Guys,If I may quote my grandpas…
Any darn fool that likes a steam engine never had to fired one of those fool things and the faster they are scrapped the better…
To be far shortly after PRR dropped the last fires my other grandpa retired saying “I’m not about to run a truck on rails.”
So there you have it…Two old engineers with different points of view concerning a steam engine.
Needless to say as a kid I like seeing shiny new PRR and N&W GP9s and RS11s.
Pete, Pete, Pete,
Don’t you think, maybe, that you are being just a bit harsh?
The thread is about maintenance and performance of steamers and whether it is worth it, not whether someone knows which end of the screw driver is the blade.
Rich
Nope the opposite. I’ve had that philosophy for many many years and sort of regret it. I am trying to increase the steam presence on the layout. Even thinking about backdating into the Classic Steam era.
I’ve got three of those (won one in a raffle) and one of the 2-10-2s also. I had trouble with one of the valve gear because a screw came loose and it was just sort of hanging there slopping back and forth. It eventually bound up. Simply re-aligned and tightened it up and been great ever since. They look so good on the point of a heavyweight or streamlined passenger set as well as a string of reefers.
Easy, I remember the first time I saw an SD70. I thought, “wow a new railroading low. Look at that ugly utilitarian box of a loco”. I don’t see how beauty can even come into the discussion. All the fancy paint in the world can’t hide “the box”. Can’t argue with the efficient part, but that doesn’t make it interesting.
my bachmann northern looks great with it’s heavyweights all I have to do is weight the tender and throw some bullfrog snot onto her drivers and she’ll be good as new. [Y]
I enjoy both steam and diesel, I missed two great eras but have come into one where modern diesels rule the rails. I love the way my SD70Mac and my AC4400CW look, to be honest I feel like they fit in with my mismatched fleet.
I think that some of this relates to the loco itself, and some to the expectations of the modeller. Many modern plastic steamers have a lot more added-on details, making them more fragile than the old cast metal steamers like the ones I started with. As someone mentioned, the newer ones, when they run, are usually much superior to what we once had. However, there are more ways for these new ones to not run, too, meaning they may also be harder to repair. [swg]
My experience with older steam includes Tyco/Mantua, John English, and Bowser, along with a number of brass steamers. The first three listed were well-made and pretty-well indestructible, but their non-plated brass drivers and tender wheels made them unreliable if one neglected to keep the treads clean (and the brass rail which I used at the time needed the same attention).
The brass locos had plated wheels, but running qualities varied from excellent to none - the none was re-motored and is still in use on my layout.
My modern (plastic) steam is limited to Bachmann (11 locos) early Athearn Genesis (5 locos) and Proto (1 loco). The Proto 0-8-0 ran well, but could pull almost nothing - I liked the loco enough to try t
Speaking of which. Has anyone used one of the new Bachmann 2-6-0 locos?
Yes, picked one up last July, (Sound value Alco 2-6-0 I assume?). it runs and operates very nicely once broke in. I paid $113.00 for it an an LHS in Southern California. I asked to see it run first for piece of mind.
I wouldn’t hesitate to get another one (if needed) or recommend this model.
Several folks acknowledged that their trackwork is why they can’t get steam to stay on the rails, so they don’t run it.
Folks, track is the most basic element of a model railroad. If it’s only so-so,everything else on your layout may be a craftsman’s dream, but overall your layout will never be better than so-so.
A few layouts (and too many years) ago I had derailment problems out the wazoo. One day I got fed up with rerailing things constantly, and made a promise to myself to never again consider mediocre trackwork to be “good enough.” I started over on a new layout, and was pleasantly surprised to find that laying track that worked was not all that hard! For a couple of weeks I had to remind myself to be diligent in laying and checking track and turnouts, but very quickly that became second nature. The result is that derailments are rare in my model world, and steam shows no more propensity to leave the rails than my non-steam equipment.
IF I CAN DO IT, IT CAN’T BE THAT HARD.
If laying good track is difficult, go after it! Work on it and make trackwork one your basic, best modeling skills. Take it from someone who knows - laying good track can become easy to do, and it pays huge dividends in terms of increased enjoyment when the trains are runnign and yiou don’t have to stop to rerail something every few minutes.
Sorry - didn’t mean to change the subject.
You,Sir, started an interesting post which has had a good response of varying but generally considered opinions, though I must admit while my offering was perhaps a little trite, I really am at a loss how it brought about this rant! I only hope that gun collecting is not one of your hobbies as I would be concerned that you’d probably shoot yourself in the foot.
Yours humbly, the Bear.
Mark,If I may and I’m certainly not advocating bad track laying habits since good track work means derailment free operation…
Where diesels shine is they’re far more forgiving then steam will ever be when it comes to less then stellar track work simple because a diesel truck can “float” unlike a steam engines’ drivers.
I agree with Brunton, and I agree with Brakie.
Brunton, there is no doubt that you are correct. Make your track work bullet proof, and by that I mean 100 percent flawless, and your steamers will probably not derail.
Brakie is also correct in that diesels are far more forgiving than steam when running over faulty track work.
After 10 years in the hobby and plenty of time and effort in laying track, I am still not skilled enough to lay “bullet proof” track work.
So, I prefer diesels over steam, and if I had it to do over, I would not include steam on my layout. Just not worth it.
Rich
METHINKS this thread is degenerating rapidly…
Just a glance at the title tells us that it is a pathway to another endless “discussion”.
Does anyone out there really care if someone else prefers steamers or diesels over the other?
METHINKS you are contributing to the degeneration of this thread, oilman. [(-D]
Rich
Let’s just say that this discussion is lively, as it should be. There are few conversations where everyone agrees. The ones in which that does happen are pretty boring. [:P]
Speaking of track work and making it ‘bullet proof’…, I’ve been around a few layouts, mine included… and I’ve noticed that no matter how great the track work, given the nature of turnouts, roadbed, substructures, heat and humidity, glue failure et all, even the best laid plans of mice and men,… er uh model railroaders, it seems that it doesn’t stay bullet proof forever and amen.
I know there are places on my layout that I just KNEW were first class A OK smooth as silk. Years later I’m looking at the track with a magnifying glass, running my finger over a rail joint wondering “what the heck is going on here” Thing is, if your layout is big enough and you have track on enough curves, hard to reach places, going up inclines… not to mention turnouts, cutting rail to install bridge track, the odds are you’re going to have a problem now and then.
Some modelers seem to have this unreasonable dislike for diesels of any sort and get pretty argumentative about it. I’d personally like to see more young people get into the hobby if nothing else than to help keep prices down and competition among mfgs up. These less-than-thirty somethings didn’t grow up around steam engines. The only ones they’re familiar with are in museums and the movies. Throw in an occasional visit to a places that actually has and runs them. Railroading, to them, IS SD 70’s and the like. They model what they see every day and what they grew up with. Granted, I believe the majority of those that profess to not liking diesels are doing it good naturedly and may even have 2 or 3 running around on their 1940s themed layout… [;)]
Me… I like’em all! From 4-4-0 steame
With respect I gotta totally disagree with that…I can run my trains for hours during the open houses and the week of the county fair with zero derailments and the club’s layouts sit in a unheated block building 6 days a week in Ohio’s grab bag weather…There is more remodeling then track maintenance…
Now all of my past ISLs was derailment free but,these was in a controlled environment.
Nope.
[(-D][(-D][(-D]
track laying,far from my best MRRing skill [:'(]. It’s going to take a while for me to get my track perfect but this time around I will have power wires so I can test it before I glue it down.