Or one could say, some subsets of major lines modeled are seldom modeled themselves. Such as the Eel River line/Butler Branch of the PRR, from Logansport up to Butler Indiana. Carried major war time traffic behind PRR N class 2-10-2's, then quickly fell into disrepair after the war, with most of it abandoned or gone long before the shortline craze in the late 80's and early 1990s. For steam, correct BC&G motive power has never really been done exactly. One can take a USRA 0-8-0 and add the pilot truck and deck to create one of thier 2-8-0's. or the C&O G9 class to make up the 13, which became L&ER No1 thru the 80's, then to the age of steam roundhouse as 13 again. BLI did a #13, but its not correct when compared to the real one. The Overland Brass G9 is closer, espically the odd driver spacing. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Shock Control I wonder if manufacturers deliberately shipped more of certain railroads to specific geographic regions. I grew up in the Northeast, and Pennsylvania and B&O were everywhere.
I wonder if manufacturers deliberately shipped more of certain railroads to specific geographic regions. I grew up in the Northeast, and Pennsylvania and B&O were everywhere.
First, back in the day manufacturers shipped their products to regional distributors, who then sold it to local shops.
The manufacturers do not decide what to ship where, distributors or shops order what they want from the available products. And then they reorder based on sales.
Here in Maryland, we sold more PRR and B&O then UP or Santa Fe. But we always had a few western roads in stock, and they did sell enough to make it worth stocking them.
But ideas about business were different then, and the way our model trains were produced and distributed was different then.
Retailers believed selection was important, and closeout sales were rare.
Any given product was actually more "available" then they are today, but the total selection even being made then was much smaller.
Many good shops would have 80% to 90% of the Athearn product line in stock all the time. Even the small shops I worked in had sizable inventories of things like Athearn kits.
Sheldon
BigDaddyWhile Sheldon worked in the train store, I was in the family men's clothing store. In the rag business, we ordered everything from tie tacks to suits. WE picked the colors, patterns, sizes and amounts. Manufacturers didn't have any discretion to deliberately send us anything we didn't order. I can't imagine the model train biz was any different.
In the rag business, we ordered everything from tie tacks to suits. WE picked the colors, patterns, sizes and amounts. Manufacturers didn't have any discretion to deliberately send us anything we didn't order.
I can't imagine the model train biz was any different.
Clothing is a necessity. Toy trains are a luxury.
Search the internet for "AAR reporting marks", and you can get a long list of railroads.
Also...
Tom White ! .... Great to see you posting in the forum again ! .... Feel free to post more !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Another great railroad to consider is the Virginian. West end run with side rod triple headed electric engines and the east end all FM tainmasters except one GE 44 tonner. Small passenger trains of about 4 cars and built to rival any clas 1 rr.
Though Rio Grande is probably the most popular with narrow gauge modelers, I don't know of too many who model Rio Grande standard gauge steam. I'm one of the few and it's never been easy, since most of the locos have only been available in brass, and not that easy to get hold of even then. I've been in the hobby a long time and managed to build up a pretty good roster of D&RGW steamers by diligently searching and doing a little kit-bashing here and there. For some time at my favorite hobby store, the joke was, if they happened to get a Rio Grande steamer in--either new or on consignment--"Has anyone called Tom about this, yet?" But as I said, over time, I've built up a decent roster, and since my MR is set during WWII, I can also implement them with "foreign" power "on loan" so that I don't have to pass up any of my other favorite locos.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
While Sheldon worked in the train store, I was in the family men's clothing store.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
The most popular by who? The manufacturer or modeler? Remember, from the fifties through the eighties, manufacturers put any name on everything, Athearn anybody? Penn Central steam decals? Modelers probably are more regonional, here in upstate New York, at train shows I see more D&H, Lehigh Valley, EL, Conrail, then NYC or NH stuff.
As for unmodeled, how about the fallen flags, LNE, LHR,OW, and the plethora of short lines through out the country?
Me, I model the late sixties,New Haven, that's what I grew up near. Plus there's a good selection of locos, and rolling stock to model. MH
I nominate the B&LE 2-10-4 as absolutely the coolest steam engine never modeled in HO.
Never with one caveat: Balls of Brass (Jon Winston) did have 5 Challenger Imports DM&IR 2-10-4's (prototype secondhand B&LE engines) modified to represent the original B&LE versions, but good luck ever seeing or finding one of those models.
