Running multiple RRs on your layout?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

My layout is set in 1954 and the Northern Pacific. However, I have a very small Logging line, the “Peep River”, which has trackage rights over my small portion of the Northern Pacific in the Butte Montana area and allows me to have a few logging locomotives and small bobber cabooses. All excepting my logging locomotives are Northern Pacific locos; or, have been kit bashed into Northern Pacific locos. I do have a BLI New York Central J1e Hudson, which if I keep, will be bashed into N.P.s Timken 2626 loco, minus one set of drivers.

Which brings up my question: How many of you model multiple lines on your layout? I am pretty faithful to the Northern Pacific,excepting the logging line, which allows me to have a little fantasy, I have my Varney “Docksider” and my Bachmann 2 truck Climax and am considering one more loco for the logging line. Beyond the logging line and the 2626 A-1 N.P. Northern which is really a Hudson, if I decide to keep, the rest is pretty much based in reality for my locomotive stud.

I know there are plenty of people who buy whatever locomotives that tickle their fancy and I’m a strong believer in having fun, in this hobby!

So, don’t be shy and don’t give a rat’s pa-toot what others may think; or, say! If you like to run your string of ABBA Santa Fe F-7s on your mostly B&O main line, let’s hear about it!!

2

I have a friend who does as you mention, when he sees a loco that tickles his fancy, he gets it and enjoys running them all.

Myself, I am a little more restricted. I have two primary roads Rutland and Central VT. They both had locations where they met up with or shared trackage with the B&M, so a few of those sneak in. Also, CV was owned by Canadian National, so an occasional visitor from north of the border drops into my collection. Rutland was closely associated with NYC, but I haven’t crossed the western border of VT yet.

Since my planned layout space got reduced, I am having to rethink my plans. Some may have to go.

Have fun,

Richard

3

Layout is not finished yet, our even close to it, but yes, there will be quite a selection of railroads represented when done! So far in my collection there is a trend towards the PRR, but I have N+W, New York Central, Erie, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and a couple of others I can’t think of right now. Oh and I’m a Brit so along side that lot there is British rail from various time periods since 1948, then pre 1948 the LNER, LMS, GWR, Southern Railway, London Transport. If I like it, I run it! Needless to say the layout will be somewhat freelance! Dan

4

I know I’m going to be running several lines on my next layout. The theme is basically running old-time 1890’s steam through 3 foot high redwoods.

Obviously the local is set to Northern California and I have settled on is the California Western as the logging railroad, Northwestern Pacific for transporting the lumber to San Francisco and the SP for large yard operations.

5

I model the Conrail take over by the NS and CSX so I can run all 3 and a lot of borrowed power also which includes some BNSF, UP and a few others that I have in my collection. Makes things a little more interesting instead of the same loco’s doing all the work. I live about 500 feet from the NS- CSX line and I see a lot of borrowed power here between Pitts. and the Ashtabula line, Jim.

6

I do the B&O and all incarnates, the C&O and the Chessie and the CSX, depending on my mood for what era.

BUT I also like the PRR. I “imagined” that the B&O gave “trackage rights” to the PRR for K-4s and M1a’s and b’s.

Later I found out the B&O DID in fact, give trackage rights to the PRR in certain areas.

SO I was not far off at all!

MOH’s and mine initials are “D” and “H”. SO MOH suggested strongly that I collect D&H stuff,so I do.

Now, try to explain why a D&H is running with a PRR? .

[8-|]

7

My primary mainline is my freelanced ATLANTIC CENTRAL, but I also model the B&O with an interchange and trackage rights into my main yard/passenger terminal.

I also have a short single track mainline and interchange for the Western Maryland, and the C&O as well enjoys trackage rights over a large section of the ATLANTIC CENTRAL mainline.

So passenger trains from all three roads come and go from the passenger station, locos from all three are in the engine terminal, and trains from all three enter/leave the the freight yard in various directions.

I’m also planning a seperate waterfront ISL that will feature both ATLANTIC CENTRAL and B&O activity.

Prototypical and plausible.

Sheldon

8

On my past ISLs I never ran more then one railroad since I only used one engine at a time however,I would rotate locomotives from my favorite railroads.Chessie(C&O/B&O),N&W,Southern or my freelance shortline…A quick change of layout eras its either CSX,NS,IHB,CR or my freelance shortline.

My biggest problem is I like several railroads and couldn’t(wasn’t smart enough?) choose a single railroad I wouldn’t be above buying MP,BN,SP,Santa Fe or Cotton Belt if I caved in to my whims.

9

Hi

I am sure the US

Has an equivalent to Leamington Spa a place where 3 or 4 railroads converge either on there own trackage or via running rights.

Which would be a popular spot to model??

This would indeed let multiple railroads trains run on the same layout having kept the prototype modellers happy[:)]

I buy trains I like this has led to a horrendous mix of trains from all over the world.

