What to buy - N Scale

Discussion in 'N Scale' started by Stuart Mitchell, Sep 17, 2010.

  1. HI..

    I'm slowly start to build up my Frisco locos but when it comes to the rolling stock I was thinking that I can't have 100% Frisco so I was wondering what other roads would wok in with Frisco..

    Thanks
    Stuart
     
  2. tmfrisco

    tmfrisco Member Frisco.org Supporter

    All railroad rolling stock could be seen on the Frisco at any one time. The choice of what railroads you want to buy are limited only by your imagination:) and billfold:eek:. I have tried to get a represenation of as many railroads as could have reasonably been expected to be seen on the Frisco, and now I have over 300 cars:eek:. I will have to begin to cull some in the future. Generally, you would see more of the major railroad's cars on any railroad simply because they had the most cars. However, I like to throw in some railroad from far away for variety (SP&S and BM for example). If you have a specific location and timeline you are interested in modeling, this would also help decide what railroad's cars could be expected to be seen on your railroad. The choices are limitless as a rule. Good luck, Terry
     
  3. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    In general, Terry is absolutely correct. Here's where prototype information is invaluable to all.
    I will add some more criteria to the mix;

    1) If your layout includes trains just passing through, then justification for any railroad's stock showing up could easily be made, keeping in mind that goods or commodities purchased are affected by shipping prices, so the further your layout locale is from the home territory of a given road, the less likely that you might see a car of that road.

    2) If you have an industry on your layout that receives raw materials, you can either research it by asking, or in the absence of any other source, refer to the OpSig website (http://www.opsig.org/industrydb/) and use the industry database with the free Indman from Shenware (http://www.shenware.com/downloads.html) to determine where the raw materials might have come from, as well as where an industry on your layout might have shipped commodities or finished product. The location of the raw material source would determine the possible delivering railroad.

    3) Remember, it is your road and you are the ultimate arbiter about what appears on your road. Some stuff may just look good to you and that may be all the justification you need.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 17, 2010
  4. Sirfoldalot

    Sirfoldalot Frisco.org Supporter Frisco.org Supporter

    There is also the re-routing of entire trains from another line in the case of washouts, fires, snowstorms, floods, and track maintenance. :)
     
  5. tmfrisco

    tmfrisco Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Sherrel, When I build my layout that is exactly the "explanation" I will be using to justify the Texas Special and a long ATSF:mad: passenger train passing through Tulsa in the mid 50s. I know that Tulsa had a Santa Fe train to KC then, but I don't have room to turn it or to have it leave realistically from the Union Depot. The same HORRIBLE:eek: rain that washed out the MKT and ATSF tracks south of Tulsa (without affecting the Frisco mainlines, of course) is the justification for these two unprototypical anomalies to my operating plan. As Keith said earlier it is our layouts and we can be as strict or relaxed as we want to be. Ain't it great being the main man/woman:cool: in charge of our own railroad dynasty? Terry
     
  6. SteveM

    SteveM Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Stuart, lots of articles and columns have been written about getting the proper mix of home road cars. Most layouts are very deficient, especially if the owner doesn't want to renumber cars. The answer is era dependent, as in "before Railbox" etc. I would think location to some degree, and as others said whether you are originating or receiving loads.
    Research is fun until you find out something like "Whirlpool didn't ship with 86' box cars" and you just got several. Now how do I use those boogers? Thanks to my friends here on frisco.org for that bombshell.
    I have a drawer full of MP and SLSF box cars awaiting renumbering. I think it will really help confirm the scenario, but it may drive yardmasters nuts if one of twenty 50' brown boxcars in the Fort Smith yard get out of place (N scale lettering.)
     
  7. gstout

    gstout Member Frisco.org Supporter

    This is a question that has arisen from time to time and has been addressed in MR and similar such publications. A good rule of thumb for freight equipment is 50% home road, 50% "foreign." Ore cars should be primarily home road as no railroad would want to regularly use another company's cars to support |-|a captive, on-line industry. Exceptions might arise if you are supposing special circumstances, but this is a good place to start.

    Passenger equipment should be nearly all home road except in cases of through car arrangements such as PRR or B&O sleepers running through St. Louis down to Texas or OKC, or Katy cars on the Texas Special.

    Greg Stout
     
  8. HI..

    First off, thanks for the great help so fr.
    Yes, there are probably 100's of articles in mags but I don't buy them as here in Australia it just cost to much.. MR is about $12.00au where MRC is $20.00au, I'm more happy to spend that money on rolling stock or a loco.. Yes, I know I tight with my $$$'s but I have a very limited amount..

    I have been working on 60% frisco, 15% MKT and 25% other as there are some I like. This will then give me a good mix.

    As for pass I'm looking to build the Texas Special using a pair of Like-Like E8 UNDEC units and re-spraying them, car will be ALM core kits with MKT sides from M & R sides and decals from Microscale

    So I will have my work cut out for me and a very full to do list..

    Thanks
    Stuart
     
  9. pensive

    pensive Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Something else to consider is that there would be very few of a direct competitor's cars on the railroad. For example, on the Frisco you would see few MoPac or MKT cars. Also, roads that connect directly with the home road would be more prevelent that those that didn't in representing foreign road cars.

    Rich
     
  10. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    I added these. There are some other things like this out there that would work too.

    Ross Industries had grain elevators near Frisco trackage in Wichita and in Harvey County Kansas. The Frisco had tracks in the county so I would assume that something like this might have been common.

    [​IMG]
     

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