Today I just have questions about some random stuff:
– How many folks have wives who are actually into the hobby (as opposed to just being tolerant-- which is pretty lucky all by itself! Was your wife into the hobby before she met you?
– If you’ve been a Model Railroader for a long time, more than a couple of decades, how do you regard your older locos and rolling stock versus the stuff available today? I’m not really asking your opinion of the quality per se-- at least, not of the new stuff-- or the price or anything like that-- but rather do you have any plan or desire to “upgrade” your equipment to something newer or are you fine with the old stuff? Do you run the old and the new together? Or do you mostly put the old stuff away and only run the new?
– What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever modeled (or seen modeled, or want to model) for a train layout? (Do you have pictures???
– Does your layout (or the one you’re planning) have a “season” of the year? If so, how is it manifested on your layout? Do you think its important to show a season? Or do you prefer a more generic look that could be any season?
– Which locomotive in your locomotive roster (or planned roster) is your favorite? What about your rolling stock?
– What part of your layout is your most favorite? (For whatever reason)
As always, I’m looking forward to your thoughts and comments!!
I am just getting back into the hobby but still have all my stuff from the 70’s and 80’s. While I can’t answer many of the questions you ask, I can answer the one about seasons. My last layout in the late 80’s was a winter layout. Most eveything had white on it in some form. For the layout I am starting I am aiming for a mid-autumn approach. This will allow for some trees that are still green, but alot of color also. For the higher elevations I am thinking of having trees that have already lost most or all of their foliage and possibly one of those early season snowfalls. I am thinking of having a pumpkin farm to add to the mid-October flair as well as signage announcing the upcoming Halloween parade or Trick or Treat.
My wife ‘bent the twig’ in July 1960, with a birthday gift kit that came together as a ‘generic Japanese’ 2-6-4T. Her personal passion is golf.
Rolling stock currently on the rails (on layout or in cassettes) has ‘in-service’ dates from 1948(!) to 2009, and all units are operable and operating. The only ‘upgrade’ most have had is conversion to Kadee couplers. The ‘stuff I mostly put away’ is a nostalgia collection of US prototype - Four 4-8-4s, a 2-10-4, a GG-1 and a few freight cars with club heralds and reporting marks. Anything Japanese or freelance is run, regardless of age.
An operating TBM, to be visible through a window in the fascia - part of a double-tracking project in progress. Second place goes to an operating pile driver. I have the pile driver, but the benchwork where it (and the TBM) will be in use has yet to be erected.
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– Does your layout (or the one you’re planning) have a “season” of the year? If so, how is it manifested on your layout? Do you think it
If you’ve been a Model Railroader for a long time, more than a couple of decades, how do you regard your older locos and rolling stock versus the stuff available today?
I don’t set differences in my stuff…My old and new runs together.
A personal opinion.
I never fell into the “replace with new and improved” trap…My old BB GP7s and SW7 still serves me well and will continue to so till my passing or I get to old and feeble to model…
What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever modeled (or seen modeled, or want to model) for a train layout?
The oddest was a HOn30 layout that served a gravel pit…This was built in the 60’s using AHM Minitrains on a 4’x4’ layout…Sorry no pictures.
Does your layout (or the one you’re planning) have a “season” of the year? If so, how is it manifested on your layout? Do you think its important to show a season? Or do you prefer a more generic look that could be any season?
Absolutely-summer time.I believe showing a season is a automatic thing once you start using ground foam and trees.
As far as a generic look one could use that approach on a switching a ISL.
Which locomotive in your locomotive roster (or planned roster) is your favorite? What about your rolling stock?
That will be my Atlas C&O RS1 in HO…I am thinking about adding sound to this unit…I would sell all my HO and N Scale before I
Very good discussion points all, however I particularly wanted to respond to your second inquiry. When I was younger, around 1968-1969, my Dad and I would go to several of the Woolworth stores around town, as they would have a “half price train sale” the week between Christmas and New Years. Mostly it was Rivarossi (IHC) passenger cars and locos, as well as some buildings.
My Dad is long gone now, but it has been a real labor of love over the years as I take these cars and add Kadee couplers, metal wheels, interiors, weight, etc. It is very nostalgic, and I end up with some not bad looking models to boot. Several of the buildings are on my current layout, again with details and lighting added.
