I run all freight trains all the time. I prefer 1970's freight cars, which covers most of what I do have, but unlike so many on these and other forums, I pull them with steam power--large, articulated steam power. I basically pretend the final big engines soldiered on for another 15 to 20 years or so...
It's my railroad, why not do that?
John
99.999% diesel.
99.999% freight.
All modern era prototype with no passenger service(minus an OCS car) so yeah.
proto Wheeling running is:
all EMD products (SD40-2,-3, and GP units)
coke hopper trains,
oil trains
the occasional mixed freight
freelanced:
commuter service
both EMd and GE products
mixed freight
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
LION runs SUBWAY TRAINS.
Check out website of LION. (It is fixed and is wroking again.)
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I run mostly modern NS, or PRR steam if I want to spice things up.
For roundy-round, I like passenger. Amtrak, N&W, SP, Santa Fe.... Anything goes as long as it looks good :)
My railroad is set in the early 2000s, but the owner of the railroad, which shares trackage with the Union Pacific. As a young man, he grew up riding trains with his grandparents. The main revenue generator is coal mining, and he is the owner of the coal mining company. His wealth has allowed him to acquire steam and early diesel power which he uses to run trains of those eras. When rail traffic is light, he has a train assembled for railfanning trips. He has even built a western themed town off the main line.
One of the other members of the forum has: "It's my railroad so I make the rules" as his slogan. I followed his advice.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Basically late 1970's D&RGW. Here are pictures to tell the story:
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
So far my motive power and rolling stock are very limited. I have one steam loco, one diesel, a few freight cars and three or four passenger cars. I also have a scratchbuilt railbus, the "Tin Lizard".
Most of the time I run the freight cars, because they're the easiest. I keep them parked in a tunnel when not in use. The passenger cars are stored off the layout, so it's a bit more trouble to set them up. They also are slightly less reliable, as they are just long enough to push the limits of the tight curves on my layout.
I also use the steam loco most of the time, mainly because I love steam. The rods and running gear add a lot of visual interest. But when I have an open house I try to run both, though not always at the same time. Usually I'll have one train running, plus the railbus.
jk10At this point in time, I do not have a functional layout.
Like jk10, I don't have a layout and probably never will because of back problems.
However, when I get a chance to run trains at the club, my favorites are my critters. I have a half dozen or so rail trucks, box cabs, galloping gooses, a 23 ton switcher and a utility truck that get regular track time at the shows. They garner a lot of interest both from the general public and from dedicated modellers. They are all either scratch built or kit bashed, most have sound and all have lights.
My second favorite is a Canadian Pacific freight train pulled by an RS-3 in maroon and grey livery with lots of CP 'Spans The World' freight cars as well as THB 40' box cars. Sometimes I will add in my fleet of Carnation Evaporated Milk reefers with the "Irradiated" logo. Most people don't notice the nuclear element until I point it out. I'd love to figure out how to have them glow in the dark!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi Gang,
My LM&E is a branch line (imaginnary) owned by the W.P.
so of course there is the Famous C.Z. in all it's glory. I also have a DRG&W passenger consist pulled by Pa units, and because of somewhat limited income and the fact I truly have a love for some other merged lines, I decided just to put a consist together of cars from those lines. Such as the diner from the I.C. City of New Orleans, the Sky Dome from the Milw. Road, a sleeper and a coach from N.P, Mainstreet of the North West, a Great Dome from the G.N., a baggage/RPO from DRG&W. and I pull it with whatever is my fancy of that day, most often with a GS4 of the W.P. Just a tourist train, but it looks neet, works for me.
My layout has three levels, the upper level is my main line where the passenger trains usually run. The mid level has the 2nd main and the branchline and the bottom level is industrial trackage on one side and yards on the other. All three are accessable to all trains. All the rest and most operated is the freight rolling stock which like most guys I have too much of.
The LM&E is based around 70s early 80s. In power I only go up to one GP-50,quite a few GP-40s, 40-2s, GP-45s, three GP-30s, -35s, -38s, GP-7s + 9s, and a couple of smaller U-boats. Also a selection of 6smaller stem locos, Consolidations, Prarie, etc.
The layout is basement oriented and 13 x 17 ft. in size.
Johnboy out.....
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
I only run freight trains.
For Me, an Amtrak train and Transition Era Freights. I sometimes switch cars around in the yard as well.
I'm currently working on putting together a present day mixed freight, already have the locomotives, just need cars about 35/36.
I like running passenger trains. They're an important part of a model railroad operations diet if you like methods such as T&TO (timetable and train order). The passenger schedule serves as the backbone of what are primarily extra freight operatons.
