Locomotive and Car Numbering for Freelanced RR's

[Anonymous]

Well, if you want to do a "what-if" scheme, like say someone who models the Rock Island as if it was still around, then the first thing to look into would be how the Rock Island did so, and base your numbering system on that.

For purely freelanced systems (ones that aren't "mutations", if you will, of a prototype), there are several ways to approach it:

1) Yard engines in a lower range like 0001-0999, branch locos 1000-1999, mainline engines 2000-2999, rebuilds 3000-3999, passenger 9001-9999, or however you want to split it up.

2) By HP rating, like a SW1200 being numbered 1200-1299, a GP40 3001-3099, a GP38 2001-2099, etc. etc.

3) By when the railroad received the engines. Like an early set of FTs would be 1000-1199, F3s would be 1200-1399, GP7s would be 1500-1699, down the line GP40s would be 2800-2999, and so on.

4) By model, like GP30s would be numbered 3000-3099, GP35s 3500-3599 while SD35s are 3600-3699, or on a smaller roster, GP30s would be numbers 300-309.

5) Completely random numbers, or numbers that mean something to you. Like the recent article for an MR&T engine, which was given the number of the address of Kalmbach Publishing building. You could give a loco 1095, for October '95, for when you got married, or the birth of a son/daughter/niece/nephew (and "name" the loco after them, like some real railroads have named locos after people), or when you started your first layout, or when you graduated school, etc. etc. etc.

---jps

[tcf511]

I'm building a freelanced railroad based loosely on local prototypes. I want my various grandkids to have a sense of participation in the layout. So each one has a building or business named after them and my loco numbers are birthdays. First one was 511 (my birthday) for the biggest kid in the group.

[Jetrock]

Numbering scheme can also depend on how "big" you want your operation to seem: if you are modeling a sleepy short line, just numbering your engines 1, 2, and 3 (with #4 being a handcar) would be sufficient.

If you are freelancing a region-dominating giant railroad, a four-digit numbering scheme would suggest that you had to have a system that potentially could include ten thousand locomotives.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CP5415

It's your railroad! Freelance is just that, freelanced!

just my 2 cents

Gordon

[#ditto]

dragenrider, interesting numbering system. [8D]

Robert

[dragenrider]

I used the sequential numbering for a while. I kept ending up with duplicate numbers by accident or difficulty in keeping the proper sets of numbers assigned to the proper sets of cars.

Now I just number the car for the current date. For instance today is 12/31, so my car number would be 1231. Or 123104 if you have lots of cars. You can use many variations.

[Anonymous]

I model my railroad like it picks up equipetment from other railroads. I keep the number that the piece would have had in its original paint.

[dehusman]

You can get a roster or Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER) and find out what series the real cars are in and then extend those series.

Dave H.

[CP5415]

It's your railroad! Freelance is just that, freelanced!

just my 2 cents

Gordon

[Anonymous]

I'm planning to model a modern version of the CB&Q, GN, NP, and Santa Fe(kind of a fallen flags/BNSF), and I was wondering, how do you decide how to number your models, especially if you're line is based on a fallen flag in modern times or if your using another road's numbering series?

Or, do you even give this much thought? For instance, since I am mainly modeling the CB&Q, would I try to put all covered hoppers in the 180000-, 8000-, or 3000- series? Thanks for any help.