Your layout's motive power

[riogrande5761]

willjayna

Wow that my freind is an impressive locomtive roster. That post is going to be a tough act to follow but I will give it a try.

I've seen folks post much bigger rosters on Atlas and a few other forums, some claimed as many as over 300 loco's.  I realize some people haven't been in the hobby long and others, like myself, have been collecting for many years.  Most of the earlier purchase I had have been sold off as I have focused and upgraded my diesels.  I am still doing that, for excample now selling the SP KATO C44-9W because I have narrowed my time frame to pre-1992, before they were introduced.  My focus is mainly 1980's with a nod to the mid-late 1960's and have some F units for the 65-70 period.  So I buy new loco's but sell of ones which are out of era as I focus better.  I imagine the fleet will not get much bigger than 125 or 130 units but as Athearn offers more SD40T-2's from Rio Grandes roster, I'll be adding those as I'm able.

I too have been building trains more or less assembling 5 or 6 unit coal trains:

Kaiser Coal 30 cars Athearn RTR Thrall Gons (UP/D&RGW joint train) pulled by KATO UP/RG SD45's
Generic RIo Grande 70's/80's coal train with 36 Walthers 4-bay Bethlehem hoppers
Public Service of Colorado PSCX coal train 25 RTR Athearn Thrall Gons
Indiana Power NORX coal train (15 cars collected so far) RTR Athearn Thrall Gons. 
Rio Grande coal train 20 DRGW blue end Thrall Gons

And a piggy pack Rail Blazer TOFC train using Walthers, Atlas and Accurail 89' flat cars with 40 and 45' trailers.  Ford FAST auto parts train with 60', 86' autobox cars and 89' auto racks.  Mixed manifest freight trains.  Its quite a challenge. 

[West Coast S]

I model a one train a day branch operation, hence my modest power requirements:

SP M3 4-8-2, restricted to operation between interchange and stagging

SP M8 2-6-0

SP M6 2-6-0

SP E8 4-4-0, my first scratchbuilt S scale model

The 2-6-0 were branch line workhorses during my era, 2-8-0's were common in mainline service, hence they are not represented in my roster.  I do see a 4-8-0 or 4-6-0 in not too distant future  

Then there is the matter of those Red Ball Steeple cab kits lurking under the work bench for my proposed Sacramento Northern interchange. 

Dave