That’s a negative. Or, maybe not. I like my layout to be “just so,” and I’m not sure I would be happy compromising my plans or my standards. So, having it to myself isn’t so bad, really. Tolerant, and barely so, I guess.
My “older stuff” was from the 1950s and early 60s. It had been in boxes for decades. I had great plans to put decoders in my old engines and run them. Of the 10 or so engines, only one ran well enough to work with a decoder, and that one was so noisy that it would have drowned out any sound units running. So, I kept a couple of shells, and turned other engines into dummies. Most of the rolling stock, though, has been upgraded with Kadees, and new wheels and/or trucks as required.
That’s easy. I’ve got subways, with the stations and tunnels all modeled, and all running beneath the “regular” train layout.
I guess it’s summer, but not by design. The grass is dark green. The trees are in full leaf, but I don’t have fall colors. The people are comfortably dressed, but mostly without coats.
That’s tough. I’m often happiest with my newest acquistion, or whatever engine I just added sound to, but the one I come back to is
4- I usually prefer to model spring or summer when things are green.
5- My favorite loco is an HO Oriental Limited 2-4-4-2 that I added DCC and sound to. My favorite piece of rolling stock is a home road (Chesapeake & Atlantic) caboose that I installed marker lights to, and control them with a DCC decoder in the caboose.
6- I’m not sure I have a favorite part of my layout, although it may be the part with the most scenery on it, or closest to being complete.
I enjoy a lot of the old stuff, “upgrading” not by REPLACING but by rebuilding, redetailing etc. I enjoy “Atlas First Generation” as kitbashing stock. Arnold Rapido from 1970 is a little wierd with trucks and couplers to rebuild unless something I just can’t get otherwise. Like reaming down cast steel truck posts on Arnold Rapido 2-bay covered hoppers and replacing with bolster parts which I don’t think I can get anymore.
I enjoyed rebuilding an old Atlas reefer, catalog #2393, that came lettered for Railway Express, which I don’t think had any 40 foot reefers like this. Used it for a Santa Fe RR-38 which had a diamond grid pattern steel roofwalk unlike any plastic OR etched metal part. I constructed the pattern in Photoshop and printed it out, glued on sanded down conventional plastic roofwalk part. Roof detail changes with inboard walks and rooftop reporting marks for the icing crews. And the thing-a-ma-jig over the truck to pick up truck power for mechanical circulation fans. This kind of “upgrade” is more fun than spending money.
She finds it interesting but has no interest in actually “doing” anything herself.
Been modeling since 1968, still run the stuff I built then, no plans to replace or “upgade” or shelve any of it. My standards were high than, so the stuff I built still holds up today.
I try to model ordinary, so I’m at a loss on this one.
Early fall in the Mid Atlantic, 1954. Yes I think it makes for better scenes.
Its a tie between the fleet of USRA Heavy Mountains and the EMD F7’s. My fleet of early piggyback cars and passenger cars get tthe tie for rolling stock - Both are modified/kitbashed/supe
I once tried to construct an articulated steam engine out of two Tyco “Chatanooga” 0-8-0’s Never got too far with it, but I did get the boilers sorta spliced together. It would have been a complete monstrosity. I still have it somewhere. I’ll try to dig it up and post a pic.
The reasoning behind this was, of course, money. This was back in the early 90’s before affordable, quality plastic steam started to come out. I couldn’t afford a brass one, so I thought I’d give this a try.
My wife got me started with a train set one Christmas. Once in the beginning she expressed a desire to build the Campbell Iowa Schoolhouse, I promptly bought it for her, but it is unbuilt some 35 years later. Otherwise she tolerates it.
Old or new doesn’t matter. I buy older craftsman kits of wood with metal parts when I can find them - which isn’t often in S.
The most unusual thing I’ve heard of (never seen) and plan to include in my next layout is a reverse banked curve.
The season will be late summer/early fall.
My favorite locomotive is my MDC Boxcab Diesel - even though I’m in S now, I still get it out and run it from time to time. My favorite freight car is the old NMRA Bulletin car I made using paper sides printed in the Bulletin and scratch building the rest…
I retired last March and moved to my retirement home. I need to semi-finish the basement this fall before starting my next layout. So I don’t have a part yet, much less a favorite.
My wife is extremely supportive, but not into the hobby. Thankfully, she has her hobbies, and being retired, neither money/time/space is an issue with us. Thank Goodness!