Yet many ops seem to prefer way freights and by golly keep those pesky passengers off the line entirely so it won't interrupt shuffling cars around the yard. That's entertaining for those involved at a personal level, but it also takes away the pressure from a number of factors that contribute to the the feeling of actually being out on the railroad solving railroad problems.
But this is very much a matter of taste. Obviously, many prototypes don't involve passenger ops and none of this applies in such cases. People do T&TO with scheduled freights that work very similar to how passerngers ops do on other protypes. I'm not dissing what others do, just saying all freight and no passengers is kind of boring and unprototypical for where my interests lie. I don't need or want a lot of "proto-pressure" but none just doesn't compute for me.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Mine are HO and powered by electricity! LOL
I model the Western Maryland Ry and run brass steamers pulling mostly 2 bay hopper cars and some passenger trains as the real railroad did in 1953-54.
oldline1
Mine is modern (2000+) era, and, currently, 100% freight.
When/if we move and I rebuild, it will include 1-2 passenger trains. But many more freight than anything.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
1965-75
ACL, SCL, New Haven. Mix of freight and passenger trains. I am heavily biased towards passenger equipment but like to keep things balanced at approximately 50/50.
I'm fortunate in that, for some years in my childhood, I lived in an area of NYC in which I saw a HUGE amount of prototype trains in action with the majority being passenger. After moving to the southeast, that ratio flip-flopped. Thanks to a good friend, I became a fan of the SCL RR and eventually early-Amtrak.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
These kind of questions come up every once in a while and they seem easy enough, but I'm never sure how to respond. The short answer is that I run both freight and passenger service, but I have no idea how to calculate percentages. Percent based on number of cars? Percent based on revenue miles? Percent based on actual hours in the harness? I dunno. I suppose it works out to about 80% freight and 20% passenger.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
I model the Transition Period. Approximately 80% diesel, 20% steam and about the same ratio freight to passenger.
Hello all,
My HO scale pike is based on a coal branch in the late 1970's to the early '80's set in West-Central Colorado.
With a few exceptions all trains are coal drags made up of vintage 34-foot Tyco operating hoppers.
The motive power consists of five GP40's; four MUed and three GP30's; two MUed.
The exceptions are:
The motive power is a mix of leased AT&SF, D&RGW and home R.R. BS&P (Buckskin & Platte).
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
At this point in time, I do not have a functional layout. I will be diving into the world of ISL later this winter as graduate school winds down. The time period will be the later 1980s through the 1990s. I have minimal if any interest in passenger trains or early diesels. I have some interest in the "400" that ran through my hometown when my parents were kids, but will not be picking up any passanger trains anytime soon.
My interest is in locals and switching industries. After joining an operating group at a friend's house, I have really started to dig into the switching operations and solving those puzzles. Since room is limited, I'll be working on developing a switching layout with a few industries.
I run an interstate passenger train in both directions and three commuter trains which run back and forth three times each. I run three local freights to different areas, I run an east bound and a west bound mixed freight that originate in my yard, two east bound and one west bound intermodal train plus several through freights in each direction.
I have declared my branch line to be set in 1960.
A full operating session runs 6 passenger trains, two thru freights, one off stage to local yard and return freight, two local freight, and one iron ore mine switching run which starts and ends off line.
Twelve trains, six of them passenger. Every passenger train does some switching, such as dropping/picking up sleeper, baggage, or milk filled reefer.
All passenger trains start/end offline.
My layout is dressed out for the transitional era of the mid 1950s so I run mostly trains from that time period. I'd say I run both freight and passenger trains equally.
My favorite passenger train is the Santa Fe Super Chief and my favorite freight puller is the Nickel Plate Road Berkshire...
I run freight in modern times and don't run passenger trains don't need them to get in the way of the money making freight.
Russell
In a few more weeks I'll have a running layout. Before I had one I ran passenger trains named Amtrak in Phase III-IVb.
There were a few times I ran freight trains like Conrail, UP, BNSF.
When the layout is ready 50/50% -70/30%
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
"What type of trains do you run on your layout?"
All of them.
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I have two complete passenger trains (three if you count the doodlebug, four if you also you count the mail express train), but I am not a fan.
.
I prefer freight trains, and you can really see it in how I model. I have completed about 50-60 of the new freight car fleet. Not a single passenger car or locomotive is done. They are really on the back burner.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Early-to-Mid 40s on the NYC means steam and early diesel. Mostly freight with an occasional appearance of the '40 20th Century Limited.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
On my 94/95 ISL its 100% diesel and 100% freight.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
99.9% diesels, 99% frieght.