What's your favorite Model Locomotive?

Well, my fave is still the good ol’ Athearn Bluebox; easy to detail, paint and maintain…[C):-)]

Mine is the Athearn Genesis 4-8-4 UP 844 of course!

My favorite of all would be the Stewart / Kato F units. I am currently in the middle of building a pair. My second would be the early 90’s run, Walthers H10-44. Very heavy and will pull a bunch.

The Blackstone HOn3 K-27, outside frame mike with Tsunami sound is my entry. Hard to beat this little guy for out of box detail, operation and user adjusted sound in a steamer. Monkey motion is eye catching and mesmerizing. It can crawl like a snail and smoothly, too. Never had an engine like it in my 54 years as a model rail. That’s why I bought 6 of 'em.

Richard

I have a mixed bag of steamers that all appeal to me, and that is why I have this mixed bag. I only have one C&O H-8 2-6-6-6, for example, and only one N&W Y6b Mallet, and one NYC 4-8-4 Niagara. My interests currently run across eight railroads, NYC, N&W, C&O, UP, CPR, TH&B, Santa Fe, and Pennsy. My favourite, if I had to pick one, after all these years, is still the Paragon PRR J1 2-10-4.

Crandell

What about that Selkirk, Crandell?

Tom

My current favorite is my SHS 2-8-0. But I also have a fondness for my old MDC boxcab diesel.

Enjoy

Paul

He must have forgot he has it.[(-D]

I know where he lives. Time for a ferry ride. I mean, if he’s not going to miss it.[:-^]

I have a tie picking out a favorite locomotive on my roster.

For steam it would be

Either of my two CPR Hudsons, both have Sountraxx added, They are old and weight a ton but their running characteristics are great, super slow speed and excellent pulling power.

For diesel, it would be my Rapido emd FP9 In the maroon livery

Hands down, the EMD SD sevens and nines, matter of fact work is in progress to produce my own S scale shells and drives.

Dave

Right now, my favorite locomotives are my two Athearn CP Alco RS3’s ( I always liked the curves on those old Alcos) and my two Athearn Genesis SP GP 9’s with sound. This will change probably once my Athearn Genesis SP heritage unit comes in!

Tough one. I have a collection of locomotives and I like them all. My P2K ALCO FA2 ABBA lashup painted for Mopac is cool. I have liked ALCO hood units ever since I had a Lionel UP AA set many years ago. I run it even though it is hard to come up with a reasonable excuse for Mopac locomotives on a B&M layout. Then I also love my Athearn F units in B&M maroon and gold. With a B unit to make an ABA lashup. And not to forget my Mantua Pacific kitbashed into a B&M P4. And my pair of IHC moguls standing in for B&M B15’s. And my one and only brass locomotive, a PFM model of a B&M B15. After a total rebuild, much resoldering of chassis joints, and a neodynium magnet it runs fairly well. And my trio of Athearn GP40-2s in bluebird paint. And the Bachmann Shay trundling along with ore cars in tow. And the Bachmann Consolidation, ideal for peddler freight service. All I lack is a heavy B&M steam freight locomotive. I have a Mantua Mikado on the bench even though B&M never owned many Mikados. In short, I have a lot of love for all my locomotives, otherwise I wouldn’t have bought them.

Yes sure is a tough pick. I tend to run on the FAV of the month route. As mentioned it’s like saying which is your favorite child. Early on many years ago and new to the hobby it would have been a favorite BB, would spend countless hours detailing and reworking and weighting the drive to optimum performance. Couldn’t wait to get those Stewart/ Kato ABBA F units in B&O original paint. Took almost 2 years to find that last F3 Ph2 B unit, these are probably my most tried and true favorites. Sure they get put away as I run through the next “gotta Have” ones ( have a fancy for EMD and the Atlas GP’s and SDs do certainly fill the bill as well as the P2K -cracked gears and all Geeps and my SD50s).

