I was looking through some RailImages of some different layouts today, and I came upon Tstages layout pictures, and I like what I see.
I’m interested in some of the things I see that he’s using, and I’m also interested in some of the NYC equipment other people are using.
Don’t worry Tstage, I’m not trying to copy off your layout, but what brand is that Diesel fueling platform you have? How about that coaling tower you have for steam?
I see you have a couple Mikados, and some other diesel engines, what size curves do you have? I’m guessing they are 22 in. or 18, so how does the Mikado look on that size curvature?
I’ve been trying to find some good rolling stock for NYC and other area railroads, what brand do most of you have/use? Accurail? Branchline maybe?
So for all the questions, I just like to get a feel for everything before I start going on a buying spree…
I’m not Tstage, but I am a NYC modeler, working on a chunk of the NYC affiliate Peoria & Eastern in the 1945-1950 period.
I’ve got three coal docks: the small Walthers, the Tichy, and an Overland steel Ogle. My favorites are the Tichy and the Overland, but I wi***hat the Tichy came with a round body, and that someone would come out with the Ogle in something other than brass!
Mikes will work on 18" curves, but steam doesn’t look “good” (eg: realistic) on anything less than 48" curves. Since most of us don’t have the room for those sorts of curves, we’re forced to do with less. Curves aren’t best broad just for looks: trains roll better through the largest curves possible. Easements help, but it’s always best to plan for the biggest curves you can, rather than the smallest you can get away with. If at all possible, never go smaller than 24"-26", even in industrial track areas.
The transition era featured one of the largest arrays of different freight car patterns ever. Because of this, it’s best to vary your freight car fleet as much as possible. Instead of buying 10 Branchline 1944 AAR boxcars decorated for 10 different roads, buy eight different boxcar types for 10 roads. These days, that’s not too hard to do, even if you never get into buying and building resin freight cars. I uggest you look at ALL manufacturers for at least SOME of your freight car needs.
Thanks for the encouragement. [:)] Use anything you see or is helpful in your layout design. I’m still learning both modeling and the prototype myself. (Boy, is there A LOT a stuff to learn. [:0] )
The diesel fueling facility on my layout is a “kitbashed” Walthers Cornerstone Series kit. The original kit came with 2 bays - with the fueling platform in the middle. I used a razor saw to remove one of the bays. Everything else you see on there came with the kit. I’ve only weathered it slightly.
The Fairbanks-Morse coaling tower is an Alexander Scale Models craftsman kit. I chose it because it only stands about 4" high. (As compared to the 11"+ coaling towers by Walthers and Tichy.) I like it too because, since I only have a 4 x 8 layout, it doesn’t dominate the skyline like the others ones would.
As I mentioned, the coaling tower is a craftsman kit so it’s not for the weak of heart. (I’ve probably have about 100 hours logged into putting it together.) Walthers is supposed to have a very nice looking wood coaling tower due out anytime now.
Except for 3 short sections of 18" radius at one end, I have 22" radius curves on my entire mainline. (2
Well, they say a lot of people model the NYC, but by the looks of this post, maybe not so much…
My first layout is going to be a smaller railroad just to get me started, an L shape. Right now I’m in benchwork mode; I’m almost done, so soon I can finish structures and work on track. Right now I’ve got all 22" for my mainline, and 18 inch in my small yard. I won’t be running anything bigger than a 2-8-0 or 0-8-0 for steam, and maybe a F unit in diesel.
I think I’ll get that diesel fueling facility, but I don’t know about that coal tower. I’m trying to have a very nice finished railroad, but not get overly difficult (That means sticking to Walthers Cornerstone structures and primarily Accurail cars). I tried some Branchline boxcars, but had some difficulty with the smaller parts.
So, about this freight car stuff, your saying not to buy matching year freight cars? Like the three packs offered by Accurail, etc.?
No, I’m not saying that at all. You can buy matching sets. I think one or two sets on a small layout are fine. (More if the layout is larger.) What I am saying is that you should also build some diversity into your rolling stock road names, too.