I’ve been into HO for 5 decades, actually 50 years this year. I’ve sold and upgraded locos a number of times (thanks to Ebay) and my oldest locos today are Atlas RSx models. Rolling stock is another thing, and I have a number of cars from primarily the '70s that have been upgraded. Given that I model the '40s/'50s, I have pretty much whatever I’ll need already (except that brown/orange IC RPO car).
I always figured my outhouses were unusual but today you see more and more of them.
I model the ATSF (minor in IC) with a generic midwest/Texas location. The season is “summer”, reminding me of trainwatching at its best when I was young.
My favorite steamer is the ATSF BLI 4-8-4 w/DCC & Sound. It is awesome to me! My favorite diesels are all the various ATSF F type units, and my P2K IC E7s. But I have to say, I like them all. Rolling stock is all good looking to me, be it a string of tankers or reefers or coal cars. Passenger cars of the ATSF warbonnet scheme and the IC chocolate & orange still bring a smile to me.
My current layout is under construction, but somewhat resembles my previous one (1993-2008). Quite honestly I really liked all the areas, be it loco terminals, stations, farm, industries, whatever. On this new layout I will install a replica of my Grandmom’s house (see my avatar) upon whose porch I sat in the '40s/'50s and watched the IC trains roar by on the “racetrack” across the road.
Yes my wife is into the hobby. She has a keen eye for landscaping and it’s alway nice to have a second opinion.
Nothing really unusual on my layout, just lots of modern era Mohave desert scenery. Mostly Cajon Pass and Bartsow area type of landscape.
Favorite locomotive is my MTH SD70Ace.
Favorite part of my layout is the yard. The the diesel house, refueling facility, and the intermodal yard is where most of my time has been spent designing and building. But im looking into designing and kit bashing a major concrete facility.
Far as the older engines, I was fine with them when I was DC. Problem that I am DCC, they draw to much power for the decoders. I have given a lot of them away to Simon 1966 son’s. Few of them like my Athearn F-7’s and Proto 2000 Monon BL 2’s ( over twenty years old ) will get new motors and decoders.
I am fine with older rolling stock, I have some Athearn’s that came off E Bay that are a good 20 years old. From where I run the trains I cannot see the detail’s of the newer cars anyway. I even have some old Bachmann and Tyco cars still making there rounds.
Far as modeling the unusual, if you mean buildings nothing odd. Rolling stock, well I some how developed a passion for theses.
Yep, Tyco Old Dutch Hoppers. I have around 30 of them. I learned a lot from theses cars, how to tune the trucks, added PK 33" wheels, added weights and Kadee couplers. After doing 30 plus of them, I can fix any rolling stock!
Favorite rolling stock, it would have to be theses two flat cars.
Favorite engine, I had to think about that a little. People that know me know I love articulated engine’s. I talk a lot about my and post pictures a lot of my Y6 b and Big Boy. But I guess run time is the true measurement witch one I like best. So it would have to be theses.
Simple none sound PK 1000 Monon F3’s. I have well over 400 hours on them, have wore out 3 of the 4 I have. One is back in services and as some as Miro Marks get new motors the other two will be back in line.
As to older rolling stock and locos–I USE 'em. I’ve got a lot of old Athearn/Menzies metal car kits that I built when I first entered the hobby, and they still see a lot of use on my MR. Also older Silver Streak and Varney and Ulrich cars. They look good to me, so I keep 'em running, mixed in with my newer Accurail, Intermountain, Red Caboose and Branchline rolling stock. They might not be as incredibly detailed, but they get along.
As far as locos–well, since I model Rio Grande steam, just about EVERY loco I own is older brass, 'cause that’s about the only way you can get Rio Grande standard gauge steam. They’re kept running smooth and powerful by a lot of tinkering and TLC, but to coin a phrase: “When you’ve got a Jewel, you keep it polished.”. I’ve got some newer plastic steam for a couple of other roads (SP and some WWII ‘loaners’ on the layout), and I like them. However, occasionally I wonder if some of them will still be running as well when they’re as old as some of the brass I’ve got, LOL! I’m not a loco ‘sound’ guy (though I do have an under-table Soundtraxx ‘doppler’ system that I use occasionally when I’m in the mood) and I’m not interested in DCC (I’m a lone-wolf one-train-at-a-time operator), so my ‘upgrades’ generally consist of fine-tuning after a certain number of running hours. I like the running qualities of my newer plastic locos just fine, but by and large they’re not THAT much of an improvement over my fine-tuned brass. Perhaps in the ‘slo-mo’ category, but I’m not interested in seeing if my motive power will take five minutes to creep from tie to tie, LOL!
