What's Your Favorite Model Locomotive?


That is a tough one! I'm not sure how to post photos, but I'd have to say it would be the original and the model of the Burlington's Pioneer Zephyr, which I rode as a kid. The model is the ConCor post-war version in DC. In model steam, it would have to be the Burlington M-2 2-10-2's and M-4
2-10-4's (two each) I kitbashed from Mantua Mikados, with gear boxes and Canon coreless motors and Soundtraxx Tsunami2 sound decoders.
 
My favorite is the C39-8.... When ScaleTrains announced they would be making one, I got really excited. I bought one in N scale and HO scale of the same road and had them proto weathered to what they were like in 2015.

penn loco2.jpg
 
Every new one I get is my favorite for a time, but oddly there have been some of the first I got that have become the hardest to consider selling even though they don't see the tracks often because I've moved on from them and they no longer fit in. Proto 2K PA/PB's, a small UP GP20 and a CNW GP38-2. A Genesis CP MP15AC 'cause of it's bright red and Golden beaver Logo. An Athearn SP GP35 in the Kodachrome merger scheme, which I have offered to another club member for $70 w/DCC, but "The Virus" has put on indeterminate hold.
 
Every new one I get is my favorite for a time, but oddly there have been some of the first I got that have become the hardest to consider selling even though they don't see the tracks often because I've moved on from them and they no longer fit in. Proto 2K PA/PB's, a small UP GP20 and a CNW GP38-2. A Genesis CP MP15AC 'cause of it's bright red and Golden beaver Logo. An Athearn SP GP35 in the Kodachrome merger scheme, which I have offered to another club member for $70 w/DCC, but "The Virus" has put on indeterminate hold.

I always felt the Genesis MP15AC is one of the best looking units out there. I almost got one years ago off ebay yet it was a bit out of my budget even though it was $99. I had quite a few PK2 , FA-2 and GP-20 SD7 GP30 . Plus many Atlas RS , S-2 units C424 and 425 , Stewart F3 VO1000 and Walthers SW1 and H10/12 -44 .I wish I'd at least kept one of each. Had to part with them due to job loss. Now I just have 1 Atlas S-4 and 2 FP7's the rest are all BB Athearn yet I'm fine with them. I got into kitbashing long ago and did the RS3/EMD and AS616 /EMD yet sold them as well.

Thanks to people on this forum I will at least have two Athearn BB switchers. I don't have many loco's , maybe 15 and all are older and a few are kit bashed or certain shells with hand made brass frames with Athearn drives and a few GP38-2 and SD40-2 . At least I kept 2 of each of those. and two old Steward AS 616's with the Athearn drive had an AS616 with the kato drive and their RS12. I do have one Bachman Spectrum baby trainmaster and 5 Athearn Trainmasters and one Stewart RS-3 athearn drive I like RS3's had atlas and later their more detailed offering when they went to China. Most I got at local model train stores when we still have some and the PK2 all from ebay and the ones I sold were through Ebay and to one collector who wanted certain models and parts. That was when sellers on ebay didn't feel they had "rare" BB and PK2 or Atlas.
 
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That was when sellers on ebay didn't feel they had "rare" BB and PK2 or Atlas.

They're all those people who watch antique TV shows and think old means valuable. If that was the case, I'd be priceless (actually I am, 'cause no-ones going to give a cent for me)
 

but nothing wrong with a picture of Bruce Bruce!!! Up The Irons!!!

I like all of them, steam and diesel. For the longest time the F3 & 7s were it for me but after picking up some SD-45s recently and the older high hood EMD SD7/9s I have to say that on the track both the SD45s and SD7/9 high hoods really appeal me. When I was a kid in the early 80s my grandpa had a big layout in his basement with all Lionel O steam and diesel engines loco's. His SD7s going around his track were by far my favorite, ..As a kid I remember seeing alot of the real life Chessie engines go by on the local crossings as well. Chessie was always my favorite locomotive color scheme.View attachment 34367View attachment 34368

I have 3 of those (Athearn) Chessie System engines in boxes in the basement right now. Can't wait to get them back out and going!! My most favorite by far. We used to run to the tracks by my grandparents house when the big yellow kittie was going by. Magical times!
 
When I was a teen ager my father always went to one hobby shop on Lombard IL. The owner for some reason must have watched what I was looking at. Three times he just gave me a steam engine. One was a Pennline TI that a customer gave up on another was a GG1 Pennline this was before Bowser , it was another one a customer brought in gave up on. I loved the odd loco's , they stood out . I managed to get them both running well yet my father didn't like the odd ball loco's. All I can recall is my father took them back and the owner was impressed I could get them together and run. The owner then gave me a Varney Old Lady fixed that one too. It was another my father for some reason didn't like and it too ended up back at the train shop. He liked the Pennline Pacific and many others.

Many year's later Rivorossi came out and were always on sale after Christmas , he bought many of those , I felt the cab forward was ugly and the others were great. They were designed in a way that all wheels were flanged yet had enough side play that they could handle 18" radius. The only issue were the tall flanges with standard code rail. The IHB 080 at the time had the motor in the tender. I found one in the late 80's in a small shop in Burbank CA that had fallen in the front of the display case and it had a broken front boiler so they sold it to me cheap and it was an easy fix plus NWSL had a re gear kit , mine had the motor in the boiler. It turned out to be a great runner. I think it still used the stock three pole motor , can't recall.

In 1990 when he passed my younger sister got most of what he had not sold yet when they shipped it UPS had it floating around lost for close to 9 months and they didn't pack them well. They well all Rivorossi . A big boy, two Berkshires , a Challenger (my favorite) and one other can't recall and of course the cab forward and it was the only one broken , the one set of drivers had a broken mount so I repaired it.

I kept them for a few years and then got into Roco electrics and back then on train shop always did trades even traded my 080 and three Mantua 2- 6-6-2 that I detailed and custom painted and re powered can motors and drive shafts instead of the tubing.

I was really into steam at that point yet later went back to American diesels EMD , Alco and Baldwin & Fairbanks Morse. And of course the odd ball Alco/EMD and Baldwin EMD rebuilds which one day I may be able to build one of each again , Maybe. Wish I hadn't sold the ones I built.
 
Another one of my favorites was the ALCO DL-109/110s although Union Pacific never ordered them they did however tried the demo which that demo loco went to Santa Fe and became the #50. I wish UP had bought at least one set. They are a good looking locomotive.
 



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