How many locomotives does one need?

[Anonymous]

Since I don't have a layout (yet) OR a place to build, I guess you would call me a collector. One of my prizes is an Akane DM&IR 2-8-8-4 that I paid $450 for a couple of years ago. It's the only brass engine in my fleet. I have 3 DM&IR SD-9's that I painted (Athern), 32 GN (about half are F Units), 5 Milwaukee Road, 21 NP (Mostly F Units), an A-B-B Santa Fe Warbonnet lashup (I don't think these will make sense with my dreamed about Midwestern lines, but doesn't EVERYONE need some Warbonnets?) and 3 SOO Line F's. Yeah, I like the F's...most of them are now Genesis. I won't know if I have too many or not enough until I build a layout, I guess!

[trainfan1221]

You can never have too many! Well, maybe you can. I always try to get more, but always have to justify their existence, run-through power and the like. Lets just say my railroad leases a lot.

[BNSFNUT]

There is no such thing as to many locos. You always seem to need 1 more than you got. I have 12 now and would like to have about 3 more.
I know I will never equal my freinds 225+ with 5 more on order. He needs a lot of power to pull his 1000+ freight and passenger cars. There is advantages to being in N scale I guess On his old layout he had about 15 locos and 100 cars max. at any one time.
But he is now planing a larger layout .
I always tell him every time he aquires a new locos that he has more locos than brains.[:D]

[Anonymous]

My theory if I like a engine and it runs good and isnt to expensive buy it. I know i will run them. I run steam engines on the front of an intermodal train i dont care if it matches the period or not.

My dad thinks i have to many but i dont think I have enough[:D]

[Anonymous]

I could technically get away with a single engine on my small N-scale layout. But I have some 30 planned, and I will swap them out for variety. But I am primarily doing this because I like detailing engines.

---jps

[cacole]

Remember, he who dies with the most locomotives, wins.

[AntonioFP45]

I understand what some of you mean. In the past decade, I actually shrunk my fleet as I had various railroads. I'm now concentrating on railroads found on the eastern half of the U.S circa 1960s thru early 70s (SCL, FEC, L&N, NH, NYC,. Only exception, of course, are those sleek Santa Fe cowls.

Don't want to have any more than 25 HO locomotives tops! While it sounds nice to have more, I discovered the hard way that units that sit for a "L-O-N-G" time on shelves between runs can actually develop annoying electrical pickup and gear noise problems due to lubricants drying out, surface rust on mechanisms, and dust. Now imagine this scenario today with DCC! I don't even want to think about it! Some would say "Just put them in the boxes". But of course, many of us enjoy displaying our fleet.

High Greens!

[Nieuweboer]

If one has been a model railroader as long as I've been-40+ years-it stands to reason that one collects a sizable numer of locomotives. It all started with a Globe F-unit around 1958 and after that a numer of Tyco GP20's and F7's as well as a Tyco Mikado and an Athearn GP9 in the sixties. Also in the sixties came the first Atlas units, SD24, GP40 and boy were they an improvement on the Tyco's and Athearns. Later came Life Like and Kato and each time the locomotives were better than the older ones. So I couldn't resist buying some of them and now I have a huge collection of engines. The old Athearns are repowered with can motors and the Tyco's are dummied and all play their role from time to time next to the newer generation.

[Anonymous]

Unless your layout is ernormous, I'd say about 8. One for every type of duty.
A high drivered steamer for passenger trains.
A fat 2-8-0 or 0-8-0 for shuffling cars.
A plodding Santa Fe type for drag freights.
A challenger or cabforward for a long reefer block.
2 large drivered mountains for fast freight.
And creeping mallet for those coal drags.

[Anonymous]

I like it. it's in my price range. I buy it. I'll find a use for it.[:D]

[Anonymous]

I enjoy repairing, kit-bashing and scratch-building locomotives. So once one project is done its on to the next.
I suppose I'm one of those guys most people think has to many locomotives, But I own what I like and I like what I own. I am what I am.

