# Advice on building your roster. How did you start?



## AmosxMoses (Nov 26, 2021)

I am looking for advice on how to build a collection. Is there any rhyme or reason to your first purchases when starting a collection? I’ve started a collection for my son loosely based off of Grafton Wv. Every Christmas he gets a new piece. We started with a chessie SD9, and last year he got a CO GP35 and a BO GP30. This year I’m torn between some sort of switcher or a western Maryland piece to compele the 3 railroads that’s made chessie.

80s era grafton I could buy gp30s for days but when building a collection is it simply buying what you like or do you look for key pieces to add variety? I’m wondering if people go to shows and implement a plan like today I’m shopping rolling stock, today I’m looking switcher, today I’m looking for power. Any tips?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Reasons for my collection?

Pretty sure it has something to do with my Asperger's syndrome.


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## Sevenhills1952 (Feb 2, 2021)

Mid or late life crisis, someone who didn't get a train set that Christmas 1/2 century ago. 

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## AmosxMoses (Nov 26, 2021)

Sevenhills1952 said:


> Mid or late life crisis, someone who didn't get a train set that Christmas 1/2 century ago.
> 
> Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


I feel like we’ve known each other my whole life. You know me so well. Thank you for your contribution to the thread.


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## CambriaArea51 (Sep 2, 2019)

I picked a time frame and a railroad (modern CSX) so I looked at what was running at the time as far as engines and freight. I'm in the process of building a layout, but I also belong to a club which I can run any time frame thus I have some Chessie System stuff.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Amos

There's probably as many answers to your question as there
are members of the Forum. In my case I wanted to build
a fleet of mostly freight cars of all types. My layout was
based loosely on small City activity in the Southwest. I had a layout with
2 good size yards, and a number of freight using businesses
on several stub tracks. I wanted cars that would haul
products that would serve those freight shippers. So I
went to a lot of train shows. That's where you can find just
about anything for a model train. You can choose from locos of
most every design and many offer various road names.
There are hundreds of cars, maybe thousands, of all types...and at very low
prices. You can find every type of car wearing the road
names of just about every railroad. So I was able to
build a collection easily that met my wants and at
very low outlay.

Don


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

My first love was always steam, so it became a matter of selecting certain steam locomotives that got under my skin for whatever reason. So, with that orientation, I have collected a hodgepodge of models from at least six different railroads during the period from 1913 to 1959. 

In order to make it realistic, including in my photography, I had also to collect at least some rolling stock that each of those roads would have trailed behind such locomotives.

Currently, I have locomotives and rolling stock from: Canadian Pacific, New York Central, Pennsylvania, Chesapeake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and several others.

The hobby is supposed to be fun, exciting, to elicit imagination and nostalgia, and ideally to help you to learn a bit to keep the brain young. If that means only one railway, and only during July 1943, and only in Ohio, then you'll not be disappointed with what is available over the next few years as stuff comes to market. Probably. But, if you want it all, you can have it all. Whatever floats yer boat.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I picked an era I wanted to model and looked at my choices between ÖBB, SBB, and DB. At the time, the most affordable (because I had just finished laying track and purchasing the DCC system) was a nicely detailed ÖBB 2143 locomotive and a few coaches for a short branch line operation.

Next, I chose a newer DB lokomotive and a few TEE coaches. After those two trains were running for awhile I started getting more serious with modeling real trains that were, or are, in operation in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. 

I'm running out of track space to store trains when they are not on a main line and I hate the thought of displaying them in a box on the wall like so many do. I will have to lay more track after finding more space or reconfigure my staging yard to hold more trains.


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## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

My collection is starting with anything that I or someone in the family has a connection to or something I just like. So I have an Amtrak train because I used to ride it back when it was all phase 1 (well, they didn't call it that then because it was the only thing they had). Then I picked up a C&NW 400 minute train because my wife had taken it as a child. Added a PRR GG1 and some passenger cars because I think it is cool. My son (who is my partner in this) grew up about a block from a UP service yard, so we got some SD70Ace models. We picked up some steam stuff, just because we both like steam, and then I decided I liked the UP Excursion trains so I got both a Big Boy and an FEF-3. Just got an ES44AC that was one of the helper engines and have the SD70M as the other helper engine used.

