Favorite Locomotive purchase

[sparkingbolt]

Athearn GP-35 in 1976. Finally a loco that didn't strip gears out like the tyco's before it, and the size of the motor and gears! And those twin flywheels! Only sixteen bucks...

Lost 'er in a fire in '97 but found and won one on eBay just like it, chunky metal truck side frames and cast white metal flywheels and all. Only changed the couplers and wheels. That's how it's gonna stay. Great memories. Cool topic. Dan

[sparkingbolt]

I'm gonna take 2 on this subject. This I think overrides the above experience, as neat as it was, except I didn't purchase the following loco myself.

In 1986 I was dropping some not so subtle hints to my wife (of 5 years then) about an MDC 2-6-0 that I wanted to 'bash into a 4-4-0 following an article in Model Railroader, using a shortened Mantua 2-6-0 boiler.

I didn't think she'd really respond. She didn't act interested. I gave up, figured she'd forget. She really surprised me with it for our anniversary. When I finally finished it I numbered 86 for the year she bought it. That makes it my favorite locomotive. We both still enjoy the memory. Dan

[Anonymous]

Kato HO EMD SD70MAC BNSF9838.
Retail Price:101.99.

[Anonymous]

That would probably have to be the LGB G scale start set I bought last November - one of their Stainz 0-4-0s, a hopper, and a cement mixer car. All good, loco is superb, and I'm planning to buy another set this year (the sets are priced the same as the loco would be on its own, so with the one I'm looking at I'll basically get a free crane and a couple of free flatcars with it, to say nothing of the track and controller!).

[SSW9389]

I was walking around the NMRA show in Lexington, KY last year and this dealer had a pile of brass Krauss-Maffei hood units in various states of repair. I usually tour the whole show to see what is on offer before buying anything. You just never know what bargains are to be had at a show. Anyway I came back to the dealer and struck up a conversation with him. Seems these Overland models had been trashed and he had rescued them. For twenty cents on the retail dollar I walked out with a model that needed some cosmetic care, but had a bullet proof tank drive. You just never know!

[Anonymous]

I would have to say my Mantua (Tyco) 462 steamer. It run very smooth and never gives me a problem.

[BRAKIE]

While I am highly please with all of my locomotives I gotta go with my Athearn CF7s.Simply put I always wanted some CF7s.[:D]

[Anonymous]

I've done real good on Ebay lately. Bought a Stewart Northern Pacific Baldwin VO-1000 switcher for $37.00! This kits asking price is $112.00! I also just bought an Atlas RS-1 for $66.00. Not as goog as the VO-1000, but still way under MSRP!

[CP5415]

Hmm, tough to call, but if I had to choose, it would have to be my
Proto 2000 D&H PA #17

Gordon

[ckape]

Well, last week I finally got to test run this RPP SD90 I'm building with a PPW motor, and I was amazed at how slow I could get it to move. At one point I could only tell it was moving by looking at the distance change between the anticlimber and the ties.

That was very satisfying, especially considering how long I've been working on this project. Plus, now that I've got the body primed it looks even larger, which I didn't think was possible.

[Anonymous]

My very first Locomotive was a CNW GP50 #5053.(which I no longer own)"Athearn".

[mustanggt]

Mine is definitely my Athearn RTR santa fe GP60M. put in a decoder, runs beutifully. but my new favorite will be 2 atlas guilford GP40's. can't resist modeling my native railroad[;)]

[PennsyHoosier]

My first K4 Pennsy (which has now been joined by 4 others). I have "better engines now, but running that first one was sooooooo cooooooool.

[Anonymous]

My four Trix Bigboys

[Anonymous]

Without question, my purchase of an Oriental Models Erie Lackawanna
SDP-45 in brass which I found at a hobby shop in Akron, OH while on
a business trip. I had searched for two years for one through all the
channels but no luck.

This particular model was very rare and the hobby shop had acquired it
from a widow liquidating her husbands estate. The asking price was well
below my expectation, so I purchased it immediately. Unpainted, I had it
custom done through a painter for another brass importer.

It is the pride of our fleet. Perhaps nothing screams Erie-Lackawanna like
the SDP-45. I still love to see it working our Mahoning Division Piggybacks.

[AlcoRS11Nut]

Any of my ALCo's, but soon it will probably be my two Kato SD90MAC's I'm thinking of picking up at trainfest. (I know, it may seem sacraledge for a ALCo fan to buy EMD stuff)

[bogp40]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxmu

My favorite would be P2K 's Chessie/ C&O SD-50 it is the only six axle Chessie I have!

Is this the one that took a dive to the concrete below?[xx(]

[Anonymous]

I think for me it was bli's new york central hudson,it was lost in transit for three days and i was a bear to get along with.I would call home from work everyday after the mail went and snarl and growl.When it finally did arrive the first time it came out of the tunnel with the whistle blowing i was in awe.

