How many is too many? Well, that depends on the context of the purchase. Here are my answers:
- When I can't afford it
- When my wife says we can't afford it
- When my kids complain that I don't buy enough stuff for them
- When I run out of space (layout or shelf)
- When I feel guilty about not doing enough work on the rest of the layout
So this notion of too many is all very relative for me. I have a roster of about 30 locos, and my latest strategy has been to thin the herd by dismantling the lower quality engines for improving others or modifying/detailing loco kits in construction. Of course, I would never wreck a high quality engine, but I do have a few plastic ones that were great for practicing my painting skills, but just don't meet my standards today. Otherwise, my plan is to give away some locos to other members of the club who can't really afford DCC. I haven't tried selling through Ebay, but I might try some day.
Simon
snjroySo this notion of too many is all very relative for me. I have a roster of about 30 locos,
Ah, still wet behind the ears I see!
and my latest strategy has been to thin the herd by dismantling the lower quality engines for improving others or modifying/detailing loco kits in construction.
I've been doing that for the past 20 years. I already sold off all my Atlas yellow box diesels and most of my Athearn blue box engines, and others. I've done the same with older passenger and freight cars ...
Of course, I would never wreck a high quality engine, but I do have a few plastic ones that were great for practicing my painting skills, but just don't meet my standards today.
but I'm keeping some to practice weathering on.
I haven't tried selling through Ebay, but I might try some day. Simon
I did use Ebay about 12 years ago but found I could avoid the fee's and sell stuff either on my RR yahoo group or HOSwap or HOExchange. Patience is required but for the most part I've managed to sell everything I wanted to. I'm shipping a parcel out tomorrow.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Hello all,
The formula is: N+1≠E
Where:
N = Number of units currently owned
1 = Number of units needed to be added to units currently owned
E = Enough units owned
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
jjdamnit Hello all, The formula is: N+1≠E Where: N = Number of units currently owned 1 = Number of units needed to be added to units currently owned E = Enough units owned Hope this helps.
It's Friday and that hurts my head!
riogrande5761It's Friday and that hurts my head!
And the answer is...
≠N (Never Enough!)
Sorry about the headache.
I am forced to give up on sticking to one era. If I want to run big steam articulateds with 60's to '70's rolling stock, then that will be ok.
PRR8259 I am forced to give up on sticking to one era. If I want to run big steam articulateds with 60's to '70's rolling stock, then that will be ok.
UP did some thing like that when it pulled double stacks with it's steam engine.
It's their RR and it's your RR - thats the mantra!
The answer of course is 42.
Paul
To crush the economist theory("Economists explain their thoery of diminishing returns. They say each additional item acquired will have less value than the one before it."), and go a bit off topic: I have 7 snare drums. I use one 90% of the time. My most cherished is a Bill Bruford signature series, I use it rarely only because it is the loudest thing on planet earth. But it's the last one I will ever part with. All locos are not created equal, and a cherished loco that spends most of its time on a shelf may be even more valuable than a workhorse. My 2 cents. And heres my 10 cents: if yer budget allows it, the limit is nobody else's business. I'm still a newbie.. been at this for about 4 years, and I've got 18 locos. And there's always a few (a lot) on the radar...
LOVE Douglas Adams!
Thanks, this helps.
IRONROOSTERThe answer of course is 42. Laugh
"Moores Law" - some is good, more is better, too much is still not enough.....
For me, the current number is about 135 powered units, but that is only locos for about 30 trains, a few spares, and a few self propelled passenger units.
The layout plan holds 25 staged trains, so I have just about the right amount.....
Sheldon
Well... if we're talking diesels, one is "too many!!"
Ok, kidding aside... I try to scale my loco roster to the number of train assignments my operating plan supports. So when I add up all the needed switchers, helpers and through, local, passenger, logging, loaded & empty coal, etc., trains that will be in service at about the same time - then that's the number and type of locos I need.
It does take some will power!
Jim
Maybe there should be a poll of who has exactly 42 locos, or when they hit that milestone. Or maybe I should develop a logo for Vogon and Grebulon Line. Or Steve should shut this one down before the absurdity obfuscates further...
Obfuscates? Maybe escalates. Inundates...extrapolates...elucidates...inculcates...excoriates. How about placates? Yeah, placates. I like placation.
Oh boy!! I need another 20 locomotives if we go by the Law.
I'm still working on expanding my locomotive fleet and roster, I'm registered on Pacific Western Rail Systems and browsing through the reservation section full of new stuff coming out next year.
I've already reserved three Articulated Athearn Maxi III Well cars in the TTX Original Scheme for February/March 2018 delivery.
Paul3 The collecting is part of the fun for me. Just like when I was a kid with baseball cards, I collected Eddie Murray cards because I had found his rookie card which was worth some money at the time. So to have something to do, I collected any Eddie Murray card I could find. I still have them...somewhere... But it was harmless fun.
The collecting is part of the fun for me. Just like when I was a kid with baseball cards, I collected Eddie Murray cards because I had found his rookie card which was worth some money at the time. So to have something to do, I collected any Eddie Murray card I could find. I still have them...somewhere... But it was harmless fun.
