How many Engines do you have

 Five decent steamers, two ancient docksides from my first layout, S3 diesel switcher (I need one more), an F3 AB pair, and a bunch of old F's and one Hudson that look OK but don't run well enough to count.

So, all in all, eight good runners that I use regularly. You might want to differientiate between engines in a collection vs engines used on a layout if you're going to take a poll. Some people have dozens in display cases.

Karl

Many more than I need.

Mark

  You have to be kidding.  Most modelers have no idea how many they have, and the married ones keep the totals a secret from the wife!  Myself, about 35 engines.  I used to have over 100 Athearn BB type engines at one time.  A friend has over 200 with decoders(he is not married).

Jim Bernier

Two SD7, two NW's, one PRR I1sa, two A E7's, 4 F7 in ABBA.. that's about it. Oh and a test pig with a 12 volt analog chassis. I may or may not add the recent Bachmann 45 tonner and a few analog engines for club duty but those can wait until next year. All the rest are QSI sound and dcc. Im gunning for the Proto 0-6-0 PRR with the QSI to go with the PRR I1sa, if one can be found at a good cost.

I found myself with way too many engines at one point, years of selling old engines on ebay and seeding new ones with the QSI. I dont think my fleet will get larger, any new engines purchased in future will be replacements.

Im usually careful to buy engines like new or nearly so. Prices have a way of dropping off a cliff when a new generation of a type engine is announced.

Hmmmm....will have to do an inventory tomorrow, but I can tell you it will be increased by 10 by March 2009 if all of my preorders arrive around when they should Jamie

Caveat - I have been accumulating my roster, following my master plan, for 44 years now.  Unlike some people here, I have never been tempted to sidetrack or scrap my old reliables.

Locomotives come in several flavors:

• JNR Steam.  2-8-2s, five each; 2-6-0s, two each, 6-coupled tank locos, 2 each.
• JNR Diesel-Hydraulic.  B-B, five each; B-2-B, 2 each, B-C, 1 each.
• JNR catenary motors.  Bo+Bo, 2 each; 1-Bo+Bo-1, 2 each; 2-Co+Co-2, 2 each, Bo-Bo-Bo, four each; Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo, 1 each.
• TTT steam.  A motley collection of six tank locos, ranging from 0-4-0T to 0-8-0t, plus a 2-6-6-2T freelance Mallet.
• Heritage steam.  Six modern US prototype steam locos, mostly 4-8-4s, and a GG-1.
• Kitbash fodder.  Six RTR plus 3 kits, scheduled to be sliced, diced and modified into appropriate Japanese prototype 2-8-0s or imagineering projects.

Holy McGillicuddy, Moses!  That's 48 operable locos - and I didn't even mention 3 EMU and 7 DMU with motors.  (Is it a locomotive if it only moves itself and a load of passengers?)  And I almost forgot the four narrow-gauge teakettles...

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with far more locos than I need.)

Thanks for noting your 45 tonner. I forgot that one in my list. That makes 8 for me.  I can't comprehend acquiring 200 Loco's as noted earlier.  I know someone with 100+.  I guess if you're in it for many years it's not so uncommon.

Thanks for noting your 45 tonner. I forgot that one in my list. That makes 8 for me.  I can't comprehend acquiring 200 Loco's as noted earlier.  I know someone with 100+.  I guess if you're in it for many years it's not so uncommon.

Hamltnblue

last weekend I bought an atlas MP15DC Gold, making it my 7th engine. While I'm trying to keep the fever to a minimum

I was just wondering, How many engines do the average modeler here have?

Maybe we can do a weekend photo shoot some time called "Family Picture" or something similar showing the 5 top engines in 1 photo for each shooter?

 I have cut back in the last year on buying anything that runs on the rails. I was up to 60 engines and still have over 300 rolling stock. To think I have only been in the hobby for 3 years or just a little longer. Of the rolling stock about 70% see rail time any given time so that is around 210 of them.

 On the engines, like many we pick are favorites.

1 PCM Big Boy 90% of the time

1 PCM Y6-b 98% of the time, before it had problems

1 BLI Hudson 90% of the time, sounds great and no problems, well yet.

1 BLI GE AC 6000 Blue line, 90%

1 BLI M1-A  85%

1 BLI Heavy Mike, sound stinks so 35%

1 BLI Class J, sound all so is not that great but great puller 35%

All of the above are sound engines and see the most time.

