Foreign power

[Aerojet]

If you are like me, you run what you have. Back in the 80's I made up my own road name and heralds, had them made up and bought undercoated locos and made them mine. Today I run what ever I can pick up which is DCC ... So on my pike we have Wisconsin & Southern, old F45 units which they originally bought then sold due to their track would work with that heavy of an engine ... and of course my own Royal Point & Western in blue and orange ...

So what do you do? Run everything and anything?

Prototypes do that. In one afternoon it is not hard to see on the CP, not only their own red junk, but also CSX, UP, NS. BNSF, and the odd CN which gets switched over to them. ON the CN you see a lot of their own and BC Rail, UP, CSX, NS and BNSF ... so there is cause here to run whatever loco you wish to. WSOR has trackage rights from Ackerville to Waukesha, so we do see them when ever they feel like running a train, which isn't very often.

Curious and trying to start a conversation on this topic ..

The Aerojet

 

[montanan]

I had a pretty good plan on what I wanted to do as my layout was being built. I grew up with relatives working on both the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific and was lucky enough to have ridden in the cabs of both railroads. It was pretty well decided which railroads I was interested in, but I really didn't have the room to model even part of a subdivision of either railroad so I decided to freelance and connect with both railroads. Some time in the 80's I guess the plan was done and the area I model is right where I live. The availability of locomotives for either the NP or MILW were very poor so I not only custom painted my opwn freelance railroad locomotives which all started out as undecorated locomotives, but also started custom painting equipment for the NP and MILW.

Connecting to the NP and MILW allows me to have power from both railroads to show up on my layout. Thankfully in recent years, manufacturers have finally brought out some excellent locomotives for both the MILW and NP eliminating the need for having to custom paint any more locomotives.

I chose the transition era as that was the time I was a kid actually riding in the locomotives and steam was still around, although on its way out. I am quit picky about having all of the locomotives proper to the era, choosing the summer of 1957 for the date. All of my rolling stock is also period correct. I used to always check out the freight car date on the equipment, and still do although I now need to use magnifiers.

Having planned ahead, I have everything set to the right time period.

NOW, just remember it's your railroad and you can run anything you want to because the only person your really have to please is yourself.

Model railroading really is fun.

 

[tootnkumin]

Now, if you REALLY want to go foreign, try some of these

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Not sure what you posted there, but it doesn't show up.

 

[Red Oak & Western]

I, too, have my own road name. I don't run "foreign" power lash-ups, but the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific, Illinois Central, Chicago North Western, Great Northern, and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy all have trackage rights, so you may catch them moving through.

 

[Iron Horseman]

So what do you do? Run everything and anything?

Other than the freelance aspect, the answer is, "No.". I only run what I know to be a prototypical situation. With modern stuff today that is pretty easy as there are only 8 railroads in North America. One can easily spot the leased units. Even back one generation I caught a lash up of Conrail units in Denver. Back two generations I'm much more careful. Example - I have a photo of a NYC run through on the CB&Q in Illinois. Three U28Bs, two NYC and one Chinese Red so I'll run that. Would I run that if I was modeling Wyoming? - no. Definitely a midwest thing.

I guess there are levels - I like to stay in the top 4.
Definitely happened all the time
definitely happened some times
definitely happened occasionally
probably happened
possibly happened
plausible it happened
unlikely
not likely at all
implausible
totally ludicrous

And like montanan said there aren't only road names but also time period issues.

 

[tootnkumin]

Not sure what you posted there, but it doesn't show up.

Interesting, is the pic (which is visible on my computer) and of an Aus club's layout, not visible on the forum to others?

Deleted the original pic, copied to P/bucket and posted the link, hope that ones visible (I can see it, but that's hardly proof it seems.

 

[OldGuyHO]

I'm contemplating not only running foreign motive power but multiple eras:1959 and relatively current. I haven't decided on the newer road name but it'll probably be UP.

 

[KB02]

On my railroad, My Dash-8 will sometimes take the passenger coaches from the J3a Hudson Steamer when it needs a rest. I have three GP38-2s' consisted together with different road names. Two engines are painted in my fictional RR's livery, others may follow, but some never will. That's the nice thing of modeling a fictional RR: Run what you want.

With that said, I have a huge amount of respect with people like Iron Horseman who stick as close to prototypical as they can. I don't quite have that much patience.

 

[new guy]

I don't know enough to know I'm "doing it wrong" even though we almost all agree that that is impossible! I did not have what I consider enough knowledge to build a "Rail Road" in the sense of sticking to one road name and style or model of loco. My fascination covers too much ground anyways, shay systems to bullet trains and everything in between! I buy what I want to see roll and the prototypical aspects are secondary but not out the window. I'd like to eventually run at least part of my collection as a "functioning road" on the layout but it will be some time before I know enough to do that. As "freestyle" as I may be it is still a "railroad" in the sense that I have to have a "yard" of SOME kind to unmix and mixup combinations of cars, parking for off duty stock and at least the "illusion" of some kind of purpose. Slowly, ever so slowly, but assuredly surely, I will get there. In the meantime the "Michigan Central UNLIMITED" will be happily satisfied to "own" the rails other "Company's" can "use".