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Locomotive Rosters

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  • Member since
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  • From: OH
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Posted by BRAKIE on Friday, January 31, 2020 9:36 PM

I'll share my Columbus & Hocking Valley roster

SW1000 100-103.

SW1500 150-153.

GP38-2 380-387 383 wrecked scrapped 7/12.

GP40-2 400-405 -404 wrecked scrapped 7/12. All off roster by 6/17.

GP50 500-503.    503 wrecked scrapped 7/12. All off roster by 6/17.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by dehusman on Friday, January 31, 2020 8:22 PM

TractionAction1700
Mostly interested in real railroad rosters, as in aside from the number what other characteristics of locomotives are listed? Tonnage? Tractive effort or just Classification?

Depends on the railroad.  Mostly a roster is just a list of engine and what model or horsepower they are.

Tonnage is dependent on the territory.  An engine on one territory may be rated for 2000 tons but might be rated for 3000 tons on another, the same engine might be rated for 2000 tons on a drag freight but 500 tons on an intermodal.  Tonnage charts are usually harder to find and are separate documents.

Probably on a traction line running low speeds and fairly flat, you can figure about 1/2 to 1 hp per trailing ton  So a 1000 hp engine could pull 1000-2000 tons. 

One 70 tonner would be about 500-1000 tons.  A steeple cab electric would be somewhere between the 70 tonner and the RS1, depending on its weight and hp.

An 0-8-0 has 50-55,000 lbs TE and GP7 has about 65000 lbs TE so an 0-8-0 would have a tonnage rating just below a GP7, somewhere in the 1300-2500 ton range.  

The high end of all the ranges would be on flat territory with a drag freight, the low end would be on a slight grade (less than 1%) or on a higher speed train (45 mph plus).

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by mbinsewi on Friday, January 31, 2020 3:31 PM

Thanks chutton, I remember Trains did an article on it a few years back.

It seems like the OP wants a way to catalog his locos, along with any information pertaining to it.

Kind of like the "book keeping" threads a while ago, on keeping track of all of the rolling stock and locos.

I'm no help in that area, as that is too much for me to spend time on.  I don't need such info on my trains or locos.

So I have no clue on how the prototype would do it.

Mike.

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Posted by chutton01 on Friday, January 31, 2020 3:02 PM

mbinsewi
Isn't there a traction RR in Iowa that handles freight?

Could well be the Iowa Traction Railway, which apparently is operating freights today under wire. Looking at it's history (and Steeple Cabs), I'd say our new forum friend may be basing his modeling on it.

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Posted by TractionAction1700 on Friday, January 31, 2020 10:43 AM

While we’re on the subject, when opporating, has anyone used car identification cards for locomotives too?

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Posted by TractionAction1700 on Friday, January 31, 2020 10:40 AM

Mostly interested in real railroad rosters, as in aside from the number what other characteristics of locomotives are listed? Tonnage? Tractive effort or just Classification?

  • Member since
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  • From: Omaha, NE
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Posted by dehusman on Friday, January 31, 2020 9:09 AM

TractionAction1700
i currently have a steeplecab electric, 2 70 tonner, an alco rs-1 and an 0-8-0 that I use on the mainline. I would like to be able to write a paper roster with all the correct information and have prototype reason to have such a wide and diverse roster

All a "roster" is is a list of the engines.

Are you looking for lists of the real engines a railroad owns (which can vary from year to year) or are you looking for a "back story" to explain why you own specific engines?

I worked on the "Houston North Shore", which by the time I worked there was the Baytown Sub of the MoPac.  It operated with interurbans, gas powered rail buses, freight motors, steam engines and diesels over its history.  By the time I worked there the steam, electric and rail buses had been gone for 30-40 years.

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by mbinsewi on Friday, January 31, 2020 8:56 AM

Looks like your well on your way to answering your own questions.

Isn't there a traction RR in Iowa that handles freight?

Anyway, it looks like you have some research to do.  I know very little about traction ops., even thought the ETERR is right down the street from, and has been traction/electric sinse the day it opened, in 1902, as a branch line of a much bigger RR.

https://www.easttroyrr.org/

Mike.

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Posted by TractionAction1700 on Friday, January 31, 2020 8:29 AM

My railroad is a fictional traction line in 1950s Iowa that runs as an Interurban and a class 3 connected to the mainline of a class 2 on the club layout.

i wanted to use some electric, diesel and steam throughout the line.

i currently have a steeplecab electric, 2 70 tonner, an alco rs-1 and an 0-8-0 that I use on the mainline. I would like to be able to write a paper roster with all the correct information and have prototype reason to have such a wide and diverse roster

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, January 31, 2020 8:25 AM

This is a tough question with various answers particular to each railroad.

.

I know you asked about real railroads, but I have put some thought into how I built my freelanced locomotive roster. For my STRATTON AND GILLETTE, I assume the 1954 roster looks like this:

.

1) Lots of USRA steam locomotives. These designs were simple, solid, easy to maintain, and easy to obtain/fabricate parts for. Many of the “modern” steam locomotives on the SGRR roster were scrapped first because of high maintenance costs, and available new diesels were suitable to replace their duties. The old USRA steamers are still in service in 1954.

.

2) Lots of F units. The SGRR dieselized early, so they bought into the cab design locomotives in mass, and road switchers are rare in comparison in 1954. This is changing, there are a couple of GP9s, an SD7, and a Trainmaster on the roster, but F3s, F7s, FP7s, E7s, FAs, and PAs make up about 75% of the road diesel motive power.

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3) Varied switchers. There are still two USRA 0-8-0 locomotives in service, but there is also an Alco S2 and an EMD NW2 on the layout.

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4) Weird stuff. This is where there is joy in freelancing. I have five or six weird locomotives that have been scratchbuilt to my fancy. Just so you know you are looking at a nonsensical caricature, and not a serious model railroad.

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5) The rest of it. I have a Boxcab still in service, and some RDCs. I have an RS-1 that I accidently won on eBay for a ridiculously low opening bid, so that will be out there as an oddball. There is a Heisler that shows up sometimes because it was given to me by a dear friend. I plan on some big articulateds based on NORFOLK AND WESTERN prototypes just because I like them.

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6) The prop fleet. I have over a dozen locomotives that do not run, but they are painted and detailed just to be used in photography. I have a 2-6-0, John Bull, 4-8-4, 2-12-4, 0-4-0T, 0-4-0, 4-4-0, 0-6-0, and so on, and so on. These are just for fun and will never be used in operation. Most are cheap train set junk, but a few are brass models that were damaged and bought cheap. Most are “effectively shays” meaning they look good on one side, but the other side is badly damaged and never seen in photographs.

.

I hope this helps.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by mbinsewi on Friday, January 31, 2020 8:21 AM

TractionAction1700
So I have been wanting to make a locomotive roster for my equipment

I think you really mean "a locomotive roster for your railroad".  Correct if I'm wrong.

Is there a particular railroad that your layout will represent? in fact or in fiction?

Will you have main line running and switching ops? or just one or the other?

Does your railroad deal with freight and passenger service? or one or the other?

Do you have a favorite type of locomotive? such as EMD, GE, ALCO, MLW, etc.?

You have "traction" in your handle, will you be modeling a traction layout? with over head wires?

What is the time period that you will be representing/modeling?

All of these questions, and more, will help you decide just what your railroad will operate.

Mike.

  • Member since
    November 2019
  • 29 posts
Locomotive Rosters
Posted by TractionAction1700 on Friday, January 31, 2020 7:37 AM

So I have been wanting to make a locomotive roster for my equipment and I was wondering what the real railroads did. Is there any example?

Tags: Loco Rosters

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