Are road numbers real?

[BRAKIE]

Larry, This is what puts some added excitment into modeling Chessie. Which units had the rock pilot in earlier paint or were they added during the Chessie paint. some only sported the modified footboard/pilot and never did get the rock pilot. Hood mounted bells either side, and/or before or after the dynamics. I enjoy hunting down other pics not showing the units in various paint (Chessie Photo archives) to use the appropriate details.

Now if Atlas, P2K or ? would do a late phase GP40-2 I would be quite happy. May even end up w/ at least a half dozen or so.

Right you are Bob..All very important details but,it doesn't stop there.LOL! Now we need to decide if we are modeling the Chessie(B&O) or Chessie(C&O) because that will reflect on what the majority of our locomotives will be lettered for prior to the formation of CSX and of course the type of signals we need to use on our layouts.

I wish Athearn or Atlas would do a late phase GP40-2.That would be sweet.

[bogp40]

Larry, This is what puts some added excitment into modeling Chessie. Which units had the rock pilot in earlier paint or were they added during the Chessie paint. some only sported the modified footboard/pilot and never did get the rock pilot. Hood mounted bells either side, and/or before or after the dynamics. I enjoy hunting down other pics not showing the units in various paint (Chessie Photo archives) to use the appropriate details.

Now if Atlas, P2K or ? would do a late phase GP40-2 I would be quite happy. May even end up w/ at least a half dozen or so.

[BRAKIE]

Don't forget the dark side..A newer locomotives using older retired locomotive road numbers.

A case in point.

A C&O GP9 number 6148

http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/GP9/6148c&o.jpg

 

A CSX GP40-2 number 6148

http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photos/GP40-2/6148CSX-bc.jpg

 

Both models would be correct for their modeling time frame.

 

Then let's have some fun..This is what causes serious Chessie modelers to pull their hair out.

Think you got the Cat's numbers right?

Let's look at a example shall we?

GP40 #4819 is a B&O unit.

http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/GP38/4819cs-b&o.jpg

 

And the very next unit #4120 is a C&O unit!!

http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/GP38/4820c&o.jpg

So you see we Chessie modelers need to ensure that a given locomotive sub lettering matches the number or we need to know C&O GP40 #3895 remained in C&O paint plus we need to know when the 4829 was painted Chessie C&O.

As far as models the paint scheme may be correct up to the date it was repainted in a new paint scheme and perhaps renumbered in the process..

 

A foot note..C&O/B&O modelers need to be just as careful because C&O sent several locomotives to the B&O..These units retain their C&O looks and numbers.Later this would apply to the WM as well.All of this before  the formation of the Chessie System and recall none of the Chessie roads was merged during the Chessie era.The mergers would come after the formation of CSX.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[markpierce]

The correct car number is not the greatest concern..... Manufacturers are more likely to produce models lettered for prototypes that didn't exist, as in an ATSF prototype lettered for the NYC, the SP, the C&NW, etc.  To keep production costs low, most manufacturers produce a particular model of a prototype, or a generic, but letter it for railroads that didn't even own that specific type of car (wrong roof, wrong body ends, wrong window arrangement, wrong this, wrong that).  If one is concerned, one must do a lot of research and say "no" to a large part of offered models.  There are major exceptions, such as Westerfield, Sunshine, and Red Caboose.

Mark

[rolleiman]

Probably the best site for reference photos on the planet is George Ellwood's Fallen Flags.  I don't have the link at my fingertips, but if you google that, you'll find it in short order.

 

Of course You Could always number them yourself if you want to be correct 

Fallen Flags photo website 

 

 

[UpNorth]

Who was it, a few weeks ago, posted his new engine number or model or railroad ID looking for confirmation.   Ended up it was an error in the decalling by the manufacturers graphic design team.  So anything can happen.

 

[Anonymous]

The equipment I have, the numbers are definitely real.  I was a Chessie conductor, and I've been systimatically been buying up equipment that I rode on, in some cases replacing their road number, with the ones I was aboard.

[Anonymous]

6067 is a Bachmann GP40 in the Warbonnet scheme, I think. Paint scheme was never used on Santa Fe's only GP40. The loco's not very good anyway, I have one like it. Bachmann in general (except for the Spectrum and to some extent, the DCC On Board lines) are train set quality, not good for much except trainsets and scrapyard scenes...

[mearrin69]

I can't speak for every manufacturer but I concurr that Atlas seems to do a pretty good job. I recently bought a couple of switchers and was surprised to be able to find details about them both on the Internet (when bought, price, servicing information, retirement dates, etc.) I even found a couple of photos and could try to match the paint/weathering in a couple of different years if I wanted. 

Didn't really require that level or realism myself (would have been fine with made up numbers) but I guess some folks do. I must say, though, that it's cool to know the life history of my fictional little engines - probably made me slightly more attached to them.
M

[tomikawaTT]

Thanks to the way my prototype numbered locomotives, I can be confident that the numbers on my models are valid.  [The class is identified by the letter(s) and first two digits of the number.]  Of course, getting them right is a no-brainer.

