As a Santa Fe aficionado with limited space, my favorites are the Division Point class 885 2-8-2s and 900/1600 class 2-10-2s. Compared to other Santa Fe steam engines with the same wheel arrangements, both classes of engines are small. Although brass is usually regarded as requiring large curve radii, the 2-8-2s manage 18" curves and the 2-10-2s do well on 22" curves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjn2DpUJyvE
Athearn Genesis F7's and F3's:
(ATSF/MKT)
Athearn Genesis SD75M's
ATSF Warbonnet)
My Howell Day (Red Ball) CNJ 4-6-0 #774. It was my first brass model, given to me by my parents for Christmas 1966, when I was fourteen. The memories make it incredibly precious to me
DSC09873.jpg (1600×1200) (sirv.com)
I'll name a steamer and a diesel.
Steamer - MTH Hudson 5426 streamlined for the Empire State Express. I have four other BLI Hudsons including 5453 streamlined for the 20th Century Limited, but 5426 is my favorite. I also have a non-DCC Rivarossi version of both streamlined Hudsons but they have been the shelf.
Diesel - Athearn Genesis F-3 AB set with 3500 on the lead. Gray lightning stripe paint scheme. B unit is 3600. These had been equipped with steam generators allowing them to be used in freight or passenger service.
My Lionel 2-8-4 Berkshire which my father bought for me in 1953 right after I was born. Still have it.
Ooh a favorite, that is hard to pick! I have locos from four different roads. In general, I agree, a favorite is usually the one we had to work the hardest on for one reason or another. I don't have one favorite, virtually all of my locomotives are a favorite. First, I'd have to mention, the least "stock" locomotive in my collection is a "hybrid" BLI Paragon K4s with a Sunset brass 130p75 tender. It has TCS-Wow sound which still works well after five years, and I'd combined loco and tender and painted it. Plus installed DCC myself. It's one I'd never part with. It can use a little work, maybe repaint one day, but it took me months to put together, so it'll always stay a part of the collection. I've often brought it to my train club to run long passenger trains that remind me of those seen on the New York and Long Branch commuter train runs from the '50s.
My favorite brass steam engine is a Westside Craftsman Series #6 NYC "Super Hudson" it came pro-painted, and runs well, and though it's not the most detailed or best running, two things that can be changed with some work. I just love how this thing feels like it'll last forever. I also love this era of Japanese made brass models, as the models are excellent and the prices though not cheap, are not through the stratosphere like some much newer ones. The mechanisms are solid too even if not the smoothest and quietest. I'd like one day to get a pro to work on the mechanism and install DCC and sound but that's a ways in the future for me. Owning the model as is, I find a lot of joy in doing so.
For my shelf layout, I absolutely love the P2K/Walthers USRA 0-8-0, the detail is excellent, it runs super smooth and quiet. I'll convert to sound and DCC one day.
And diesels, I like my P2K Boston and Maine Alco S3 a lot as it's great for my shelf layout.
Alvie
My favorite locomotive.
A Mantua Pacific, painted up as a Boston & Maine P4. The dimensions of the Mantua model match the P4 dimensions to a couple of inches in length, height and width. The P4's oval smoke stack and the racy sloped cab front fell into my "too hard" basket.
And the post editor is broken and I cannot edit anything below the P4 picture.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
cats think well of meFor my shelf layout, I absolutely love the P2K/Walthers USRA 0-8-0, the detail is excellent, it runs super smooth and quiet. I'll convert to sound and DCC one day.
Alvie,
That one is fairly easy to convert to DCC & sound. I used a TCS Wow101-Steam decoder and there was more than enough room for the speaker. I also switched out the front & rear headlights for warm-white LEDs. IIRC, you'll need to solder a resistor in series to do that.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
The tender on the Proto 0-8-0 is a work of art. I hope to someday find a pair of them to use behind my brass 0-8-0 locomotives.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 The tender on the Proto 0-8-0 is a work of art. I hope to someday find a pair of them to use behind my brass 0-8-0 locomotives. -Kevin
Simon
20200927_135150 on Flickr
snjroyThat's what I did for my Oriental Powerhouse Mikado.
That looks good Simon.
My "up-detailed" Oriental Powerhouse mikado is mated with a Tenshodo "clear vision" oil tender. I originally wanted to get more of this tender for my brass USRA 0-8-0 locomotives, but the prices of that tender shot through the roof.
I guess wealthier modelers had the same idea!
Sorry, no finished pictures of my re-tendered Mikado. I just have a few old in-process pictures of the project.
Remember those "good old days" when we stored our hobby bits in old 35mm film cans?
D. Starr, with his very nicely done B&M version of the Mantua Pacific, inspired me to show my version of detailing that same model.
I added a Belpaire firebox. I attempted a slope front cab. And the tender is a modified Varney, with Cal-Scale trucks.
Ed
Well done Ed. It looks stock!
My favorite loco is hands down a PFM brass GN P2 Mountain.
I wanted one ever since I saw it on the back cover of MR in the early 70's. Finally was able to buy one in the mid-80's.
I haven't run it in many years - it's not DCC equipped, and the thought of trying to convert it is intimidating. Besides, my layout is CB&Q, not GN.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
snjroy Well done Ed. It looks stock! Simon
Thank you, Simon.
Pruitt My favorite loco is hands down a PFM brass GN P2 Mountain. I wanted one ever since I saw it on the back cover of MR in the early 70's. Finally was able to buy one in the mid-80's. I haven't run it in many years - it's not DCC equipped, and the thought of trying to convert it is intimidating. Besides, my layout is CB&Q, not GN.
Not my favorite, but I can CERTAINLY see why it's yours. I think Northerns are great, but Mountains just look a bit more balanced or something. And the GN one is a beaut! I'm also quite fond of NYC Mohawks!
I'm pretty sure you could run it on your layout when no one is looking. I hear that kind of thing happens a lot more than you might think.
Yeah, I'm also intimidated about DCC/sounding my brass steam. But the reward when/if I pull it off is quite an incentive. Those darn Vanderbilt tenders sure don't help!
PS: I've got a Burlington Blackbird Geep that's gonna go out for a spin every once in awhile! It's just gotta happen.
7j43k D. Starr, with his very nicely done B&M version of the Mantua Pacific, inspired me to show my version of detailing that same model. I added a Belpaire firebox. I attempted a slope front cab. And the tender is a modified Varney, with Cal-Scale trucks. Ed
this looks amazing wow!
Charles
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLb3FRqukolAtnD1khrb6lQ
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Thank you, Charles.
When I built it, my freelance road was the Western Minnesota, which explains (I hope) the graphic.
It's a toss-up. I have a BLI Santa Fe 3755 Northern 4-8-4 and a BLI Blue Line UP "Big Boy."
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR