A pretty reasonable idea! Like a mini MOW train, or a large speeder.
I like speeders, too, they really don't fit my era, but if I found a nice running one, I'd like to see it scoot around the layout from time to time.
I'm doing the same with a commuter train and much more. I have an F59 and matching Bombardier cars lettered for West Coast Express. My railroad will be present day UP with mountain and desert scenery following Pelle Soeberg's book and articles. So my commuter train will run nowhere near British Columbia where the real WCE runs.
There will be a connection on my railroad with the NdeM because I have a few NdeM diesels in their orange and green scheme. That paint scheme ended about 20 yrs ago. But I don't care....
And, I will have a large chunk of layout space devoted to a free-lanced "museum". Here I can display all the steam engines I've collected since Bachmann released their 2-8-0. Unlike any real museum, ALL my steam will be operable and available to leave the museum grounds to pull excursion trains with all the neat passenger equipment I've collected. My only problem will be laying enough track on the museum grounds to park all these engines. And now BLI has announced a Baldwin Cenntipede lettered for NdeM. This is great....another musuem engine..... Somewhere on the museum grounds I'll have a tiny sign which will read: "Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation".
All of this fits in with "my railroad, my rules"...
john
Mine is simple!!!!
I have two brass NYC Niagaras. One is the Tenshodo Crown the other is the Precision Scale Models "Crown".
I model the B&A subsidiary of the NYC. Niagaras were NEVER on that subsidiary. I ain't given up my Niagaras! NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!
Fiction is a good thing.
I have more than one of those 'shouldn't be part of my layout' items and they seem to be growing in number. I am modeling an HO freelanced version of the NYC, since I grew up in New York along the Hudson River, and have collected a lot of NYC engines and rolling stock. But, I love the UP Big Boy and challenger; so I have models of both and they will be a part of my layout. Maybe I should rename them with NYC logos and just enjoy it. Some roads have very attractive loco's and I buy them just because they look so good. I will have quite a collection on my display shelves as well. Hey, isn't this what model railroading is all about?
NYC fan in Tennessee.
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I previously modeled the UP but now model an east coast freelanced road. Other than the freight cars, the UP equipment doesn't fit my theme are they won't be a regular part of my operations. That doesn't mean I can't occassionally pull the old equipment off the shelf and run it on the layout when the mood suits me.