The Nickel Plate Products B&LE 2-10-4 is just well...not right for B&LE, so it does not count as a B&LE steam model.
My Dad grew up in Butler, PA, where long 160 car trains of iron ore one direction and coal the other direction, with three of those gorgeous 2-10-4's, were commonplace.
John
Regarding what we hope to see manufacturers produce, we have been comparately blessed in recent years with BLI's efforts to produce some New Haven steam power and the T&P 2-10-4 (also because as a Freedom Train engine and 1970's fan trip boomer it can be painted in many schemes).
But nobody gonna produce some of the lesser known steam power for some of these roads...
I would love to see a B&LE 2-10-4 from BLI someday! It would be the one steamer I would buy. (otherwise my layout is completely dieselized)
My former LHS in Massachusetts, now defunct, carried a lot of Boston and Maine models. The owner's son painted and decaled a GP9 for the St. Lawrence and Atlantic. It was beautifully done, but I don't think it ever sold before retirement and a greedy landlord resulted in the shop's closure.
Too bad. I thought about creating a plausible back story for putting this engine on my Midwestern layout. The line was part of one of those holding company corporations that extended to the Great Lakes region, so the idea was not totally preposterous. In the end, though, I decided I just didn't need another engine.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
xboxtravis7992Got a favorite shortline?
That's a great idea, and I almost went that way, with Progressive Rail's, Wisconsin Northern.
They have a few short line operations around the country. Equipment wouldn't be that hard, because they mostly handle other railroads traffic. A little repainting and decaling on a some locomotives could make for an interesting build.
https://www.progressiverail.com/
Mike.
My You Tube
Jimmy_Braum Union Railroad Bessemer and Lake Erie Pittsburgh railways co.
Union Railroad
Bessemer and Lake Erie
Pittsburgh railways co.
Given that they all have had major manufacturers do multiple runs of products, someone is buying them.
In my own observable universe, there's some railroads that you'd think you'd see based on geographic convergence that I don't and I entirely credit that to a combination of available products and observing conditions.
I've been watching this thread slowly and I'll chime in with my thoughts:
I’ve seen a lot of UP, NS and Pennsy power and rolling stock online and at my LHS. I have never seen a locomotive lettered up for the Strasburg Railroad. Even though it is not a class 1 or ever was, it would be nice to see one of their big three (475, 89 or 90) in HO.
Paul3 Several years ago or so, I compiled a list of all engines listed on the Atlas and Athearn websites (they used to date back to 1999). In roughly 15 years, Atlas made 40 PRR locos and Athearn made 31. By comparison the top three eastern roads Atlas made were: 110 CSX, 102 Conrail, and 65 Southern locos. Athearn's top three: 137 CSX, 83 Conrail, and 82 Norfolk Southern. For the most popular western roads, the same listings showed that Atlas made 127 ATSF, 120 UP, 70 SP locos. Athearn made 237 ATSF, 187 UP, and 158 SP locos. These are not ironclad numbers as it's just two manufacturers (albeit major ones), but someone's buying 'em. It means that there has to be a reason why Atlas/Athearn made 247 different CSX locos and just 71 different PRR locos.
Several years ago or so, I compiled a list of all engines listed on the Atlas and Athearn websites (they used to date back to 1999). In roughly 15 years, Atlas made 40 PRR locos and Athearn made 31. By comparison the top three eastern roads Atlas made were: 110 CSX, 102 Conrail, and 65 Southern locos. Athearn's top three: 137 CSX, 83 Conrail, and 82 Norfolk Southern.
For the most popular western roads, the same listings showed that Atlas made 127 ATSF, 120 UP, 70 SP locos. Athearn made 237 ATSF, 187 UP, and 158 SP locos.
These are not ironclad numbers as it's just two manufacturers (albeit major ones), but someone's buying 'em. It means that there has to be a reason why Atlas/Athearn made 247 different CSX locos and just 71 different PRR locos.
As an aside, I model modern era and can attest that modern paint schemes tend to sell faster than anything else, based upon my normal window shopping surfing, which of course is biased.
I'm not into popularity, I like what I like, but I think your statistics show a different angle on things than maybe what a lot think, where most probably believe that transition era to have the most dominant names. Your data is just one way to look at it, but it might offer a different perspective for us folks who have been around the hobby a long time.