[Anonymous]

I model in On3, O scale 3 foot narrow gauge. I have 2 favorite loco purchases that are going to pretty hard to choose between. the SP purchased a narrow gauge line from the Carson and Colorado in the Owens Valley of California. Towards the end of operations they had 3 steamers running, 8,9,and 18. I purchased 18 about 20 years ago when Presision made about 80 of them. I LOVE the looks of this engine with its whaleback tender. The other favorite is a Colorado and Southern 70, in oil burner configuration. This loco 'reeks' narrow gauge with lots of neat do dads and detail texture, including 2 small airtanks mounted crosswisw on top of the boiler, between the domes.

My favorite FUTURE locomotive purchase WILL be Nevada County Narrrow Gauge 8, a heavily modified C-16 pulling a whaleback tender. A few were built and imported 2 decades ago, and today are very scarce. HOWEVER.....Jerry Kitts and his son at Foothill Model Works are working up a tender and correct details to convertthe new plastic C-16 kit onto a very accurate number 8. Perhaps this winter.....
Jennifer

[Anonymous]

I'm answering this for my husband. His favorite loco purchase was a Lionel 70 ton centercab diesel...JUST LIKE THE ONE HE HAD AS A KID!!! He really enjoys his postwar Lionel, but heck, so do I. Come to think of it, aside from my 2 favorite On3 locos [ see my owm post] my 1953 Lionel Sants Fe warbonnet loco set and passenger train was a real thrill too. Its on display in our bedroom opposite wall from his 70 tonner and 'space age' Lionel cars.
Jennifer

[fiatfan]

I have had my favorite for less than 24 hours. 2 MDC criters that out of the box run great and look so cool. I have a somewhat limited space so I can't run really long trains. As a result, there is no challenge for my P1K and P2K engines when it comes to pulling a train. With these babies, I need to really work the grades. Train length is limited. If I need to run a longer train, I run both of them . Max capacity is about 9-10 cars on my 3% grade. They run very well and sound somewhat like a gas powered engine rather than diesel. I can definietly see more of the arriving in the future.

Tom

[Martin4]

I love many of my lococ but my favorite purchase is a trio of Proto 2000 SantaFe GP60s. With many details included and slight weathering they look great at the point of any train. And run great too !

Martin
Québec City

[Anonymous]

My Rivarossi Union Pacific FEF-3. The most detailed, most beautiful, and the best running locomotive I own.

[Anonymous]

Most definitely, my three Atlas RS-3's - mainly because that was one of the first types I ran when diesels replaced the steamers. Very close in second place would be the Proto 1000 DX series RS-18's because I ran them LOTS!!![:D]

[camarokid]

My Rivarossi Big Boy, Athearn F7 AB SP Black Widow and P1K ABA Santa Fe Erie Builts. I never get tired of watching them run.

[Anonymous]

tough question.. so many choices.. ha.
well first would be the mantua artic logger my parents gave me in 1984.
second would be the riv. fef3 i bought in 1989 after seeing 8444 in two tone grey come through portland.
third.. the brass gs4 daylight my grandma bought me.
and fourth.. an atlas s4 in SP tiger stripe. sweet switcher.

ok.. new purchase.. the proto UP 2-8-8-2 thats one stunning steamer!

[Anonymous]

Athearn's F7

[Anonymous]

I was never a fan of steam until I got my Broadway Ltd Hudson. The sounds, the Bell,
The Steam pop off valve. Oh the romance of the era comes to life.
Ken

[ksax73]

The Atlas AEM7.

I model Amtrak and because my Bachmann E60 failed me, I could not model Northeast Corridor trains. Then when I saw the advertisement in Model Railroader I remember eading it very carefully and in fact it did say HO! I was so excited and couldn't wait for thier release. I got mine the following January and was very happy with it.

I think the next best purchase was an American GK E60. I've had bad luck with 3 bachmann E60s already and I would hear here and there stuff about another E60 run by a different company but not many mentioned it. My friend Mike Thomas showed me his and I figured I wouldn't be as lucky but then later that week I found one on eBay and you better believe I was watching it like a hawk. When I won it I was really excited because I knew the performace was much better and repair and maintenence would be allot easier for me to do. I also modified it to an E60MA.

Here's a photo:

[Anonymous]

That would be a tough one to answer, since I go back to the '60's in H.O. Having gone from an Athearn "Hustler" with "High-F" (i.e., "rubber band") drive to the excellent locos of today, I have purchased many "break-through" engines, such as the old Athearn Pacific (early 60's, I believe) and their 0-4-2t "L'il Monster, a Lindberg SW-1 (with a flywheel and a spring-like band drive to the gears), and an early version of the "Blue Box" GP-30 by Athearn. With this in mind, and having a point-to-point switching layout, my favorite purchase must be my KATO NW-2, purchased almost new in Chessie livery. It is a far cry from the early locos, in detail, quality, and performance. I like it so much I recently purchased an extra shell and parts in case of future problems! Close to this would be the old Walthers FM H-12-44, heavy and an excellent performer, now modified with different lighting. The Steward VO-1000 is right up there with the KATO but overall, the NW-2 is my favorite loco purchase--so far!