Here's a few links to some of my latest projects.

http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10856

http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10032

http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10858

http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=9503

http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=10925

[jrbernier]

A really loaded question! On my railroad, 8 to 9 engines will operate it. Now I suspect I can get all 23 engines on the track at once, but I would have lots of track tied up just to park them.

Jim Bernier

[aloco]

Hey, man... locomotives are where it's at! It's what the hobby is all about. The more the better! :D

[orsonroy]

How many engines do I "need"? Well, to operate my layout at full capacity (one 24-hour cycle), I'll need the following:

NKP:
three westbound time freights
one westbound passenger train
two westbound extra freights
two eastbound time freights, each of two sections
one eastbound passenger train
one eastbound extra
one local switch engine in Bloomington
two spare engines to handle overloads or breakdowns

P&PU:
five switch engines (east yard, west yard, passenger yard, freights, interchanges)

IC:
one Bloomington local engine
one Peoria interchange engine
one Peoria passenger engine

GM&O:
one Bloomington local engine
one F3 ABA set for Peoria traffic

TP&W:
one East Peoria interchange engine
one F3 AB set for through traffic

PRR:
two freight engines

P&E:
two freight engines for Bloomington
one Bloomington switcher
one passenger engine
one Peoria local freight engine

C&IM:
one passenger engine
one time freight engine
one drag freight engine

one interchange engine from each of the following roads:
ATSF, CB&Q, C&NW, M&StL, CRI&P

OK, that's a grand total of 45 engines, with 38 of them steam.

Unfortunately, my roster is made up of about 150 engines, with over 100 steam. Only about 30 of the engines I've got now are good for the roster I've got in mind for operations, meaning I'll need ANOTHER 15 engines. Oh, and since I'm a dedicated steam junkie, I'll be picking up one or two stray engines along the way...

I am trying to thin down my roster however. I've got more than 50 engines that are in the "sell" pile. I'm just waiting for the local shows in December and April to roll around before I can make some ca***o buy more engines!


Addicting, isn't it?

[Jetrock]

I've got more locos than I "need" for my current layout, but I don't always want to run the same locomotive. I started out a little indiscriminate, since I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do in the hobby, and so my roster is a little top-heavy. Let's see...right now I think I have:

Sacramento Northern:
2 44-ton GE (one black, one Zephyr)
1 SW-7 (not prototype, it is numbered as an SN S-1, too cute to pass up)
1 Baldwin-Westinghouse Type E steeplecab
2 single-truck Birney "safety car" trolleys

Central California Traction:
1 70-ton GE (painted but not lettered)

Western Pacific:
1 GP-7
1 S-1

Southern Pacific:
1 GP-7
1 F-unit of indeterminate parentage, with damage
1 unassembled 2-8-0 oil-burner I got with a box of assorted stuff

I also have a Proto 1000 F-3 that I eventually want to paint for SN, a couple of spare Bachmann 44 and 70 tonners to cannibalize for traction motors, and a few Bachmann Brill trolleys for kitbashing purposes.

One's need for locomotives can multiply based on situation--if I want to run electric, I use the B-W and run the Birney as a way to interfere with a switching schedule, with wood-sided boxcars. If I want to run early diesels I have the 44 and 70 tonners, and if I want later power I have the SW-7, S1 and GP-9 (hey, for me that is later power--the latest era I model is around 1970.) The structures don't really have to change much, I just swap out car models to reinforce an era's feel.

Extra engines are also nice for interchange traffic or having to wait for a crossing to clear during an operation session.

But, in essence, trains are kind of like guns. Few people really need more than one or two firearms, but once you start buying them you almost invariably start buying more. Gee, I have a home-defense pistol but I could use a target pistol for the range, and a Magnum revolver because they're fun, and a .22 because they're cheap, and a bolt-action hunting rifle, and a shotgun for trapshooting, another for hunting, and another for blowing up watermelons and pumpkins....