- Douglas
dknelson drgwcs You know thinking about it- I have a nominee for the least modeled class 1- The Atlantic and Danville. It ran from Portsmouth VA to Danville VA. Parts were at one time 3 ft gauge. Only one book printed about it. The only commercial models made were a few boxcars- AHM and BevBel in HO and Atlas in N made steel boxcars and Funaro and Camerlango made a reisin kit of a wood boxcar. That's it. Is there anybody that has ever modeled this? I live in Danville and nobody here in our club or in the regional area has ever heard of anyone who models it. Jim Back in the 1960s a guy named Adolf W Arnold had a sort of "round robin" newsletter group about the A&D, which was his special interest. That is how you shared information of that sort before the internet. If you could find those newsletters you'd have some interesting information. I can't seem to find my few copies and may have discarded them, unfortunately. I think it was he who interested AHM in producing their boxcar, which I bought. Dave Nelson
drgwcs You know thinking about it- I have a nominee for the least modeled class 1- The Atlantic and Danville. It ran from Portsmouth VA to Danville VA. Parts were at one time 3 ft gauge. Only one book printed about it. The only commercial models made were a few boxcars- AHM and BevBel in HO and Atlas in N made steel boxcars and Funaro and Camerlango made a reisin kit of a wood boxcar. That's it. Is there anybody that has ever modeled this? I live in Danville and nobody here in our club or in the regional area has ever heard of anyone who models it. Jim
You know thinking about it- I have a nominee for the least modeled class 1- The Atlantic and Danville. It ran from Portsmouth VA to Danville VA. Parts were at one time 3 ft gauge. Only one book printed about it. The only commercial models made were a few boxcars- AHM and BevBel in HO and Atlas in N made steel boxcars and Funaro and Camerlango made a reisin kit of a wood boxcar. That's it. Is there anybody that has ever modeled this? I live in Danville and nobody here in our club or in the regional area has ever heard of anyone who models it. Jim
Dave,
Thanks for letting me know that. If you should ever come up with information on that please let me know. I and our club librarian would be interested. The name Adolf Arnold did ping a discussion that you had actually commented on 10 years ago- http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/144194.aspx Even though I model the Rio Grande I have had a habit of picking up cars from places that we have lived or traveled. Missed a couple of the AHM A&D boxes on Ebay but I have one that I am watching. Sometimes these oddball roads get expensive though. Jim
Regarding the west: From what I personally have seen either in person or in magazines I would have to say that the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific are both more popular than the Union Pacific, with Santa Fe being the most popular especially with beginners. Rio Grande is pretty popular too. As for least popular I would guess that the Seattle Portland and Spokane or some other Oregon short line is less popular than the Western Pacific. I’ve never seen a SP&S layout but I have seen the Western Pacific.
I'd say shockingly, Most of the Rails around Pittsburgh are probably the least modeled, minus CSX and NS. I am one of maybe 6 people in the entire country I've seen or heard of doing the modern Wheeling and Lake Erie... (I might have one of the largest Locomotive fleets for it to).
The railroads in Just the Pittsburgh area alone:
The Union Railroad (Not the Union Pacific!), originally owned by United States Steel Co. is a very rarely modeled road,
Bessemer and Lake Erie.
Mckeesport Connecting railroad
Turtle Creek co. (Not the MRR one)
Monongahela Railway co.
Pittsburgh and West Virginia railway- I've only seen one guy do this railroad- Tom Wilson...who also did the Union Railroad on a second level of the same layout.
One that shocks me among interurban modelers is- the Pittsburgh railways co. I am surpised no one has even attempted to do even part of the line between downtown pittsburgh and either Washington PA, or Rosco PA.
(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).
I'm kinda sorta hoping that an imaginative and daring manufacturer will read these comments. But still we will continue to see Big Boys, PRR K4's, and SP GS4's. Diesels? I know little about except that they are pretty and run and pull quite well.
I'd love to see both classes of D&H 1100 and 1200 2-8-0's done in brass preferably, but I'm not holding my breath.
HZ
I'd say standard gauge D&RGW west of Grande Junction CO is rarely modeled, so I plan to be one of the few.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I think location might have something to do with what folks model. For example, about 1/2 of the model railroaders around Plattsburgh, NY, model the D&H, because it used to run though town. There are the modelers who model the railroads from where they grew up, or a railroad they are fasinated with.
