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Last week I decided to stop work on the layout because my cars were driving me nuts. I pulled all my hoppers off the tracks and out of my storage boxes. I have half of them base coated, checked there trucks, and gauged there couplers. I have already had my railroad name stamps made and have the number sets.
When you number your cars do you use some type of system or just start at 0001? I'm asking because I have around 4,500 cars and plan to display around 3,000 of them in some fashion. At the same time I would like to be able to look at the number and now if it was a hopper, tanker, box car, ext.
So you have given up running trains to number cars for the rest of your life.
I don't think there is any real standard to go by with numbering other than what you want to establish. As stated previously, a series number would tell you what kind of car it is which tells you what kind of load it can carry. Specialty cars would be down in the double digits while the common cars, i.e. tankers, hoppers, flats would carry at least a 5 digit number.
I use a simple system. 40' single door boxcars begin at 600, 55 ton 2 bay hoppers are in the 500, 40' double door boxcars are in the 800, 70 ton hoppers in the 200. Modeling a freelanced shortline I saw no need for more than 3 digit numbers for each type of car. I do have a few patched over cars that I retained the original road's car number but shortened them to 4 digits. My MOW cars all begin with X and numbered in the teens, X-18 etc.
Whatever works for you but I'd at least keep consistant within a specific type.
No I have never counted all my cars, but I do collect them. But my guess is biased off having 2,200 counted cars in 2005, winning bid at auction of 1,500 cars in 2007, bought out all the HO stock of a model shop in 2009 was 700+ cars, and know I have picked up at least 200 at yard sales and the flee market over the years.
That looks like a reasonable system.
You could take it a step further and number the boxcars 24000 - 24999 for 40'rs, 25000 - 25999 for 50'rs, etc.
You'd know more about the car that way, especially flat cars that can be 40, 50, 60, 70 feet long: 34000 - 34999, 35000 - 35999, 36000 - 36999, etc etc.
Might I enquire just what is the point of having accrued 4500 pieces of rolling stock? No possible operating plan could employ more than just a small fraction of these cars logically and an endless rotation of such would be just as pointless...especially if they are all of the same road name. If anything, a "display" of cars should represent many railroad names and the potential variations of car type, not all the same thing. And what are the "stamps" that you refer to having that you intend to apply to the cars? Are you talking about custom decals?
Yes I don't see the purpose of 4500 pieces of rolling stock either.
To me, that's a waste, they are sitting in boxes for what, 90% of the time?
How many cars can fit on your layout? How many cars can you "show" at any given time?
I have....(drumroll)... 45 pieces of rolling stock!!! And I have a tough time having space on my 12x20 layout. In fact I need to start storing things below the layout in the staging area.
I'm scared to you ask you, but....how many locomotives do you have? (Please don't say 2000).
that is a lot of cars....I been to a few big clubs and museums like Northlandz and the San Diego Modle RR Club ...they had a lot but man they were big time layouts too.
I have only 350 rolling stock and 88 diesels and 6 steamers....
I had 2 costume stamp made with my road name on it. I also got 2 sets of number stamps. The stamps are close to scale. I did my N scale with decals and did not like working with them. I experimented with using stamps instead and I feel I have more control with them and look just as good. You do have to thin down the paint some and dip the stamp into a thin layer of paint to get a good look.
I have about 35 switchers, 80 locomotives, and about 15 steam. I do have 2 shoe boxes full ones I use for parts.
I like a verity in the amount of weathering that I do to cars and I also like the look graffiti with the different styles. I was thinking about grabbing 30 or so at a time of random numbers for weathering.
I plan on displaying and running a good number of the cars. I was also planning on taking 150 cars and 2 locomotives to the train club for there layout. There is a standing offer at the transportation museum to donate 75 cars with 2 locomotives and they will rotate them out with there other stock and run them (they most meet there standards). I'm planning on changing out part of the N scale display in my office to HO. There is a hall way display that the different departments take turns setting up how they want and my coworkers stick me with it most of the time so I fill it with train stuff.
I give all my patients a train car (currently N scale) and let them switch them out for a different one out of the display case if they bring it back in good shape. This works great with the kids, but also loose a good amount of cars.