As for freight stock, all of the numbers are valid - straight out of field notes I made in the 1960s, along with light weights and detailing comments.

My passenger stock (DMU, EMU and unpowered) is also numbered from my notes, except for some with manufacturer numbering that I have verified from prototype data sources.

So much for the Japan National Railways portion of my modeling.  The Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo runs rolling stock of no known parentage, so those cars carry numbers from dreamland.  (If anyone ever builds a full-size 7-axle articulated hopper car, they will be modeling my prototype in 80:1 scale!)

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[wm3798]

Probably the best site for reference photos on the planet is George Ellwood's Fallen Flags.  I don't have the link at my fingertips, but if you google that, you'll find it in short order.

If you have older models (made in the 60's or 70's) you may have a situation where the manufacturer used the same number across a variety of paint schemes with no regard for accuracy.  I know on certain N scale models, they had a numberboard casting with "907" inscribed in the plastic, so every paint scheme for that model was #907.  Most newer models will be done more accurately.

You'll want to watch out for Bev Bel paint jobs, too...  They like to apply paint schemes and numbers to the wrong model entirely...  They did an N scale GP-38-2 (which the Western Maryland never owned) using a WM GP-35 number... and to add insult to injury, they did a lousy job with the paint job.  Maybe that's not a big deal for a "good enough" modeler, but if you're trying to model a specific prototype, that kind of stuff gets frustrating.

Lee 

 

[n2mopac]

All my loco's road numbers match up with the real thing. www.railpictures.net is a great site for locating a picture of a locomotive. 

Mine all check out, too. Mine are all N scale Atlas and Kato. I download pics of the prototypes to use when I weather the locos.

Ron

[Dave Vollmer]

Atlas is VERY methodical about using real road numbers these days.  In N scale they used to make a PRR PS1 boxcar (the Pennsy only owned 20 of them as class X48) and slapped an incorrect number series on them and even gave them the wrong paint scheme (some got the Merchandise Service phase 2 and others go the Don't Stand Me Stll shadow-keystone phase 1b).  Their reporting marks were for the X43 class.  Wrong!

But I just bought a new Atlas trainman PS1 in PRR paint.  Why?  Because they re-did it in the proper shadow kesytone phase 1a with X48 reporting marks, and the correct road number.  In fact, it matches the same road number and paint as is on the one example of an X48 in my PRR paint and color guide photos.

Same goes for Atlas locos.  Their latest release of the GP9 in N scale comes with the proper phase and road numbers, including the surviving PRR GP9 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

I don't work for Atlas, but I can't sing their praises enough.  Yeah, they mess up now and again, but against the rising tide of incorrectness (in N scale anyway) they take prototype fidelity to heart.  Oh, and they're affordable.

I guess the only real heartache most folks have with their current releases is the quality of the factory-installed decoders.  I have a pair of GP9s still running after a year with the same factory boards, so keep your fingers crossed!

[Red Horse]

http://rosters.gcrossett.com/atsf/

6067 certainly not ATSF number, see above roster.  307 if it is on an F unit, otherwise questionable.  You did not specify diesel or steam. 

Bob

Oops, sorry, They are both Diesel!

Thanks for the links guys!

[DSchmitt]

Fallen Flags is a good source for photos

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/

No photo of 307, but the real one would be a F7

6067 appears to be completely fictional,  6000 numbers appear to start with  6301

an U23B

[pastorbob]

http://rosters.gcrossett.com/atsf/

6067 certainly not ATSF number, see above roster.  307 if it is on an F unit, otherwise questionable.  You did not specify diesel or steam. 

Bob

[dinwitty]

I was just wondering if the road numbers put on by model makers are off real locomotives, I have two Santa Fe Locos that I like, one numbered 307 and one numbered 6067 and I was trying to do a pic web search to see if they are from real SF trains but I've had no luck yet after an exhausting search....so I'm asking...Are they real or not?

 

For the most part, they are, but manufactureres like IHC who put any road on any locomotive are suspect. They tend to freelance. Like Mantua whose engines were genericized, IHC isnt exactly correct on the prototypes, they do make good looking models for the price range and if your a customizer their ripe to do that. But their the deep flange style but they are getting some scale flanged models out.

 

Athearn, BLI, Atlas, and other well known good model makers I believe are good with correct numberings.

But if I see things like John Deere, Chatannoga Choo Choo associated with a model, I'll be running the opposite direction.

 

[tstage]

Red Horse, 

If your locomotives are diesels, here's a handy web site worth checking out:

http://www.thedieselshop.us

It won't have pictures of individual locomotives but it will list the BLT dates and road numbers in groups for verification purposes.

Tom

[Red Horse]

I was just wondering if the road numbers put on by model makers are off real locomotives, I have two Santa Fe Locos that I like, one numbered 307 and one numbered 6067 and I was trying to do a pic web search to see if they are from real SF trains but I've had no luck yet after an exhausting search....so I'm asking...Are they real or not?