for either a 1860-1880 layout or an 1920-45 dito.
I have basically just access to Bachmann, Brawa, Kato and Athearn but I can ofcourse always order from the U.S if I’m in a pinch(especially cars wich are easier to fix). I want perhaps 5-6 passenger cars and about 20 freightcars. I have a Roco digital system running on my layout. Links to pictures would be very nice.
Any book sugestions on American railways would be very nice aswell.
Thanks for any help, Magnus
P.s Edited both title and text to avoid misunderstanding(swedi***o english mixup from my side)
Since you didn’t list it, I’m assuming you’re talking about HO scale. You list two distinctly different eras there. First the 1860 to 1880 era would be small locomotives and short cars (wagons as you call them) both freight and passenger. The most common road locomotive around 1860 was the 4-4-0 American type, usually with a small diameter, tapered or stepped boiler. Any DCC or digital system of control would present a real challenge as far a getting the decoder inside such a small engine. With few exceptions, all cars were wood construction, including the frame and main parts of the trucks (bogies), with truss rods running underneath to support the center of the floor.
The 1920 to 1945 era was known as the golden age of railroads in the US. Larger, faster, more powerful locomotives, but what was known as superpower was just getting started in the middle of this time period. Since they are longer (both cars and locos), they will need wider curves to look and operate right. If you’re limited for space and have to use tight curves, the 1860-1880 era might be a better choice.
I meant this just as an overview, to give you some very broad things to think about. If you narrow your thoughts down a bit, we may be able to be more specific.
Thanks for an excellent reply. I have given it some more thought, I thought about doing a 1891 setup and build a railroad to Deadwood. The other alternative is somewhere in the south in the 1940´s to get to do a lot of swamp and interesting terrain. Both setting would include perhaps one large industry/mine and several smaller industrial and passenger sites made out of small loggingcamps or small stations to pick up meat and furs from the local hunters.
It is as you pointed out HO we are talking about and I want steamtrains, even though I do find your american diesels much more beautiful then the european ones. I have also been thinking about the 1960´s with grainsilos and perhaps a midwestern motif, but for all of the alternatives I want the feeling of a society in decline. An area wich people are leaving behind to get, think country songs about the last train having left town. When I sit in my garage and listen to country music(wich I do) I just want that country feeling to emerge.
Ah - then a late 1960s Northeast US major city would be great for your layout - during the period late 1950s to late 1970s many people and industries fled the major Northeast and Midwestern industrials centers, some for nearby suburbs, but many more for the South and West. These cities were losing population, tax base, commerce, housing (to arson) and things looked bleak (sad to say New York City was kinda of a poster child for this under the 2nd Lindsey and Abe Beame mayoral administrations - even major urban renewal projects like Lincoln Center got off to a rocky start).
Now, take northeast New Jersey 1969 - Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, etc - specifically Central Railroad of NJ - a railroad deep in debt, losing money, soldiering on with substandard trackage and poorly maintained equipment - still lots of urban industries to keep it interesting, but pleny of abandoned factories and warehouses (and housing too). Lots of freight was also lost to trucks. In this period, CNJ, PC, Leigh Valley, Erie also had to maintain long distance passenger service at their own cost (and this was mostly a money loser), and commuter (often subsided by state governments to an extent). By this time note that many ladings formerly associated with the railroads had more or less disappeared or switched to truck (local coal dealers; stockyards; milk and dairy products; LCL (less than carload) freight - the local freight station), but much of the associated unused infrastructure still remained, often in major disrepair.
Very good points, I think that you understood my point very well. What trains would you then recomend for such a layout in decline? I would need perhaps two diesels and some freight cars to begin with? Any good U.S retailer that sends to EU. I think that on freightcars they will be cheaper to buy in the U.S and take the hit on customs rather then buy them here. On the engines them selfs I feel a little bit more hesitant since if there is a problem they will be hell to fix. I really love this hoppercar http://www.kadee.com/ca/50ton/50ton.htm so any locomotive that matches and any good place to get them from cheaply would be nice?
I model 1885 and can tell you your choices are currently limited. Bachman has a 4-4-0 Jupiter that can be modified to work well. IHC makes several road names in a 4-4-0 and later this year, Roundhouse is coming out with a 4-4-0.
MDC Roundhouse just came out with ready to run DCC ready 2-6-0s and 2-8-0s just before they were acquired by Horizon, and can be had on eBay if you work at it. OF course there are several kits that can also still be found on eBay.
Musket Miniatures are the best source of wagons, but I don’t remember any passenger wagons. Stagecoaches appear on eBay quite frequently.