I have a 3-set of Accurail NYC hoppers. I’ll run all my hoppers on an 11-car coal train but I usually won’t run the NYC hoppers as a cluster. I may have two together at one end of the train but the third hopper at the other end of the train. That’s not to say that you can’t run all three together. For me, the diversity of the cars and road names gives the train more realism.
But, as Ray pointed out earlier, the diversity of “types” of rolling stock are also equally important. For example, there a varieties of tankers, hoppers, and boxcars within their own kind. Tankers in my era came in 8000 and 10,000 gal. versions. Boxcars were originally made from wood but then gradually incorporated steel into the design to provide more rigidity and strength. I personally am very fond of the wood boxcars. But, for variety, I also have a few “all-metal boxcars”, as well as a couple of wood boxcars with metal ends.
Nick, the bottom line is: It’s your railroad. You can run it any which way you want. Adding some different road names and types will say to those who view your layout that your railroad is vast and hails from and is destined for many different parts of the country. To a CEO, that means you’re making a profit - which is vital to any railroad.
I loosely model the NYC, but it’s late era and sliding into Conrail/CSX as we speak. I’ll have to see what goes on in the next layout which is soon to come into being with the last Daughter moving out soon.
For me, I have found that I like to run my engines and do some fine detail work to get them looking nice, and running well. My current layout makes no prototypical sense at all, but it’s functional, has a small yard in the middle for me to do switching activities and has a nice mainline to run engine and cars in a continuous loop to entertain my Grand Son. This all on a 4x8 layout. I have NO scenery on my layout, and a few pre-built building as well as some buildings ready to be made.
I figure that at the age of 50, that I could putter around with this until I’m much older and grayer and that is my game plan. Right now I buy and build what “I” like, and also buy and run what I think my Grand Son will like. It’s very dis-jointed,very un-organized, but it still brings me enjoyment when i fire up a new engine on DCC for the first time. I also love to see my two Proto 2000’s NYC E8’s lashed up together running around the mainline. Their heft and size is so impressive, and I remember actually seeing these engine run through the area that I grew up.
My layout, my engines, my rolling stock. Out of 24 years of Military Service, 31 years of marriage, this is the only thing that I can say that is really MINE and that I can do with it whatever “I” want to do. Man! That is a good feeling!
For what it is worth, I’m freelancing a small N scale layout set in the late 50’s that will be dominated by NYC engines and rolling stock with plans to have the PRR and New Haven making appearances for interchange. I have the roadbed down and some of the topography completed on phase one (I envision the exchange with New Haven and PRR to be off the layout in phase one and then one the layout when phase two is built, which at my current rate, may or may not be before the end of the decade ). I have read one book dedicated to the NYC which I enjoyed, but I don’t have much accumulated NYC knowledge. With my freelanced layout, I’m pretty much shooting for a Northeast look with late 50’s appropriate features, but not trying to faithfully reproduce specific NYC details.
My Black River Valley layout is loosely based on the NYC. Set between 1955 and 1965 I can safely run steam or first generation diesels. I have about 15 NYC locomotives, 3-steam and the rest diesel and about 20 NYC freight cars and half a dozen passenger cars. As far as rolling stock is concerned, I buy what I can find locally. The NYC road name is hard to find here in Northeast Ohio.
The BRVRR is a 4x10 layout with a double tracked main, 5-industrial sidings, a two track yard, a three track engine facility and a reverse loop.
There are numerous photos of the layout, rolling stock and locomotives on my website:
[url=“http://intergate.com/~acoates149/”]
Or use the link in my signature.
Good luck to you on your quest.
). I have read one book dedicated to the NYC which I enjoyed, but I don’t have much accumulated NYC knowledge. With my freelanced layout, I’m pretty much shooting for a Northeast look with late 50’s appropriate features, but not trying to faithfully reproduce specific NYC details.