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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
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