1 PK 2000 SD-7 40%

2 PK E-7's A and B A is sound and B is powered 40% when I drag passenger cars.

2 Athearn SD-50 40% 

1 Athearn Dash 9, 70% till it cooked again?

1 Athearn SD-40 2 40%

1 Atheran FP-45 25%

15, that is all my DCC engines, now for DC.

__________________________________________

3 PK 1 F-3's Great pullers never got around to installing decoders 20%

2 Athearn F-7 A&B both powred 20%

1 Kitbash Dash 9, 40%

1 kitbash B40-8 30%

4 PK 2 BL2 20%

So I run 26 of the current 52 at last count. I have a U-Boat and 2 E-6's that I have not seen for a year?

               Cuda Ken  

Having been in this hobby for over 50 years, your question made me do some thinking.  As time goes by we all seem to buy more stuff than we can ever use.  The great thing about that is we get a chance to find out what works well and what does not.  Since my current layout has reached a stage of completion that allows me to practice my operating plan I find myself running some favorite locomotives while everything else just sits on the shelf or in it's box.  When the guys come over, the operating plan calls for 4 sets of road power and enough yard engines for 5 other jobs excluding foreign line power that is making interchange deliveries.  Like the old PRR I had to have some of everything in the diesel line and by now I have settled in to a few favorites.   We usually run Atlas GP7's mu'd in sets of 2 or 3 powered units and if we want a lot of engines on the head end we splice in a dummy geep or two.  As for yard engines, the drill job usually draws a Kato NW2 or a single geep.  Our utility/trimmer engine is usually a little SW-1.  Another NW2 handles the industry and freight house switching while a pair of lifelike SW's mu'd are on the interchange/delivery job.  Our transfer job rates one or two Kato RS2's.  They are the friction bearing models painted in Illinois Central black.  Those two are probably my favorite locomotives and were easy to paint and weather to look like the ones the IC inherited when they bought the old Peabody Short Line at E. St. Louis.  Modelers have it pretty good these days and I find the Atlas and Kato engines to be the best runners.  I do have 16 ICRR brass steam engines that have never seen regular service on my layout although, I do occasionally run a couple of the PFM 2-8-4's and the Alco models 2-8-2's  The other Sunset and Hallmark brass isn't worth the trouble.  When I started in this hobby I had a couple of the old rubber band Athearn and a few Varney locomotives with egg shaped wheels.  Thank goodness that junk is gone.  Over the years, I gave away a bunch of the better running Athearn and Model Power engines to youngsters who were starting out in the hobby.  I did not want to discourage them by giving them something that would be frustrating so i scrapped or sold off the other stuff.  Now to answer your question.  At this time I have somewhere between 90 and 100 locomotives if you count each as a single unit but only about 20 units on the layout at any given time.  I probably won't live long enough to put half of these in service.  At my age I only subscribe to magazines one year at a time and try not to buy too many green bananas.

grizlump 

I'll echo the "more than I need" reply, but I love steam engines - especially brass ones.  After I finished my turntable, I gathered the roster around it:

The photo is not all inclusive.  At last count I have 14 brass steam locos (Four are Shays, one Heisler).

As much as I love geared steam, my NWSL USRA 0-6-0 is my prize - it once belonged to Linn Westcott - it came with a COA signed by Hariett Westcott. It has a shorter-than-stock drawbar to bring the tender a more accurate distance from the cab.  I understand that this was important to Westcott, so I assume that the drawbar is Linn's own handiwork.

I also have 2 railbuses (one brass and the other is my own kitbash.

At one time I had more locos than rolling stock - did I mention that I love brass steam engines?

I am not sure either, having recently sold quite a few; I think that I am under 100 locomotive models now.  They range from an Alco Models N&W Jawn Henry to a Mantua 0-4-0T, and even include a more than a dozen diesels.

 Here's a pic of my WT roster.

But the latest engine is missing. Here it is !

Wolfgang

Well this is my strong point in the hobby. I am well over 400 units. Locomotives are my favorite things to collect. They are all diesels and range from D&H RS-3's to BNSF AC4400CW's, I love them all. My layout has a general theme so I have most on a display and they dont get run very much. I have been asked why I have so many and my answer is, because I want them, I dont need to explain it to anyone. I dont just buy any unit, I have a list of ones that I really want and if I find it and can afford it I will get it. I have been doing this for many years and they just keep adding up. I dont beleive in the phrase "thinning the collection" . Why sell any? You bought them for a reason in the first place.

Hamltnblue

How many engines do the average modeler here have?

I have a total of 50. 

