How many of you have multiples of your engines?

[Lehigh Valley Lines]

Just curious how many people have several of the same type of engine?

Could be just differnt cab numbers or different manufacters (Lionel, WBB, MTH, etc)

Are any of those your favorite Locomotive? Is that why you have multiples of it?

Thanks!

[RockIsland52]

Personally, I'd rather broaden than replicate.  I have been tempted to acquire more cosmetically perfect replacements for a couple of my postwar but came to realize that for me the nostalgia of how/when the engines secured their battle scars over the decades was important to me.

Jack

[billbarman]

I have a pair of 2353 Santa fe F3s and a 2343 set if that counts. I bought the 2353s a while ago but at a garage sale, the 2343s were so cheap I couldent resist.  

[Anonymous]

I have PRR turbines from Lionel's Postwar Era, the 681 and 2020. I also have 3 Lionel Chessie System GP-30s (1 Legacy, 1 TMCC, 1 dummy). I also have a set of B&O Sharks made by Williams in an A-B-B-A configuration.

Other than that... I can't think of any other duplicates in my stable.

[lynbrookyankee]

I have a diverse roster - no dupes. I do have different series/versions of GPs & SDs but I dont think that counts. Hmm, does F3 AA count as a dupe?

[Ole Timer]

 I have 3 Williams BRASS CAB FORWARDS ...... Love the cab forwards and the etxreme detailing and quality of the Williams brass engines .

[Buckeye Riveter]

I have no duplicates, yet.

[lionelsoni]

Two Rail-King AMTK P40s (Geneses);  two ABBA ATSF F3 sets, 2243P-2243C-2243C-2243P and 2383P-2243C-2243C-2383T; two 10-stanchion 623 ATSF NW2s wired together in series; two 2338 MILW GP7s; and two 773 Hudsons, 1950 and 1964, both with 2426W tenders. 

[kehoesj]

I have what would be considered pairings - like a set of F3 ABBA, and FT ABA, but otherwise I have lived within my own motive power procurement policy and procedures, that is, diversification of motive and steam power.  This drives the mechanics crazy in Lionelville.  ALCo, Electromotive, Fairbanks Morse, General Electric.

[servoguy]

I have three 736s, three Santa Fe F-3s:  2333, 2343, & 2383, two 2046s, two Jersey Central diesel switchers, and maybe a couple more duplicates.  I buy stuff when I find it at a good price, regardless of whether I already have one or not.  I think the 736s are the best steam engines Lionel made in the post war era.  I also like the way the dual motor F-3s run.  They are very good at low speed as are the 736s.  I have always felt that the Lionel steam engines didn't have enough gear ratio between the motor and the drivers.  The 736s and the turbines are worm drive which gives them a higher numerical gear ratio than the other steam engines.

Bruce Baker

[Sturgeon-Phish]

I have several duplicates, without looking I'd guess I have 4 290's,  282's, 5 302's, 3 300's, 2 312's, 4 or 5 21160's, 4 283's, 2 350's, 2 21088 Franklins, some are vairations of the same loco.

Jim

[alank]

I have numerous dupicate of engines, postwar steam and diesel.   Some were aquired because I was trying to better something, and some were aquired because they were in a lot of trains I bought, and I didn't sell my duplicates.   My daughter was 7 or 8 years old, and said to me one night "daddy you have 2 of everything, one for running, and one for parts'.   It wasn't planned that way, but I would often run something, if I was having trouble with it, would scavange a part off the other, and then replace or repair the other as time permitted.   It is amazing, you can have 2 or 3 of something, but you like running 1 better than the other.   No matter how many 2026s I aquired, I couldn't just replace the shell on our original because it was missing a marker light.   I finally gave it to my nephew, as it was his dad's first train.  The time frame for when I aquired a lot of these also factored in.   Today there is much more, and you have to plan your purchases.

[ChiefEagles]

Got "quite a few" doubles, some triples and one set of diesels, I have 4 off.

[laz 57]

NYC Niagaras-3-Lionel

NYC Mohawks-3-Lionel

Shays-2-Lionel

NYC Hudsons-2-MTH

FEF,blavck and grey-2 Lionel Legacy

NS-Dash 9s-2-Lionel Legacy

laz57

[Bob Keller]

I've got multiples of NYC GP7/9s and F3s, from various mfgrs., FM Train Masters in NYC and PRR, Alco RSs in a couple of road names (NYC, NH, and PRR), and Williams U33Cs and Dash 8s I repainted into NYC.

[Blueberryhill RR]

I have 2 of the Williams FM Trainmasters in Jersey Central.

I also have a Lionel #671 & tender from 1949, and a Williams #671 and tender from 2004.

Chuck

[DMUinCT]

As a Collector of Lionel and "O" gauge, not an Operator, I only have two cases of duplication.   "OO" gauge Lionel Hudsons, I have 3, 1938 Scale, and 1939-41 in both Scale and Simi-Scale.  The other is the 225E with die-cast tenders, I have 2, I just like that New Haven prototype locomotive.

