Great Trains, Guilty Running

[bluepuma]

Feels odd to me to mix trains, a proud E7 or PA/PB hauling freight or mixing a loco of one road with a passenger train of another, say UP pulling a SP, Rock Island pulling SF, B&O pulling? Am I the only one who feels this way?

[Anonymous]

Bluepuma, haven't you ever heard of jointly operated trains like the california zephyr!

[michaelstevens]

[8D]
Actually I have one "business cars" train (aside from several Amtrak consists) which comprises 6 B&O cars and 5 C&O cars.
It usually operates e.g. for the "fall colours special" with a Chessie steam loco.
[8D]
Yes its an old Bachmann GS4 body -- reworked on a Bowser kit -- all before I had any idea that there was never any such thing as a Chessie GS4.
[:)]
Oh but it does look good.
[:)]
Once in a while, though we'll use a Family Lines or Seaboard SD40-2 for a track inspection run -- just for "old times sake".
[:D][:D]

[bluepuma]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Littemon

Bluepuma, haven't you ever heard of jointly operated trains like the california zephyr!

CB&Q, Denver & Rio Grande, Western Pacific, sure....

Rock Island, Southern Pacific

But not NYC and RI, NYC and SP or ATSF.

But can't see a RI F7ABB hauling covered hoppers and corn syrup cars, or a SP PA/PB in Daylight colors hauling sugar beets/

[vsmith]

if the real RR's mixed and ran whatever they had, why cant we?

[Jetrock]

A lot depends on attachments: if a freight engine didn't have a steam generator, it couldn't be used to provide steam heating for passenger cars.

One fabulous excuse for running out-of-period passenger equipment with freight motors: fan trips! I have photos of a GE 70-tonner switcher pulling a pair of articulated MUNI Bay Bridge commuter cars, and an Alco roadswitcher hauling a string of heavyweight SP passenger cars, both on various fantrips from the 50's and 60's...

[Anonymous]

Know what these engines have in common:

Santa Fe warbonnet F7s
Rock Island E7s and E8s
Union Pacific E8s and E9s
Erie Lackawanna E8s
Milwaukee Road and Pennsy FP7s???

You can find plenty of photos of them hauling freight!

--John

[Anonymous]

No offense to those who think this an important issue, but all diesels look the same to me: Utterly bereft of charm or interesting qualities.

Randy

[Anonymous]

I run mainly B & O equipment, and once in a while, I put a 3-unit consist of Athearn passenenger-liveried GP-7's at the head of a freight.
I learned this from Athearn train sets.[;)]
Occasionally, I have a P2K Western Maryland FA-1 at the head of a B & O Capitol Limited heavyweight passenger train, because the colors look good together.[:0]
No guilt.[:I]
Merry Christmas,
Mike
BTW....since the relatively new advent of upper-end plastic steam, one often sees NYC, N & W, C & O, UP etc. "specialty" steam locomotives heading up really strange trains at trainshow layouts all over North America.[:D][:D]
Guilt free.

[CP5415]

I have no problem mixing locomotive's for different jobs. CP ran F units with both freight & passenger as well as borrowing VIA's F40'S to run freights.
I don't think I'm going to do that with my VIA P42. I think I have enough freight locomotives to do that.

Gordon

[cp1057]

Generally I use steam locos to haul my passenger locos. The explaination is that my 1st generation diesels don't have steam generators, it works for me. However there are no hard set rules on my layout.

I received a President's Choice train set a couple of years back featuring a fairly nice CN 'Bullet Nose Betty' 4-8-2 which historically was a passenger engine. The set came with an assortment of cheapo freight cars. These were mostly left in the box and the loco looks mighty fine pulling a stream of matching green and gold passenger cars.

Charles
Hillsburgh Ontario

[Anonymous]

[:0] Freight locomotives pulling a handsome string of passenger cars is an absolute no-no, in my most humble opinion. The thought makes my skin tingle--and it ain't with excitement! Who wants to see a Geep pulling eight to ten beautiful streamlined passenger cars? UUUUUUUUGH. Me thinks the two should never mix--it's sinful!

[joecool1212]

Part of my new layout includes loco repair and maintenance faucility, so somtimes an Amtrak loco comes in for service why send it out empty . If i have a cut of cars going to the same location ill send it with an Amtrak or NJ transit on the lead. Joe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joecool1212

Part of my new layout includes loco repair and maintenance faucility, so somtimes an Amtrak loco comes in for service why send it out empty . If i have a cut of cars going to the same location ill send it with an Amtrak or NJ transit on the lead. Joe

[banghead]I must have a thick skull--I still can't stomach mixing freight locos with passenger consists. Watching an Amtrak loco haul a string of non-Amtrak commuter cars for a short distance wouldn't be so bad though.

[ClinchValleySD40]

No interest in anything to do with passenger, engines or cars.

[Anonymous]

I have no issues with this and I have never heard any of the paasenger's that use my railway complain! Therfore they must be happy!

[michaelstevens]

[:0]
That reminds me (thanks Fergus) -- I still haven't got those darned chemical toilets working, in my Superliners -- that could ruin some poor passenger's Christmas !!
[;)]
Happy Xmas !!
[:D]

[cp1057]

A number of posts have been dreading the sight of a freight diesel pulling passenger cars. This would be a plausible scenario for a branchline operation. There were some branchlines that continued to offer passenger service into the early diesel era. Sometimes it was a baggage car and coach consist that also took care of parcel service, other times it was a mixed train. The train was usually pulled by a rather utilitarian diesel. I know this and have pictures to prove it.

Charles
Hillsburgh Ontario

[Anonymous]

I'm using an Athearn SD9 in SP livery with a Metrolink bilevel cab car for now - at least until I can find/afford a more suitable loco. This formation doesn't look too bad! I suspect that extra coaches will be bought before a more suitable loco...

[Anonymous]

In the late Don Ball's book on Pennsy in the 1940s & 50s there is an Alco PA in full passenger livery shown in freight service, weathering and all. The caption discusses how it has been "downgraded" from Passenger service.

Ed

[bluepuma]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rda1964


No offense to those who think this an important issue, but all diesels look the same to me: Utterly bereft of charm or interesting qualities.

Randy

That is about how I felt about steam... but I never saw real working steam run on Class 1's - Just Knotts, Disneyland... wished I had seen the GS4 in Daylight or Southern or others 4-6-2 in Streamlined shouding... but I didn't. I saw RS-1, FA7A/B and E8A/B and Traction. My father-in-law, NYC trainmaster wasn't sorry to see steam go... more reliable trains... but much less impressive noises and no steam whistles!