Jimmy_Braum ...how many locomotives is too many for you?
...how many locomotives is too many for you?
Drumguy Maybe there should be a poll of who has exactly 42 locos, or when they hit that milestone. Or maybe I should develop a logo for Vogon and Grebulon Line. Or Steve should shut this one down before the absurdity obfuscates further...
I'm still on the Bill Bruford part, such an incredible drummer.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
RobertSchuknecht Jimmy_Braum ...how many locomotives is too many for you? On my layout every engine and car that goes to staging or an interchange gets rotated off the layout. Therefore I can never have "too many" locomotives. The number on the layout at any one time is self regulating.
On my layout every engine and car that goes to staging or an interchange gets rotated off the layout. Therefore I can never have "too many" locomotives. The number on the layout at any one time is self regulating.
How many are too many? If counting locomotives, what are the requirements?
Like Brother Shuknecht, I send entire trains to staging - a LOT of trains, each with one or more locomotives. Between the Netherworld and cassette staging I can easily have thirty trains invisible to the modeled scene, each with one or more locomotives or power cars (EMU and DMU) assigned.
Then, my main focus of activity is a station where the catenary ends. Thus, each train passing through needs at least two locomotives, one a juice jack and the other a coal- or diesel-burner. Sometimes that's two coal- or diesel- burners. Since there are several different classes of trains, and locomotives of varying capacities, Tomikawa has ready tracks, temporary holding space for locomotives awaiting their specific assignments.
Locomotives sometimes require maintenance. Thus, I have several 'spares' which are rotated into the slots of units pulled for servicing or repairs. This might cause a steam-plus-electric schedule to run with a through-running diesel for a few days. Fortunately, my scheme is flexible enough to allow that.
I own a half-dozen 'nostalgia' locomotives, U. S. prototypes run on the layouts of clubs of which I was once a member. I have threatened to build a diorama for them to occupy. For now, they live in boxes - the only part of my operational locomotive fleet that doesn't reside on powerable rails. (Trains move on to, and off, cassettes under their own power. Once detached from the layout end-of-track, the cassette rails are dead.)
And then there are the assortment of 'things' available for kitbashing - which currently includes nine N-scale mechanisms that will become HOn762 motive power for the Kashimoto Forest Railway and the Harukawa Electric Railway. No rush to bring them to the workbench, since the routes in question won't have any track to run on until I build out a currently undeveloped peninsula.
So, do I have too many? Consider that one minor change in my master plan could DOUBLE my requirements. If I were to alternate between two months two decades apart I could justify a roster of much older steam, and some wooden DMU, that were scrapped before 1964. In 1944 the Imperial Government Railways were moving massive amounts of war traffic with anything that could develop tractive effort. Since my protolanced route is a relatively insignificant one, it wouldn't have gotten the latest and greatest in motive power. I could see it soldiering on with fifty year old British-built tank locomotives and superannuated Alcos and Baldwins - rather more than needed to move traffic in September, 1964.
I actually have a few of those - assigned to the Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo, purchased from the JNR at scrap prices. The TTT is my freelance junk collector, home to ancient steam and improbable 16.5mm gauge kitbashes.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - more or less)
The obvious answer is: if you have too many, you have too many, and don't try to convince yourself or others that you don't, you KNOW you have too many.
without doubt some very interesting responses here. Like I said before, Im trying to have at least two from each class the Wheeling has, so I'd need at least 8 units, but since the Wheeling runs triple headed consists, I'd need at least 9 or 12. All variables
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
And they say there are no dumb questions!!!!!
oldline1
tatans The obvious answer is: if you have too many, you have too many, and don't try to convince yourself or others that you don't, you KNOW you have too many.
I know I have too many and again I don't.
It's hard modeling 30 years of railroading when locomotives easy and hard to get.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I have 23 "locomotives" in service. 3 are dummies, but they have sound decoders. 2 are trolleys. 2 are powered subway cars.
I sort-of have a dual-era layout, so I have both steam and diesel rosters, plus a GG-1. I've got an SD-9 that has trouble on some of my tighter curves, and no decoder yet, so that's "not in service" and may never be.
I wouldn't get rid of any of them. If I had a bigger layout, I might get a few more, but for now, I'm happy with what I've got.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
When you notice you're starting to run out of room to store your railroad stuff.
Then you know it's time to move some of it from your bedroom to that spare room down the hall.
ATSFGuy When you notice you're starting to run out of room to store your railroad stuff. Then you know it's time to move some of it from your bedroom to that spare room down the hall.
i suspect many of us have passed that mark
Joe Staten Island West
Drumguy . My most cherished is a Bill Bruford signature series, I use it rarely only because it is the loudest thing on planet earth. But it's the last one I will ever part with.
. My most cherished is a Bill Bruford signature series, I use it rarely only because it is the loudest thing on planet earth. But it's the last one I will ever part with.
Off topic - hands down favorite drummer - I had a Bengal cat named Bruford - at least I know that some of you would know how to pronounce his name (kept getting bewford and other abominations from guests)
I have guitar my brother made me - rarely play it - wouldn't ever part with it...
As for locos - I try to buy ones that fit my OPs scheme and era - I do have a few "Brufords" though..
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site