As to favorite locomotives–I keep coming back to my 3 big Akane Yellowstones that date from 1964. They all run extremely well and haul like oxen.
My wife is quite supportive and she’s into doll houses and miniatures and crafts, so she’s more than happy to help with scenery, but she’s not particularly interested in the trains part of it excepting that it makes a cool scene.
I have mostly Athearn and MDC and a few shells and such that have been remotored with Athearn. I’ll run it all. I don’t care. Kadees, weight and metal wheels are all I do to them.
My last layout was set in October. trees changing color, indian summer weather, harvest time. I think its the best time of the year so that’s the time I always aim for.
I would have to say its my Bachmann U36B. Its from an old set, my first HO
Tolerant? Yes, even mildly supportive (keeps me out of trouble). Into it? Nah…
I still run a few of my old freight cars from the 1980’s, with metal wheels added. I have a lot of old Stewart F units and P2K geeps painted for B&O, but I haven’t yet installed decoders in them so I can’t run them. I got rid of all my old bluebox locos in the early 1990’s when the quieter, higher-quality drives became available so theyre history.
That would probably be my scratch-built ‘harbor’ style ore bridge (AKA traveling crane). Walthers hadn’t released their ore bridge kit when I started on this project in the Fall of 2003, and I felt that my steel mill layout was incomplete without at least one of these. Of course, 6 weeks after I finished it, Walthers announced their own ore bridge model - so now ‘everybody’ [the disciples of Freytag] has one!
My wife is not into the hobby, though she’s very supportive of my love of the hobby.
Every piece of my very first '70’s era Blue Box rolling stock is still on the active roster. I not only freely intermix newer & older stuff, I embrace older stuff. I seek it out. It’s still new to me, plus it’s cheaper.
I haven’t really modeled anything unusual. Can’t think of anything unusual that I’m just burning to model. I’m pretty mundane, just like my layout.
I hate Winter. Why would I model it? I’m partially colorblind, so Autumn colors really aren’t my long suit. I like Spring, but don’t know how to model a tornado watch. So in my basement, it’s always Summer!
Hmmm, my favorite loco. In spite of my affinity for Berkshires, it’s not my Bachmann Berk. There are two I gravitate to (three actually) - a Spectrum 2-8-0 and a pair of Atlas RS3’s. Funny, because I never really liked the RS series of locos, and the prototype I model owned RS2’s, not RS3’s. But these two locos came available and they look similar to RS3’s, so they went into the paint shop and emerged in Monon black & gold. They’re now my preferred lashup. Go figure.
My favorite part of my layout is the part most recently scenicked. So in theory my favorite part should keep moving around, but it’s remained bothersomely static for some time now.
My wife is supportive but not a participant, except when it comes to painting people - something we can do together with our usual great conversation.
All of my locos are older - vintage brass - I love them and I don’t give today’s plastic the time of day. When I upgrade it is because a beautiful vintage brass loco is available. I don’t own a locomotive that wasn’t around during the Carter administration.
My most unusual model is my wooden curved truss bridge (an engineering marvel), although I’m also proud of my railbus:
I used a Jordan Highway Miniatures bus kit and an NWSL Flea mecanism:
It even has a flywheel!
Season? About opening day of baseball season - 1938.
Favorite locomotive? That one is tough. They are all sweet runners with amazing detail. I put a coreless motor with an inline gearbox in my NWSL 18T shay - it is capable of maintaining about .25 scale mph. It starts and stops gracefully and has a 12 mph top speed. Eventually, I’ll modify all of my shays to match this one, so I guess it is my favorite, for now.
My favorite part of my layout is the wetland with the concentric inclined timber trestles. They are actually part of a helix that takes trains to the upper terrace of the layout:
It took months to build these bridges, and I take a lot of pride in them.
My girlfriend is not a model railroader herself, but likes and encourages it. She is a casual railfan though. Before we were together, she would take note of the reporting marks of cars to see who owned them. Incidentally she worked monitoring air quality in power plants and other heavy industries, so she already knew that certain hoppers came from certain places with certain types of coal.
They let her unload a covered hopper at a brewery once even.
Was your wife into the hobby before she met you?
I enjoyed rebuilding an old Atlas reefer, catalog 
