Suggestions for Locomotives?
#16
I do want to add that because I love Critters way too much and want to have a little tourist train modelled, I am going to be using a Critter pulling a PRR heavyweight observation car because I like the look.
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Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#17
Exo, the SW1500 isn't a bad choice. The short line may have gotten a deal on it or are looking to switch over to 645 EMDs - unless the SW1500 is a poor running locomotive.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#18
Critters are nice. I have a bunch of Bachmann 45 tonners. A tourist train like the Old Colony & Newport is nice.

I guess the question that I should be asking is how long are your trains going to be. That's what really decides what locomotives you need.

Just some food for thought:
A few years ago, Model Railroader's Great Model Railroads (1996), there was a model railroad called the Schoharie Ballet Railroad. It was a 5x9 foot layout that featured GE locomotives in the Saltzberg cream and orange scheme.

One thing that the author mentioned is how a train looked long with just 3 GE 70 tonners and 18 cars. It's all in the presentation and perception.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#19
Mike Kieran Wrote:Exo, the SW1500 isn't a bad choice. The short line may have gotten a deal on it or are looking to switch over to 645 EMDs - unless the SW1500 is a poor running locomotive.

The SW1500 is very popular with some short lines and urban switching railroads since they are a all around engine that can be used on the road between industrial parks.
Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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#20
Mike Kieran Wrote:Critters are nice. I have a bunch of Bachmann 45 tonners. A tourist train like the Old Colony & Newport is nice.

I guess the question that I should be asking is how long are your trains going to be. That's what really decides what locomotives you need.

Just some food for thought:
A few years ago, Model Railroader's Great Model Railroads (1996), there was a model railroad called the Schoharie Ballet Railroad. It was a 5x9 foot layout that featured GE locomotives in the Saltzberg cream and orange scheme.

One thing that the author mentioned is how a train looked long with just 3 GE 70 tonners and 18 cars. It's all in the presentation and perception.

Rock trains would be between 4 and 10 cars, Beer trains are about 4-6 62' insulated boxcars long, and occasionally pulling a hopper car of broken glass to be recycled from the breweries. The mixed freight trains would be up to 10-15 cars long. The geeps and SD should be able to handle all of those.

The little tourist train I have in mind is inspired by the one operated by the Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster County, PA. I have multiple models of various critters, made by a wide smattering of producers, but I really want one of the new Walthers ones. The rock quarry will likely use a GE 25-tonner as a plant switcher when I get around to doing that portion.

I know SW1500s are decent locos, but it seemed superfluous to add an additional loco with a different engine type that doesn't serve a significant purpose that can't also be handled by another piece of power, since one Geep handles the beer traffic, the SD handles the rock traffic, and I'd have an extra Geep that can handle the mixed freight, and given how small the yard is, it would be pretty simple to just collect up the cars for the mixed freight and go.

I actually have that issue of Great Model Railroads and remember seeing that line, now that you mention it. I liked it a lot Big Grin
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Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#21
Brakie Wrote:
Mike Kieran Wrote:Exo, the SW1500 isn't a bad choice. The short line may have gotten a deal on it or are looking to switch over to 645 EMDs - unless the SW1500 is a poor running locomotive.

The SW1500 is very popular with some short lines and urban switching railroads since they are a all around engine that can be used on the road between industrial parks.

The SW1500 that I already have also has never ran particularly well. It was great for me as a new-ish modeler, but it's very old and not in the best shape. Since it is superfluous anyways, I am just not using it, though I am keeping it as a sentimental thing, since it was a gift from an old friend who has since passed.
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Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#22
The GP30 is also a 567 engined locomotive, so if you have a liking for it, it fits.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#23
Brakie Wrote:
Mike Kieran Wrote:Exo, the SW1500 isn't a bad choice. The short line may have gotten a deal on it or are looking to switch over to 645 EMDs - unless the SW1500 is a poor running locomotive.

The SW1500 is very popular with some short lines and urban switching railroads since they are a all around engine that can be used on the road between industrial parks.

They are also great engines because they can handle a tighter radius (70 foot) than the previous EMD switchers with more power to pull longer trains.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#24
Mike Kieran Wrote:The GP30 is also a 567 engined locomotive, so if you have a liking for it, it fits.

So, I actually pulled my old models out of storage and tested them, and the GP30s I have [Which is the biggest reason I picked them] won't run and I'm not quite sure why. They are also an old gift from the same gentleman who passed, so I will likely clean them up and display them instead, too. Since I am buying new locos, I like the odd look of the chopped nose GP10s, and they fit the bill, so I don't see much reason not to get them, unless the GP30 does something special/better to warrant using one.

The original line that I am using as inspiration for that section of the plan used to use FM H10-44s to handle most of the beer and mixed freight traffic on that line, so I am likely not needing anything worlds above more powerful to handle the modern traffic.
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Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#25
If you're looking to purchase your engines, maybe GE 70 tonners might fit the bill. Prototype-wise, they're economical and inexpensive. Model railroad-wise, they're good runners and inexpensive. Trainworld is selling brand new 70 tonners lettered for Bethlehem Steel at $50 apiece. The lettering comes off easy enough and you can make decals real cheap on your home printer. These are great running engines and really cute to look at.

I figure that you need 1 loco for the brewery job, 1 loco for the rock train, and 2 locos for the frieght job. I would get an extra 2 so that one would be getting regular maintenance while one stayed on standby. So a total of 6 locomotives could be had for between $325 - $350 while also being equipped for DCC.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#26
Would a GE 70-tonner be able to handle bringing a heavy rock train down a mountain? I haven't decided on the grades for that section, yet, but the prototype railroads that went up Broad Top Mountain had some fairly steep grades (at least, I always thought so when I hiked along sections of the East Broad Top and along other sections of the mountain).
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Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#27
It's usually suggested to not have more than a 3% grade, but if the 70 tonner is on the downhill side of the rock train, then it should work. The Branford Steam Railroad used to haul 7 car rock trains from it's quarry to the Juniper Point transfer pier in 7 car cuts using a Vulcan 0-4-0T and later 44 tonners. Model Railroader had a story on it in August 1964.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#28
I won't have a grade quite *that* steep, but a 2-4% grade is about normal for the grades on Broad Top Mountain. My plan for the quarry operation was to have the train come up the mountain ahead of the cars, drop them off, and pick up loads spotted on a runaround by the plant switcher, and back those cars down the mountain. Though I suppose it would make more sense to have a facing point loads track to store the loaded rock cars on, drop the empty hoppers at the passing siding then pull forward, grab the loaded rock cars, and back them down the mountain ahead of the cars, that way the engineer would be able to see the track on the way back down.

I am still working on the track plan for the quarry area, so bare with me, please lol
————————————————————————————
Modeling the East Broad Top as it was between 1937-1942
~Amanda
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#29
First , they wouldn't run specific trains for specific industries unless the industry operated a unit train. You have specific engines to operate specific service (local switching, yard switching, road haul, unit train, etc).

The quarry would use whatever power the class 1 railroad you connected with gave you to operate the train. Set the rates so you don't even have to power it.

The for the rest of the locomotives I would pick GP38-2's and SD40-2's. They both use the same/similar engines and many of the same parts so fixing them is simpler. Having a gazillion different model of engines sounds cool, but is very expensive.

Either that or I would contract with a horsepower by the hour provider (WATCO, FURX, HELM), tell them I needed XX engines of xxxx horsepower and then they would provide engines, whatever they had, to meet that.
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#30
There's another engine worth looking at, EMD's SW1 a 600 HP switcher that was a work horse and perfect for urban industrial leads..


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Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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