numbering program


jbaakko

jbaakko

Diesel Detail Freak
Well my dad & I are still working on getting stuff set up for his railroad, I'm trying to decide on a numbering program for the railroad. I've heard ideas like, HPxx (i.e. SD45=3600 hp, so SD45 #1 would be 3600, #2 being 3601 and on), but what do you think is best? Right now the roster consists of a former SP SD45, and a former IC GP35. Plans are in the way to buy a GE 44ton/70ton from Bachmann, and a smaller 25ton from Grandt Line, and 1 or 2 more medium sized 4 axle units, or Switchers. There will also be 3-5 steam locomotives, varying from an 0-4-0 to 2-6-2, and maybe a 2-8-0 (trying to keep axle length down, for a tight radius modern industrial/shortline).

The railroad is planned to have steam operations due to a lack of funds to completely invest in deisel locomotives. The yard/loco facilities will be quite crowded, with a 4 stall roundhouse and a 1-2 stall overhaul facility, walthers 90' turntable, sand tower, and very small yard office. Locomotives are fueled via a underground deisel tank, or in the case of steamers, a bucket loader and a dump truck with coal.

3 yard tracks also occupy this space, for storage of 2, maybe 3 cabooses, used in long uphill pushes to a mine facility, 2, maybe 3 passenger cars, and the sorting of roughly 15 freight cars. The railroad will also interchange with antoher railroad, possibly right next to the rr's facilities, if not, somewhere in the front of the layout.

Sound complex enough to keep my dad occupied for a while? There's plenty of switching available too with 4-5 industries, the yard, and the interchange, and if the 2nd deck becomes a reality, 2 more industries may follow.

Any ideas?
 
Wow!
The whole thing sounds great!
As for the numbering program, why not just copy one of the Class 1 railroads??
If you need a small yard office, take a look at the Con-Cor Yardmaster building kit.
My "Dad" just gave me one and it is perfect for use by my NY&W RR.
The office building kit consists of a wooden caboose converted to a
office,a molded base and numerous details like barrels,storage container,shovel and other items.
The kit footprint is 3" wide x 6" long.
Con-Cor also produces a Engine crew shanty kit that is small and compact.
Thanks to my "Dad", I now have one of these too. :D
 
If it's a freelanced RR, I'd do the HP thing. All you have to do is make sure that the diesel numbers don't intrude into the numbering for the steamers. Steamers were generally numbered by Class. Like low numbers for switchers, and higher numbers as the motive power size grew. You can do that with the 44-tonner.

Having an SD-45 and a 2-8-0 is a bit of a stretch prototypically.

Kennedy
 
Yeah its very freelanced, he wanted it to be modern, yet still have the Steam power to use at times.

I'd post a link to the roundhouse and yard office that have been picked but the site is refusing the connection, I think it has somethign to do with my internet right now. The roundhouse is an AMB craftsman 3 stall kit, plus an add on stall, with a Walthers 90' turntable, and most likely an older walthers "backshop" the 2 stall, taller, brick one, with room for an overhead traveling crane. The yard office will consist of an old caboose/boxcar, and a separate boxcar for tool storage too. Like I said though, its gonna get crouded with 3 yard tracks, a fueling/sanding point with room for a Norscot CAT front end loader to manuver, no need for ash pits, that'll be "installed" in the roundhouse, which has 4 stalls, with the repair shop next door, accessed via the turntable, rolling stock to be repaired there will be pushed by the 25ton GE, all rr owned stock will be 50' or less anyways.

I think what I'll do is HP for the diesels and like 1-1000 for the classes of steam, there's only bound to be 4 maximum steam locomotives, as for diesel's well you know you can leave them outside more...
 
It dawned on me, AMB's site shows the roundhouse:
http://www.laserkit.com/laserkit.htm
Go to HO scale, click xpress kits, and scroll down to Kit #170 and click the cameras for pics.

Kit #717 is one of the ideas for the yard office, but some other company had a cool one on valleymodeltrains.com
 
For my railroad, Im using a system based on Weyerhaeuser Company's Chehalis Western. Take the year the loco was purchased, and then the number of the loco, either steam diesel. For instance, on my RR: GP7 755, Purchased from Morris Knudson in 1975 (An NKP rebuild,) and it being the 5th diesel locomotive on the CCC roster (Behind the original H-10-44s, which would be numbered 481, 482, 483, and 484, having been purchased in 1948)
 
For my HO scale freelance RR set in the 1990's I'm using the HP numbering scheme.
But for for my Sn3 freelance RR set in the 1920's I'm using a series based system i.e.
4-4-0's #100-199
4-6-0's #200-299
2-6-0's #300-399
2-6-2's #400-499
2-8-0's #500-599
2-8-2's #600-699
etc. etc.

Dan
 
DanRaitz said:
For my HO scale freelance RR set in the 1990's I'm using the HP numbering scheme.
But for for my Sn3 freelance RR set in the 1920's I'm using a series based system i.e.
4-4-0's #100-199
4-6-0's #200-299
2-6-0's #300-399
2-6-2's #400-499
2-8-0's #500-599
2-8-2's #600-699
etc. etc.

Dan
Click to expand...

I like that! Might do that for Steam power, all Diesel being NNNN Steam bing NNN...
 
jbaakko said:
Yeah its very freelanced, he wanted it to be modern, yet still have the Steam power to use at times.
Click to expand...

In that case, your steam power will now be consider "Railfan Trips". What threw me was your comment regarding tight curves and industrial leads. Railfan trips probably won't have a steamer going in there.

The best thing about this approach is that you won't be tied down to any specific RR's steamers. In today's world, you have very few steamers anyway, and what is still running, they can go just about anywhere if the host RR allows it.

Given that your RR is freelanced, as long as your interchange RR allows a steamer to get to your location, you can run just about anything. And if they don't, then if your RR company is large enough (and by that I mean your Dad is only modelling a small part of it), then you can say that the RR has their own steamer fleet.

For the latter, I will cite the Ohio Central RR. The owner, Jerry Jacobson is a railfan, and they have a great steam shop. They run a small 4-8-4, 4-6-2, and they have a 2-8-0. They ran a lot of excursions out of Sugar Creek OH, but they also did a lot out of Coshocton and Dennison.

Kennedy
 
Kinda the idea, the most usage will be the ample diesel power, but hey they're not to extremly large, but they kept them on the roster for various reasons, and they chug out still to do work...

Oh and they are DEFENTLY not a one builder road, they kinda just bought what they could cheep!
 
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