07-31-2010, 04:45 AM
Gary, my key problem with Santa Fe are the missing switchers of the newer generations. All the nice models of SW1000/15000, MP15DC and MP15AC do not help at all with Santa Fe. Their last "switcher" was the CF-7 (with the lousy RTR motor). While it is prototypical to do switching this days with a GP38-2, for a small layout like mine the above mentioned switchers are a better fit. That is the reason why I am constantly switching forth and back with the rolling stock. I have a complete set of small UP/SP (SSW) engines that fit wonderful on my layout.
ebay in Germany has currently a nice selection of older Santa Fe switchers in the Zebra layout. But that would be a huge jump back I do not want to do. When Santa Fe started the CF-7 conversion in the early 1970'th those Zebra engines must be in active duty at least until 1975 may be 1980. And they did not have the Zebra layout until their end. Most of them got the blue/yellow design with the smaller yellow ends. How does my current layout fit into 1975? Do I have to do another set of buildings to fit on the time line in between "old brick" and "white shoe boxes" buildings? And I would have to sacrifice my Gunderson high cube cars and the wonderful all door boxcars; and some automobiles too (e.g. small U-Haul truck)
Putting CSTR decals on the CF-7 cabs and declaring the foundation of a fictional RR is not the real solution of that dilemma. It is a bad compromise to run CF-7 in Santa Fe colors after 1990.
There is no simple solution to have it all...
ps. I do not mention and ignored so far the UP/SP and the BN/ATSF mergers because in both cases lots of engines are still running in the old colors and/or road numbers. Only one of my Santa Fe GP30 has a BNSF patch. All other engines are pure UP, SP, SSW or Santa Fe. That is not totally correct with respect of the single engine that might have been patched or painted in the mean time but it is good enough to have a matching optical pattern until the early 200x'th.
ebay in Germany has currently a nice selection of older Santa Fe switchers in the Zebra layout. But that would be a huge jump back I do not want to do. When Santa Fe started the CF-7 conversion in the early 1970'th those Zebra engines must be in active duty at least until 1975 may be 1980. And they did not have the Zebra layout until their end. Most of them got the blue/yellow design with the smaller yellow ends. How does my current layout fit into 1975? Do I have to do another set of buildings to fit on the time line in between "old brick" and "white shoe boxes" buildings? And I would have to sacrifice my Gunderson high cube cars and the wonderful all door boxcars; and some automobiles too (e.g. small U-Haul truck)
Putting CSTR decals on the CF-7 cabs and declaring the foundation of a fictional RR is not the real solution of that dilemma. It is a bad compromise to run CF-7 in Santa Fe colors after 1990.
There is no simple solution to have it all...
ps. I do not mention and ignored so far the UP/SP and the BN/ATSF mergers because in both cases lots of engines are still running in the old colors and/or road numbers. Only one of my Santa Fe GP30 has a BNSF patch. All other engines are pure UP, SP, SSW or Santa Fe. That is not totally correct with respect of the single engine that might have been patched or painted in the mean time but it is good enough to have a matching optical pattern until the early 200x'th.
Reinhard