We will continue to grow it with whatever appeals to me when I see it. I think we will get more from the 50s and 60s soon, though he may select more of the modern stuff first.


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## AmosxMoses (Nov 26, 2021)

mesenteria said:


> My first love was always steam, so it became a matter of selecting certain steam locomotives that got under my skin for whatever reason. So, with that orientation, I have collected a hodgepodge of models from at least six different railroads during the period from 1913 to 1959.
> 
> In order to make it realistic, including in my photography, I had also to collect at least some rolling stock that each of those roads would have trailed behind such locomotives.
> 
> ...


yes one of the biggest factors that I consider when making a purchase is has those road numbers been photographed in West Virginia. Every engine we have can be found in a photograph (exact road numbers) taken in West Virginia. I know that eventually we will have to abandon this but for now I really enjoy it.

I guess what I’m struggling with is what to do next. Western Maryland doesn’t seem to be the easiest to find. Do I get more gp30s?

I guess my question is is there rough outline of roster quantity? So like a pair of GP7s , an army of GP30s and then start filling in specialty items? Or is it literally what people want/ like. No real plan.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

It's what you want, or what makes it fun for you. I mean, we all have to be responsible, as adults, for finding our way through living, including being financially responsible, but if you have the funds, buy what you think is going to flesh out some kind of vision or scheme. If money is a bit tight, or you'd just like to keep a lid on spending or acquisition, then limit your stable to some representative examples of a given locomotive. On the other hand, I know at least two different people who have every UP Big Boy model anybody makes. Must be well over $30K invested just in that one type of locomotive.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

As Don said, each person has their own methodology for collecting. Some get whatever looks good. Some stick to one railroad or one geographic area or a specific era. Same goes for how one collects. Some go to shows with specific locos or cars in mind. Some go to shows a get whatever catches their eye. Some try to get one or a few examples of each model, but I’ve also seen some get several examples of one model. Some have a small roster and some have over 100 locos.

Personally, I started with mostly PRR, then added other railroads as the collection grew. I tried to stick with NE US roads (Reading, C&O, B&O, D&H, LVRR), but have strayed from that when something caught my eye. I also don’t usually get too many examples of a single model, but I will get a dummy to go with a powered unit.

You mentioned Western Maryland power isn’t easy to find. That surprised me since I seem to see a lot of WM. I would think WM can be found in a number of different models, but maybe not before Christmas.

What scale are you running?


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

John Armstrong once said the the railroads with the most rabid fans were the Pennsylvania, the Western Maryland , and the Great Northern. I came from a town (Edmonds, WA) that had a GN passenger station.


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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Once I picked my railroad I knew I wanted steam and diesels so I picked the best year for my railroad (PRR) that had them both as I want to try and remain as prototypical as I can to 1956. I even found a searchable online database where I can put in the steam engine's roadnumber and if it wasn't scrapped in 1956 and if it's a good deal I buy it!


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

I started buying the engines I had when I was a kid.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

At the end of the day, you're asking us to tell you what your tastes and preferences should be. No one can do that for you.

Personally, I buy what appeals to me, within the era and railroad livery that I'm modeling (New Haven in the mid-1950s). My layout exists in a "what if" history anyway, so I don't worry about whether a specific loco actually WAS in service, as long as it plausibly could have been. And because I know I'm not going ever own hundreds of locos, I prioritize variety over building a "proper" roster.

If you're more dedicated to realism, then stick with what the WM did historically, a large fleet of GP-30's or whatever. You have to do what feels right to you, and what makes your layout suit YOUR needs. There are lots of records out there that will tell you exactly what a railroad's fleet looked like at any given time.

Although it sounds to me like you should learn to repaint and/or renumber locos so you can build a historically accurate fleet.