For modeling the rust belt in decline, you can’t beat the early 1970s before Conrail. Pick a road east of the Mississippi River, and model it accurately: PC, LV, E-L, Reading, Rock Island, Milwaukee…all were in big trouble, and about to fail. You’ll be able to model both shiny and new second generation diesels, as well as about to die first generation Geeps, F-units and E’s, as well as the last of the Alcos, Baldwins and F-M engines. Just about everything was dirty, patched together, and falling apart. Penn Central had cars derailing in yards, while they were standing still!
Choices, choices, choices. I was wondering how much space you had to devote to a layout. If it is limited to a small room, I’d recommend a shortline railroad if I wanted both passenger and freight traffic. I’d lean toward a shortline in the 1930s (talk about being in decline!). Here, passenger service could be one or two passenger cars pulled by a steam locomotive, a mixed freight/passenger train trailed by a combination baggage/coach car, or a self-contained gasoline railbus or a diesel “doodlebug”. Locomotives would be like 2-8-0s, 2-6-0s, 2-6-2s, and 4-4-0s. There are a number of prototypes, especially in the southeastern U.S., including swampy areas. Unfortunately, I have little info on those since I’m focused on western U.S. I suggest you get some books on the subject. You gotta be careful on selecting your rolling stock, particularly freight cars. Most models are post-1930s prototypes.
Had a college class on the Svenska language 40 years ago, but can’t hardlly remember any of it now. Hope to visit your country in the next year or two.
Magnus,
As for books I highly recommend “Mixed Train Daily” by Lucius Beebe. It is a classic, first published I think in 1953, but republished in 1961. It will provide a lot of inspiration. There is also the book “Shortline Railroads of Arkansas”, but I haven’t seen it. Both books are available from www.thewhistlestop.com in Pasadena, CA. The prices are $45 and $30, respectively. These books should put you in the right direction if you’re interested in shortlines.
Mark
Second, I would like some tips on actual models if anyone got any, I have recently started up in the hobby as an adult rather then the kid I was 25 years ago when I last had a train. I also have very little knowledge of american trains so any links to specifiv products would be highly apreciated.
The Kadee car is the best detailed, but both of the other cars are MUCH more affordable.
What are you looking for? Modern or steam-era? Easy to build, mid-range, or very accurate? There are LOTS of US prototype manufacturers out there, and a lot of different products. One of the best places to start looking around is on the NMRA’s manufacturer website links directory, which I believe is the largest of its kind online:
At this stage I’m looking to easily constructed or even finished models since I’m new in the hobby and don’t want to go overboard. I think that I would like to go for either 1930-45 or possible early diesels(50’s?). Preferably a mix would be nice. A small train line running some passengers but mostly freight along a line is what I’m looking for. Industry should be mining and loging.
Where is the cheapest place you know that got those loverly athearns coalhoppers? Freight can be rather high but that I’m ready to except.
So in conclusion: What I want sugestions about!
Steam engine and cars, both passenger and freight, 1930’s
Diesels dito, 1950-1970
Industry buildings and general buildings of the respective eras.
4884Bigboy Magnus is referring to Passenger Cars (Wagons) and Freight Cars (Goodst ransport)
MAGNUS A big welcome to the MRR forum.[#welcome][#welcome] I was just showing my wife what the forum topics are all about when she spotted that you are from Sweden, so are her ancestors. Her Grandfather came from Malmo, and her Grandmother came from Vallosa. ( Swanson & Ohlander )
There is so much information to digest, so just take it “slow and easy.” Half the fun of modeling is doing research. Buy and read some books. Get some catalogs. Keep on asking questions! (I spend 20% of my hobby funds on research as compared to “acquiring physical things.”)
Question: is “Magnus” the same as “Maximus” as in Roman times, as in the move The Gladiator?
Nice to see that people have either a small knowledge in swedish or have relatives from here, this must be a great place. Malmo is often referd to by us northern swedes as danish since they talk, acording to us and not in reality a bit weird. Also we took it from the danes a few hundred years ago so it’s hardly Sweden proper! [:D] My parent in laws are just moving back from france to Malmo or the vicinity of it.
Magnus means the big one and I don’t think it have anything to do with maximus. Even though they are both latin names. Swedish is otherwise a germanic languague very closely related to norwegian and danish. That is why some swedes while on the internet claim they know a lot of languagues, most of them being languagues that we have free.
Grayfox1119, I do not know what Vallosa is? What part of Sweden is it? Or is it perhaps just a small comunity? Those names sure sound swedi***hough but I wonder if Swanson is a english version of a swedish names since I never met any swede by that name, he could have been called Svensson and changed it when he came to America. Svensson is our equivelent to your Smith, basically a lot of people have that name.
Any more tips on reading or stores?
The more I think about this the more I want a railroade with plenty of options, when did diesels make there aperance on American railroads.
The first diesels on US railroads were switchers, during the late 1920s. There were increasing numbers of road diesels - mainly streamlined passenger units - in service by WW2. The most significant diesels of the period, the EMD FT and the Alco RS-1, were both well established by the end of the war.