I do insist on not mixing nationalities in a train, when I start on the large shed layout it will be sceniced to match which ever trains predominate

Probably followed by a purge to get rid of the horrible mix, with one or two exceptions that where the dreaded gifts for the train set mutter mutter.

regards John

10

NP2626,

A lot of Locomotives out there,tickle my fancy,but at today’s prices,I’m not so tickled…

I run a freelanced,Santa Fe,layout,with mostly,zebra stripe,paint scheme,around,50’s,60 ish…but, on occasion, you will see,newer,container trains,running,with different road names,mainly,because I like them…Steamers,also,run,box cars,full trains,of tankers,whatever,I feel like at the time,after all,I AM THE BOSS…

True Story; About,5yrs, ago,I was in a,LHS,that I frequent a lot,(Richhotrain knows the one) the owner,gave me a tip,about another,LHS was going,out of business,so the next day,I went there and checked it out… Looked at all the power he had,all DC, Athearn Genesis and Bachmann Spectrum,steam and diesel,all different,road names,only one,SD70m,in Santa Fe…I bought ten that day,went back the next day and bought what he had left… The Bachmann’s were 2-8-0’s sweet little engines… The total was 15 in all,at 50% off, now that,tickled my fancy, I have 8 left,sold 5,gave two away as gifts… some have not even been out of the boxes yet,with all the added details,still in their packages…

I don.t give a cats butt,what anyone thinks about what I run on the ‘‘Bosses’’ layout…

Cheers,to all,

Frank

11

There you go, man!! Right -On!! Is not giving a Cat’s butt, less than a Rat’s Patoot?

12

I run multiple RR’s here.

CP, D&H, Milw, SOO

But i also throw in NS, CSX, Susqueanna, Amtrak & VIA as well as some run through traffic as well!

Gordon

13

Hi Mr. G ! Easy explanation- D and H stands for “DELIGHTED and HAPPY” .

Glad your O H got the job.

Prayers and Blessings. Hope you feeling better.

Flip

14

My layout is a fictional division of the CB&Q. NP and GN have running rights and I run all 3 roads regularly. Santa Fe trains run from time to time, and I say they are diverted trains on a detour around a problem on the Santa Fe line such as floods, derailments, etc… I recently received some Union Pacific trains from a relative getting out of HO trains, and UP will run as does the Santa Fe. Trains from other railroads run anyhow, and I say they are lost.

I have converted the layout to DCC, and many locomotives are awaiting decoders. So, now I am limited on the trains being operated.

15

With me doing a prototypical Layout during the Conrail era in the 75-85 time period and I am modeling Western PA from Dubois to East Brady PA (the CR Lowgrade) I ended up having 7 independent Shortlines that Interchanged with the CR Lowgrade.

Each of these Shortlines run on their own schedule and some of them have as much mainline as most home layouts do which will keep an operator busy for 2 to 3 hours per OPs session.

With the Live Interchange, the traffic is always changing and one time the Interchange will fill up and other time it is relatively empty.

This makes for a never ending movement of cars and Operations night will keep 20 operators busy.

And in doing the beginnings of the Conrail era, allows me to have Penn Central, EL, Reading units (all in their original paint schemes) right along side fresh Conrail Blue units.

There will be B&P units coming into Falls Creek (B&P/CR Interchange) so one can see the Orange B&P units running along side the Conrail MP15s painted in Reading Green (which only a few ever were) and it all legal as the CR merger - this odd equipment was everywhere.

BOB H - Clarion, PA

16

The nice thing about modeling a modern day Class 1 is that you often see many other locomotives (and rolling stock) from other Class 1’s (and odd ball lines) as well as leased or demonstrator locomotives and repaints from locomotives acquired via mergers/acquisitions in neat paint schemes riding the rails of your chosen railroad. I model the UP and the majority of my locomotives are in UP livery. But I also have Norfolk Southern, CP, and an “old” Southern Pacific and Rio Grande with partial UP paint lingering…or is it lurking [(-D]…on my layout. I like the variety and different color schemes.

Don

17

Still in construction, but I’ll have the B&M and New Haven sharing a yard

Mike

18

The vast overwhelming majority of my engines (25+) are Grand Trunk Western steam as I am modeling the South Bend Subdivision in the summer of 1953. I do have 2 engines from New York Central on it as the GTW and NYC had yards right next to each other in South Bend and they interchanged with each other, so I have a USRA mike and 0-8-0 to facilitate the interchange.

With that said I honor my wife’s Grandfather who worked on the Frisco with 5 SLSF steam engines circa 1944. They stay hidden most of the time, and will never run with the GTW stuff, but I have them.

I will say when I was younger and more impulsive I had lots of engines from lots of roads but they are long gone now.

Steve

19

Although I have my own road…it does interchange with the Reading Co. and Penn Central…at least as far as the next layout is concerned…but there will also be interchange with the B&O and a few other roads that friends have.

20

My layout is centered around a steel mill which has its own transfer railroad, as many steel companies do. That fictional line is called the Iron Belt and it shares trackage rights with the B&O, mainly to move incoming raw materials from the yard ‘across town’ to the mill.