I notice there are a lot of steam loco enthusiasts on this forum, and whenever I come across a steam-related thread I just bleep right over it. Why?
First, I am too young to remember the steam era. The last steam locomotives were taken out of service the year I was born. Without any real steam locomotives to inspire me, I have no incentive to model them.
Second, after having seen a couple real steam locomotives operating at museums I found it much more exciting to see the real thing than to look at a model running on a layout. The steam, the smoke, the sparks, the flames, the smell, and the chugging of a real steam loco can’t be replicated in miniature, especially not with electrically powered model railroad equipment.
Third, real steam locos are built to the railways’ specifications. I would not be satisfied with commercial plastic models of USRA Mikados or Pacifics. I’d probably throw everything away except the drive train and wheels and end up scratchbuilding the boiler, cab, and tender and adding prototype specific details. That’s a lot of work. But with diesels, there were standard production models purchased by many railways, and less effort is required to model a specific prototype.
I am younger than the last RR operated steam train ran in the “final days of steam”.
I have always thought of diesels as “boxes on wheels”.
But I am amazed at the beasts. They live and breathe fire and smoke. They chuff and all the running gear fascinates me. I LOVE going on vacations to see operating 1:1 steamers anywhere I can and with MOH {My Other HAlf} into trains as well there is never a fight over THAT.
In the interest of NOT getting bored with my layout, I have of late gotten into diesel models. But they don’t hold the fascination that steamers do for me.
I personally think you’re missing out on a good experience. Running a steam loco is great IMO. Lots of moving parts and sounds good too. As the old saying goes, “Don’t knock it until you try it”
This doesn’t have to turn into a flame-hurl thread.
I’m in my 40s and was born during the diesel “horsepower wars” of the 60s between Alco, EMD, and GE.
Yet as a kid, I constantly saw steamers on tv. Every toy train set I saw (and the sets I got from my father and godfather) had steam locomotives in them. It wasn’t until 1973 that I got my first diesel in an HO Tyco set. Of course, that F9 was a factory piece of junk.
So a good number of us under 60 that like steam were not necessarily exposed to them up close and personal. Yet, we appreciate the designs, complexities, and artistic appeal of these giant “boilers on wheels”.
I was very fortunate to have seen the Chessie 614 in action during 1981 when I was a member of the NRHS. What a beauty of a locomotive she was (and still is). During our NRHS “Operation Lifesaver” excursion, she pulled our 21 car long train at 55mph with ease; especially considering that we had heavy weight coaches in our train as well. I remember the engineer’s name being Steve Wickersham. A friendly and safety conscious gentleman.
It absolutely baffles me that to this day no manufacturer has produced a plastic model of this amazing locomotive.
I was born in 1960 so by the time I was to get out and actually see some trains the steamers were gone so all I saw were diesels. I modeled steamers for several years during the 80’s and still own a few but rarely run them. Most of the reason for that is that I’ve lost most of the feeling in my hands and it’s very easy to damage the running gear on something like my Mehano 2-10-2. The Bachmann Niagara doesn’t scare me so much as it’s construction is a bit more robust. While today’s diesel models have a lot of fragile detail on them I try to stay away from the ones that have really fragile parts like handrails and such. Lately Athearn has gotten to the point that their handrails break if you breathe on them hard and needless to say, they don’t last long around me. I prefer something with larger more hardy handrails. I have a couple of Stewart units that have railings that are just downright huge but harder to break. The Bachmann units I’ve gotten in the past couple of years have railings somewhat larger than the seemingly hair-thin railings on the better detailed units and they don’t break as easily. In fact I haven’t broken any of them with the exception of two GP30’s that came with thin railings.
My father was an engineer with CPR during the 1950’s. He was working out of Field BC assigned to steam engines.
As the railroad replaced the steam engines with diesels there became a surplus of engineers and firemen. With the diesels running in units like an A-B-B consist the railroad did not need three full crews as they did with steam.
Many of the old timers with lots more seniority than my father were unable to make the transition to diesel, many were able to use their seniority to stay with the steam engines. My father loved the steam engines and did not take to diesel engines.
He stayed with CPR for a couple of years then quit and worked as an engineer with one of the big forest companies who had a number of steam engines and geared steam locomotives as well. That way he stayed with steam for quite a few more years.
mmmmm…the weekend is coming up…time for a weekend hoohaw…[:-^]
I have a few steamers here…namely a couple of Bachmann 2-8-0’s and a couple of MTH one’s…all belong to the Williston Hysterical …I mean, Historical Society and Ice Cream Emporium
I don’t think there is a need to get into these hair-splitting things…
Model what you want to model. That is the reason this hobby is so great. You can bash steam models all you want. People have died to give you that right. No one ever said that you have to have this or that or you can’t be a model railroader.
If you were to ask me why I model steam I would answer your question with another question. Why can my one steam locomotive do the work of 5 or 6 of your weisels? Steam locomotives did not fail. It just got too expensive to run and maintain them. If fuel costs $4 a gallon in 1960 I bet today’s railroads would have been a lot different.
Well, as a guy that runs 98% steam–and a lot of BIG steam at that, my view is that as long as you’re active in the hobby, I don’t care WHAT you’re running, as long as it’s giving you enjoyment.
You don’t put down my big, hunking Articulateds, and I won’t put down your big, growling diesels and we’ll BOTH carry on and be happy, LOL!
I am 67, and remember all too well the steamers of the C&NW and the IC. And, I have been around and ridden on numerous preserved ones. My layout is populated with late steam and first generation diesels - ATSF and IC. I thought about just having diesels on the latest layout, but the majesty of those locos and their facilities (coal and water towers, etc.) would be missing. And then there is the “wooooo, woooo” !
To the OP, with all due respect:
To each their own!
Why would I care if you like or dislike steam on your layout?
Was dropping this post your way of starting off the weekend with a bang?
I would urge you to remember that when you need help from the good folks on this forum, some might recall this posting and ignore your plight - just as I should have ignored this posting.
I find, at least in N Scale, the diesels do tend to be less finicky and more forgiving of rough track work than their steam counterparts. I started out with a small fleet of diesels and a handful of freight cars. As such when I built layout, there were a lot of spots where I simply said “good enough” and called it done. Well, as time went by, I found I simply couldn’t resist I acquired a few steamers. This actually forced me to redo a few sections of track so they’d run properly. Now not only do my steamers run flawlessly, the diesels seem to run better too!
