As I plan to revamp my 4’ by 7’ fold down layout, I am looking at two ideas. First is a layout built around an engine I bought at a show this past spring. She is a ex-B&O 2-8-0, beautifully painted and weathered, PFM sound installed ect. Lettered for the late modelers southern Indiana based short line. I have considered doing a southern Indiana coal or limestone branch line in the late steam era, running with second hand power, struggling to make a go out of a nearly abandon branch line. Second idea was to trade off the previous engine for one of the little PFM A&LM ten wheelers and do a railway based on that shortline. Not sure how feasible the first one is. But it would use an exhisting engine I have, along with it sound/throttle for it. I would just need rolling stock and structures, along with new track. I must say that I do enjoy the look of weed grown right of way. Mike
With this problem better thee then me. [swg]
Both of those locomotives are mighty fine lookers.
However…
I would favor the A&LM 4-6-0 for a second hand locomotive…
If I traded the 2-8-0 for the A&LM, the model railway would be based on the A&LM in the 1920’s when they ran both freight and a single passenger train each day.
So the options are (1) a fictional short-line in a geographically interesting area where a great deal of modeling flexibility is possible VS (2) Obtaining a new locomotive specific to one area where a modeler would always be “bumping” into photos and data about the actual locations. OR, another way of looking at your options would be (1) a model locomotive that you know and which operates well with sound VS (2) obtaining another old brass engine that may have quirks and be in need of service and/or paint.
Those PFM A&LM 4-6-0’s are beautifully proportioned and they tend to be very durable and reliable operators, but they are still older models.
A bird in the hand vs one in the bush. The devil you know vs the devil you don’t.
I think that saving the money for a different locomotive, but perhaps building a station modeled after an A&LM prototype building might be a good start. No one would likely complain if that station showed up in Southern Indiana at a town with a fictional name…
Bill
I have had one of the ten wheelers in the past, they are very nice runner, Fujiyama was one of Japan’s finest builders. I dont mind having to paint and install PFM sound, that is just busy work that I enjoy. I have plenty of time to consider options. A smaler engine, like the A&LM ten wheeler, does lend itself to a smaller layout. Mike
Hi emdmike
Tough choice rather you than me.
Me I would try and steal some extra space from somewhere somehow so I could keep the larger loco.
Choose structures I liked to fit the theme have the passanger train, and a beat up combine on the back of the other trains to squeeze out that extra 50c or $1 in revenue out of the other train’s.
You could even go weird on us and have a shay instead, one of the DVD’s I have is about US short lines down in the Southern states.
There is one where the one short line owned locomotive is a shay and believe me the track conditions need one to keep running trains.
Just a thought[}:)].
regards John
PS You forgot option three hidden loco storage so you can have all two or three loco’s for a bit of variety, with only one in use and view at any given time
No extra space to use. Room is a dual purpose room so the layout has to be able to fold up. The room itself is only 8 foot by 9 foot in size. So even the 4x7 is a tight fit. I am leaning toward the A&LM or posibily the East Jordan and Southern, a Michigan shortline that used a single 2-6-0 in its final days to pull a mixed train. The little mogul is very close to the Wabash mogul thats been done in brass. Just have to update the domes to smooth style and change out the crossheads to the single bearing (Lariad(sp) style) cross heads. Both easy modifications for me. Mike
Hi emdmike
Are you able to gain track miles by going up?.
On the DVD I have the short lines all seemed to be in hilly country may be advantage taken of that can gain some track milage.
At least the freight cars will be easy hoppers from what ever your favorite mainline company is to run down to an interchange and a couple of passanger cars and a couple of odd other cars for a little variety and may be a caboose.
From the DVD hope you are good at making trees as well your going to need a lot of them.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with as its just a little bit different as far as theme goes.
regards John
I can do an over an under track plan, but keep in mind the total height of any scenery that is permanent on the layout, is 10 inches. Anything taller has to be removed in order to fold the layout closed. I am able to swap the 2-8-0 for the little ten wheeler, so I am thinking of doing that. From my reading, many small southern shortlines used little to no ballest and ran mostly ten wheelers, like the Arkansas Louisana & Missouri. Just very few pics exhist of that line during the steam era, mostly of thier steam engines. Mike
Hi emdmike
Over and under will work thats good you might need a 1/2 spagetie track plan.
But with a bit of scenery clever cloggs out of the box thinking that can be hidden.
Had a very crazy thought re height problem 10" isn’t much for hills etc, you could if necsasary make removable hill tops out of fiberglass and have them just held in position with dowels thus easy to remove before folding up.
And hill tops hopefully don’t get broken in storage between operating sesions
The more I hear about your ideas and the challanges it presents the more interesting it sounds
I do hope you can make it all work so you can show us.
Sorry about c##p spelling.
It seems steam went a lot longer on the short lines than the main line RR so your time frame is quite broad for steam that could produce some very interesting looking trains that would never be seen anywhere else.
regards John