26 Athearn's
13 Proto 2000's
6 Bachmann's
2 Atlas's
1 Mehano
1 Kato
1 unknown.

In S scale I have: RTR 1 GG1, 2 SW1, 1 SW9, 1 2-8-0

Kits (to be built) 1 2-6-0, 3 2-8-0

on order RTR 2 NW2

In Sn2 I have RTR 1 brass Forney

Kits 4 Roundhouse HOn3 kits to kitbash into Sn2.

I also have 6 HO engines, 3 O engines, 1 G engine, 1 N engine.

So that makes about 25 total in all scales. 

It's more than I need, but I am sure I'll be buying more.

Enjoy

Paul

I'm a modeler, almost all of my locos have been kitbashed, painted, lettered by me.  Not shown are my steam engines, no where as many, maybe 15-20.  Here are my diesels:

Certainly well over one hundred, perhaps approaching even 150, most of which are vintage and were bought as part of my collecting and hobby history interests.

For the purpose of actually operating on my layout, the motivepower numbers around 15 and is mainly kitbashed and custom painted. Of these, no more than 5 or 6 usually appear on the layout at any given time/operating session.

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Typical examples of my HHRR passenger and heavy freight motivepower. 

CNJ831

So far, only 2 :*(  Until Christmas, my layout is DC, so i can only run one at a time anyway. The DCC pack im gettin cames w/ a loco, so ill have 3. But that doesnt mean that ill stop there. Id like to get at least 2, maybe 3 NS locos, I have an NJT F40PH, but more passenger locos (and cars!) would be nice. And maybe i need some (way) more rolling stock.

I only have 7 that are DCC/sound, plus DCC no sound (trackmobile).  BTW, I have over a hundred DC, but I've only been at this for a little over 50 years!!  Can't bring myself to get rid of any of the old stuff!!

 I have one really good steamer, one good running F7 Diesel, a decent running steamer, an ok running steamer, and a less than average steamer switcher.  So I guess I have 5.  I'm sure I'll pick up more as my layout and I grow. 

I have 5, all atlas. I'm hoping to add two more, but ebay off one, lol. These are N scale. They are:

ATSF U23B #6330

ex-NW GP35 #1306 (now in AAT paint)

GP30 (this is the one i'm hoping to ebay, lol)

GP9 (now in AAT paint)

H-15-44

Hoping to add a GP7 and a GP38.

Burlington Northern Rails

1 Milwaukee Road EF-4 #E79 painted in the simplified orange and black scheme.

Do you have a picture of it? Would like to see it.

More than I though I had once I made a list !

2 Bachmann Shays DCC

1 Bachmann 44 tonner DCC

1 MDC Climax DCC

1 MDC Boxcab DC

1 Bachmann 4-6-0 DCC

1 Brass EF4 Little Joe DC (a display for now)

1 Rivarossi Heisler DCC

1 Bachmann "Old Timer" 4-4-0 DC (I don't run it)

1 HO Lionel GP or SD something (came in a box of train junk at a show) I'm a steam guy fan so I don't pay attention to all that numerical model numbers of the powered boxcars.  

Not to side track the topic, but several posters here leaned towards the problem of spouse, wife or whoever else is part of thier lives. Perhaps some may feel the need to hide or lie, mis represent facts or fudge figures to the spouse. If they are doing that with toys in the home, what else is going on if anything?

My wife knows durn well how many engines I have. Each morning she gets into the closet and has to go through the train room to get to it. Occasionally I buy an engine and dont worry about it. As long as it replaces another engine. New engines not requiring this rule are subject to the approval of the Spouse, usually during a holiday time when we each claim one or two non-budgetary item to gift without any hassle from either of us. For me it happens to be engines or DCC type improvements and for Wife it happens to be improvements to the home or other issues that matters to her.

I once had dozens of engines. The maintaince, programming, reprogramming (MRC Brickies) and such was beginning to consume one hour equalling one hour of run time at times on the workbench. Not anymore. I cut the roster down to what I can operate with either myself or up to three people and design the railroad to make it happen. Right now I can keep a set of road engines and a switcher busy 24/7.

That is plenty for me.

However, that being said, there are those who have 50K SUV's pulling 20K trailers with 80K boats on them to go catch some fish early in the morning from time to time in my area. My spouse is HAPPY I dont have to labor under the weight of really expensive stuff. Trucking was bad enough in my day. Takes money to burn to turn a wheel LOL.

OMG the wife thing was a joke, she bought most of them for me. Geesh.

D&HRR

OMG the wife thing was a joke, she bought most of them for me. Geesh.

Don't worry, that's just Al being his usual PITA self.