Just so many units and they all have been a favorite for a period. Ever since modeling the B&O, I have been waiting rather “patiently” for an affordable EM-1, thought that BLI would be the one to offer it. To my surprise Bachman did, with the Spectrum series. It is a rather remarkable piece, in detailing as well as tractive effort. So what is the FAV now? Would have to be this

I know that in the end those Stewarts ( and the dozen or so now added to the roster) will always be though

The last (pre-sound) version of the Rivarossi Heisler. It runs and pulls better than my B-mann Climax and Shays. I love them too of course but find myself selecting #3 more than the others. [:D]

B&O, those F’s look amazing. the B&O is probably my #1 favorite east coast road, then the NYC, possibly the pennsy in third I’ve been itching to get a GG1 and the broadway limited.

I have a strong tendency to be ‘faithful’, gentlemen, and work hard at finding the same ‘mistress’ attractive and desirable. So, while the Sunset CPR 2-10-4 is a very nice loco, I haven’t spent a lot of time with it. In fact, I ran it for perhaps an hour on my old layout and then put it away because the layout, itself, had worn out its welcome by the time Sunset finally delivered. I have tried my tightest curves on the new build with the Selkirk because it has the highest stated minimum of all my rolling stock, that being 30" radius. But after ten minutes, back into the box it went. I noticed that I have to touch up the paint on the rear truck frame where a small chip had separated from the metal, so that must be done yet.

But, I still really admire the lines and the potency of those two massive cylinders on the J1, so it remains my main squeeze. [swg]

Crandell

I like all of my locomotives (the canines in my collection were rebuilt or disposed of long ago) but I do have a, 'First among equals."

Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo No. 42 (ex-Imperial Government Railways 4020 class, Baldwin, 1897) is a 1:80 scale (HOj) 0-8-0T with typical Baldwin details (capped stack, cab design…) My model, which I acquired as a kit in the 1960s, is a typical Japanese brass loco, powered by a 5-pole vertical-mount motor, built by Toby, one of the lesser Japanese model manufacturers. I’ve upgraded it in a manner similar to the mods prototype owners made to other ancient teakettles, removing the buffers (!) and installing (Kadee) knuckle couplers, directional headlights (with generator) and air brakes (air tanks and cooling coils on top of the side tanks, compressor on the side of the smoke box.) I also filled the bunker with genuine D&RGW coal (from a couple of lumps I found at the switchbacks of the Monarch Branch.)

In the '80s I encountered a ‘Brass Collector’ who saw what I had done and turned absolutely livid, berating me for, “Ruining that Ken Kidder HO model thatt I need to complete my collection.” He was even less happy after I pointed out that it was NOT HO, that the prototype ran on 1067mm gauge track and that it had probably been shipped directly from Eddystone to the ship that carried it to Japan on a PRR flat car. When last seen he was plaintively mumbling, “If it’s not an American locomotive, why did Ken Kidder import it?”

I wasn’t about to tell him that it looked like a three footer Baldwin built for the Deadwood Central in South Dakota, and that the ‘Baldwin look’ was fairly generic, common to several wheel arrangements. My Tenshodo 0-6-0T (of parallel prototype vintage) is almost identical in detailing.

These days Number 42 is standard power for my tracklaying train. Gon-loads of track nails, rail joiners, clipped rail ends and snipped off

My Atlas Gold (dcc/sound) MP15DC Alton & Southern scheme.

My Atlas Genset US Army scheme is a close second. When I get the scale handrails and the correct tsunami installed, it will tie w/the MP15.

At this moment, it would have to be the four Athearn Genesis GP9s in B&O dark blue, which I just picked up from my LHS. Haven’t even had time to take 'em out of the boxes yet to photograph them![8D]

I’m with Mr B. How can you pick one from all your children. Having said that, for looks I like this, the paint job is where its at for me:

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For running I like this one. It has a TCS decoder and runs sweet!

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Derek