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
In narrow gauge, the D&RGW seems to be the most dominant, but hardly anything is available for the East Broad Top in PA or the Tennessee and Western North Carolina. There are pewter loco kits available for both roads, some brass r-t-r locos that come up, and rolling stock that's available on eBay from time-to-time, some in Sn3 and others in HO. I've visited the EBT in Orbisonia, PA when it was running a couple of times and was just amazed at the steel boxcars and hoppers on the property. During my last visit years ago, one of the Baldwin-built mikes pulled a train consisting of an EBT combine, coach, and a caboose. And, of course, a friend and I rode in the cupola. The railroad is also listed as a National Historical Place. I just find it a shame that manufacturers are stuck on producing just D&RGW models. I'm sure that modelers would buy other narrow guage railroad products, like the EBT, in order to model Eastern narrow guage.
Russ
Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ. Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/
Wolf359 I'd like to see some of the mainstream manufacturers, (like Bachmann or Athearn for example) come out with some models of Colorado Midland locomotives and rolling stock. I've seen a few brass models of CM locos, but they're nothing I can afford. So, I don't have any right now, but I've been hunting for locos suitable for conversion to a CM loco at swap-meets and my local hobby shop. My favorite popular railroad however, is Union Pacific.
I'd like to see some of the mainstream manufacturers, (like Bachmann or Athearn for example) come out with some models of Colorado Midland locomotives and rolling stock. I've seen a few brass models of CM locos, but they're nothing I can afford. So, I don't have any right now, but I've been hunting for locos suitable for conversion to a CM loco at swap-meets and my local hobby shop. My favorite popular railroad however, is Union Pacific.
You might try to find a copy of Playing With Trains by Sam Posey. It might not be a source of ready-to-run models but it does tell of his experience in modeling the Colorado Midland,
When I used to ski in Maine, I always admired the shortline St. Lawrence and Atlantic. It's limited enough to model.
But, I model with Milwaukee power and rolling stock now. Still, I like to represent other nearby roads like the Ann Arbor and the Port Huron and Detroit with foreign road boxcars.
A short line I have never seen modeled would be the Chesapeake Beach Railway.
Among standard gauge short lines, the Maryland and Pennsylania seems pretty popular - at least I have seen models for it in N, HO, S, and O (maybe some in z or G that I don't recall).
Paul
I must be the only one in my train club to own a trio of ATHG MKT F3 A-B-A's painted in the as delivered Red/Grey with the Sloan Yellow Nose. I also have a Sloan Yellow RND Outside Braced Wooden Crummy with metal wheels and kadee's to go with the Katy F's.
At one point I even considered modeling an L&N Transition Era freight train, but later dropped the idea as HO Scale L&N F7's Diesels made by ATHG or virtually any other manufacturers are NEARLY UNIVERSALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!! Yes I've seen them on evilbay from time to time, but see what I wrote above!!!
So alongside SF, I went after MKT and might add some Mopac if I can find the stuff I like. For the time being it's mostly SF and MKT. Since both roads went to the Lone Star State, the MKT is SF's interchange partner. I have purchased a separate calendar from the Katy Railroad Historical Society.
Most of the guys in my club model western roads. At shows I've seen SF, SP, UP, WP, RG, GN, NP, BN, and BNSF models on the layout. I've also seen some MILW and a few STL-SF diesels. There's this one guy who models CGW, yes CGW, in CA! and GM&O.
There are a few guys who do eastern roads: NS, NYC, PRR, B&O, C&O, N&W, NKP, and maybe SOU, that's it. No L&N, No ERE, DLW, B&M, MEC, ACL, SAL, SBD, FEC, NC&STL, CHESS, CR, CRR, etc.
Howard--
Remember my foray into Texas & Pacific? Nice railroad; very interesting history...but virtually nobody cares.
Also, based upon lack of interest in both Bowser big MLW's and Rapido FA-2's: nobody really cares about NdeM or FCP. Bowser was forced to cancel M636's in Mexican flavors due to lack of interest, and I am the only person to date who has even asked Rapido about Mexican FA-2's despite the hot yellow, blue and orange handrails paint scheme for FCP. There is "no chance" of Rapido doing Mexican FA's. All the paint schemes they have announced are ones they received numerous contacts or requests about actually producing.
There is more NdeM stuff on Ebay by far than T&P. I've been watching...
BAR: the F3's have somewhat of a following...enough that they are either out or coming...I think from more than one manufacturer...
I nominate T&P as being among the least favorite class 1 railroads of all time.
Lets add to that unpopular list: Minneapolis & St Louis, and Chicago Great Western.