As an Operator, I have 500+ feet of "G Gauge" track winding around my yard.  Lashups of two or three twin motored locomotives are often used to pull 30 foot trains up the grades.  DCS "Lash Up" command is used.   I have, in addition to MTH locomotives, five Aristo-Craft locomotives converted to DCS Control.

[traindaddy1]

None.  Now and then, if I see a similar one in much better condition, at a reasonable price, I might buy it and sell the first one.  I really like to have different engines (and cars). Thanks for asking.

[Lehigh Valley Lines]

Thanks to all for the responses. Very interesting info.

 

[mersenne6]

Ten AF #10's.  Each one heading up a variation of the Flyer Rainbow sets which were offered in the late 1920's.

[mdainsd]

The modern stuff, no real duplication of effort. Postwar F3s? I collected variations for quite a while. some of the common ones like 2343 and 2344 I probably have more than twenty sets of each, a dozen more 2333s and multiples throughout all the PW F3 series.

[Northwoods Flyer]

mersenne6

Ten AF #10's.  Each one heading up a variation of the Flyer Rainbow sets which were offered in the late 1920's.

 

 

No wonder I can't find any! 

I have tried to keep from having any duplicates in my collection of American Flyer Prewar trains but I do have multiples of the body style of the steeple cabs, but only one real duplicate and that is the black 1218.  I also have 2   3115s.  In steamers I only have duplicates of the 3322, and I have two of those.  I don't think that is too bad out of a total of 52 Prewar O gauge engines. 

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

[brianel027]

There is so much variety today in locomotives, but most of it is on the scale side. Not much for the 027 operator. So I have quite a few of the Lionel Industrial Switcher, the small Lionel steamers, and the K-Line MP-15, Alco FA, and S-2 switchers.

I do a lot of repainting though, so I can make the variety and little modifications to the locos to make them all look a little different. So like with the K-Line S-2 below, you can see added marker lights, an actual headlight, an added metal ladder on the side, added horn to the top of the cab roof, added details to the hood of the loco, and filled in pilots.

On this loco for variety, I removed the included side handrails and substituted a handrail along the upper side of the loco which is painted yellow. Plus you can't see it here, but I cut a window into the back door of the cab and often paint the handrails and window visor different colors.

Since this photo was taken, I've also highlighted the edges of the metal handrails front and back with yellow paint along with the edge of the bottom sheet metal step. In my mind, highlighting just the side edge of the front/back handrails looks better than having the whole thing painted.

For the money, it's hard to beat the K-Line S-2 for perfomance, reliability and especially looking at home on a small layout with semi-scale or 027 types of rolling stock. I'll be looking forward to the RMT version of this loco if it ever gets made.

[jwse30]

 The only engine I have 2 of is the 2025. The price of the 2nd one was too good. I modified one of them by putting a coupler on the front for double heading.

 

J White

 

[dsmith]

jwse30

 The only engine I have 2 of is the 2025. The price of the 2nd one was too good. I modified one of them by putting a coupler on the front for double heading. 

J White

Wow!,  J. White, I would like to hear how you added a coupler on the front of your 2025.  The only steam engine I can double head is my postwar 1615 steam switcher (which I think is the only postwar steamer with a coupler on the front).

My only mupltiple engine is a Lionel postwar 205 Missouri Pacific Alco diesel.  Usually I use the dummy engine as the second A-A unit but I purchased a second powered unit so that I could run 2 powered alcos when I want to haul a long or heavy load (just like a real railroad would do).

[Seayakbill]

I have purchased the powered and unpowered units of the same loco

[runtime]

On different occasions I purchased 646 and 2056 postwar Lionel steamers, each time because they were cheap, in good condition and they appealed to me. Only when I brought the second purchase home, and then did a little research, did I realize that they were the same except for on having magna-traction and the other not, and that they also share a shell, though not drivetrain, with my 736. But they are both good runners.

It would be nice to double head them if someone could provide a nice, easy, and good looking process for adding a front coupler. Couldn't someone develope a conversion kit that would work with most Lionel postwar steamers? With the tendency towards operating longer trains on bigger layouts, I think there would be a strong market.

runtime

[phillyreading]

I have four SD-45's; three by Williams, one Pennsy and two Reading Lines and one Reading Lines SD-45 by MTH. Also have two  Lionel 224's, one is a 224E and the other is a 224, both steam engines. There is also the A-B-A set of Williams F-7 diesels for the Santa Fe with six El Capitan passenger cars. I am trying to sell a set of Pennsy F-7's, A-B-A, by Williams at a train show this month in Deerfield Beach FL.

Lee F.

[lionelsoni]

There were two companion articles, titled "Doublehead those steamers!", on page 86 of the January, 1999, CTT on how to add front couplers in ways that did not permanently alter the locomotives.

http://www.trains.com/ctt/default.aspx?c=i&id=61

[Lehigh Valley Lines]

Thanks again for all the interesting replies  

dsmith

jwse30

 The only engine I have 2 of is the 2025. The price of the 2nd one was too good. I modified one of them by putting a coupler on the front for double heading. 

J White

Wow!,  J. White, I would like to hear how you added a coupler on the front of your 2025. 

jwse30, I too would really like to hear about how you did this. Could you inform us?

Thanks