Growing up ? my rolling stock then Vs now

[Anonymous]

When I was a kid i would buy whatever engine or car caught my eye and the more variety the better. Some favorites where the then new Spirit of 76 U-boats.

Now in my 40's I find it more appealing to have a string of 12 Reading Hoppers, all in black, or something similar. Pulled by a Reading Engine, with yes a Reading Caboose. Anyone else been through this transformation ? Thanks, Dave

[Anonymous]

Been there, done that.[:D]
At one time, I actually had a string of the Tyco Western Maryland flat cars with the pipe sections on them. I thought they looked cool. Thank heavens for train shows. Sold them all off and bought nicer stuff!

[IRONROOSTER]

I suspect alot of us go through that process. In the beginning we don't too much about railroads, but we do like trains. So we buy every thing that appeals to us. Then as we learn more, we decide it looks better to have more realistic looking consists. For me it was billboard reefers, I was buying everyone MDC made. Looked like I had a circus train. I still like them, but moderation is the key .
Enjoy
Paul

[Big_Boy_4005]

I agree, it's natural. Just part of the process of learning and growing. I am in 3 rail O, and my taste has gone totally scale, after years of enjoying whimsical.

[Eriediamond]

Like most, I've been there-done that. When I was growing up (I aint growed up yet) back in the 40's I had Lionel and had to have all the operating cars and accessories I could get my hands on. Then in the late 50's got into HO, but still still run trains with what I felt looked good behind steam, even though they weren't prototypical. Now I'm more picky about what my locos are pulling and must represent the industries on my layout, but I will run a passenger train and will now and the run a couple of freight cars in a train that may be going through for connection with another railroad or to be put into a through freight at the rail yard. My layout represents the 40's era steam so no modern equipment will operate on it as a rule, except when I'm not serious. I never was into the rocket launcher cars and stuff like that.

[Fergmiester]

I had bottom end stuff growing up. None of which survives today. Now Athearn is my bottom end and to tell you the truth it suits me just fine for now! But I suspect the Athearn will slowly be replaced by higher end stuff as I progress. It never ends does it.

[Anonymous]

Shoot I was hooked on 50" Auto Boxcars for awhile before I decided to model BNSF. So I've been there done that, and I think everybody else has to, plus I think that's the fun part about the hobby.

[CBQ_Guy]

I'n now fifty years young (yeah, right) and am in the process over the past dozen years of acquiring motive power and rolling stock for my late 1960's era, Burlington layout. This dictates the type and era of the items I need to buy. It is extremely rare that I will deviate from these constraints to buy something just because it catches my eye, but as I say, there are rare exceptions...extremely rare. Save quite a bit of $$, too, and keeps my purchasing more focused and under control.

[BRAKIE]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davsachz
Now in my 40's I find it more appealing to have a string of 12 Reading Hoppers, all in black, or something similar. Pulled by a Reading Engine, with yes a Reading Caboose. Anyone else been through this transformation ? Thanks, Dave

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No,I never had that problem...I already knew that from the start since my dad was a model railroader plus when I was a kid I hung the Columbus(Ohio) Union Station and watch trains for hours.[:D] On the same hand you don't want a solid string of home road freight cars in your freight train .
Now,The PRR use to haul N&W coal cars from Columbus to Sandusky and points beyond such as steel mills,coke plants and other such customers.The C&O would haul coal off the Clinchfield.Other roads haul coal off the Southern and L&N.So in that light a train of say L&N hoppers would look at home on say the B&O out of Cincinnati..Railroading is not cut and dry..Even today you will see foreign road hopper cars on a home railroad.[:D] You see railroads must interchange complete trains to get that coal to the receiving company.. If a steel mill,power plant etc is located on the CSX and the coal was loaded on the NS that complete train will go to the CSX for final delivery..See how it works?

[Anonymous]

Been there, done that, still do that. I have a large and varied collection of rolling stock, (nearly 500 cars) that I just kind of tend to follow both patterns of running my rolling stock. However the layout I eventually want to build is quite large and I still have a sever car and locomotive shortage. I have one train that is slated just for promotional cars. It consists of the Athearn 50th Aniversery Special Edition sets, The waltehrs 65th Aniversery Car. All the Model Railroader Aniversery cars. the Life-Like Patriotic set, a National Railroad Museum car, and a Toys R. Us Box car.

Yet at the same time, I am running it with a realistic unit coal train on the next track to.

James

[Anonymous]

I know the feeling. I have a fleet of 6 Dash 9s/AC4400s which are, strictly speaking, too big for my 8x1 shelf layout. However, I like these locos and given I designed the layout to handle large locos and cars it's not a problem. I'm slowly building a fleet of 4-axle motive power that is probably more prototypical!

In response to the post above, I too have a collection of promotional cars - every year since 1992 Hornby have produced a car in a commemorative paint scheme (usually has "Hornby" and the year printed on the side). I have all of these from 1992 to 2004, only missing the 1993 example. I also have some limited edition cars commissioned by my LHS.

I'm also given to buying oddball items that don't really fit with anything else I have - Just ordered some reproduction Hornby O-Gauge stock made by the French company Hachette as part of a magazine - basically they offered a clockwork loco or car weekly with the magazine. I picked up a tanker while over there on holiday last year, now have a loco and a few more cars on the way. Anyone else find that they tend to buy items "on impulse" that don't really suit their chosen scale or setting?

[fiatfan]

I sure do! My era is 50's -60's but as has been mentioned, I like some of the billboard cars. I also like the look of the old archbar style trucks.

Since no one ever sees my layout (and unless the ICC comes knocking on my door about the archbar trucks and billboard cars) I run pretty much what I please.

Tom