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

We've, my wife and I, pretty much always just go with what we like or we think has potential for our theme. We browse online, shows, garage sales, anyplace that might have what we'd be interested in.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

AmosxMoses said:


> *Advice on building your roster. How did you start?*


With a huge credit limit on my card!


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

As at least one other stated; the answer changes with the person answering. 
As a teenager I, and my brother, both got into the hobby as a result of Howard Zane. We went straight for PRR and were collecting that road name almost exclusively. Although I developed a fascination with 1980s SP, though never purchased much.
Fast forward several decades; my brother is now modeling a short line subsidiary of the PRR in near rivet-counter fashion with a slant on historical education to his operation. So he collects stuff in a strict manner.
I on the other hand proto-freelance so I can tailor my locomotive roster to my personal preferences. That doesn’t mean I purchase whatever willy nilly though. I model a specific time & place, with actual real life industries represented reasonably close to scale replicas where possible. I will sometimes fudge on freight car build dates and sometimes not.
Some folks are more whimsical & purchase whatever they like.

It comes down to personal preference & what you enjoy. An important thing is that we’re all evolving, ever changing and growing. Consequently a persons interests may change over time. That’s something to file away in the back of one’s mind.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Buy what you like. Keep buying every time you see something that you like. After a while start filling in where you have interesting combinations (you realize you have five Northerns and like Northerns, so, buy all the other types of Northerns that were made - there were only about ten distinctly different design made, its fun to research and track down models). If you like Santa Fe Warbonnet - buy anything you don't have that wears it.

That worked for me. Never started out to have a collection, just locos I like, but very proud of my collection now.


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## Sevenhills1952 (Feb 2, 2021)

Where is OP located? We, or maybe others have things for sale. We have N, HO, and O Lionel we've collected over the years but you'd need either a large van or small box truck to carry everything. Lots new in box.
We're just getting to old, way too many projects. We're in S. Central Va.

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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> With a huge credit limit on my card!


You should amend that to say "with a huge credit limit on my card *that the wife can't track/doesn't know about*!!! 🤪😬🤐


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

afboundguy said:


> You should amend that to say "with a huge credit limit on my card *that the wife can't track/doesn't know about*!!!


I find it best to sneak in a few when I'm doing a project for the wife or that she approved. Hmmm, new floors you say? Ya that high credit card bill was from that! Oh, remember you wanted the kids room repainted... supplies are expensive!

Of course, be sure you destroy our hide the evidence well. New packaging, boxes from shipments etc. Or be prepared for a night or three on the couch. 


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

afboundguy said:


> You should amend that to say "with a huge credit limit on my card *that the wife can't track/doesn't know about*!!! 🤪😬🤐


No problem there, I have one of the good ones.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

AmosxMoses said:


> yes one of the biggest factors that I consider when making a purchase is has those road numbers been photographed in West Virginia. Every engine we have can be found in a photograph (exact road numbers) taken in West Virginia. I know that eventually we will have to abandon this but for now I really enjoy it.


This is a good method to focusing your purchases so they don't "go wild". Sticking to a strict theme really helps limit all sorts of "extra" buying like "Gee that Union Pacific Turbine is kinda neat, but it definitely doesn't fit my Grafton, WV idea. Pass."

There should be enough material out there on sites like railpictures.net and rrpicturearchives.net where you can filter down on things that were seen in WV. Getting things to period-accurate for a specific year (or range of years) is another challenge (which you may or may not be interested in).

If you run out of being able to find specific road numbers shot in WV, I'd definitely open it to same type/series. i.e. you have various Chessie GP30s shot in WV, one Chessie GP30 is pretty much as good as another; these types of things tended to roam the whole railway.

Same with freight cars - that'll be infinitely harder to just match specific road numbers (particularly as less people shoot specific individual cars), but if you see a Conrail boxcar in a photo, you can probably find a model of a similar series. (There's some subtleties, but again, boxcars may vary in external appearance due to different manufacturers, or design changes over time, but be considered _functionally_ identical to the railway. While there are some cars/car types that are specialized and assigned service, to some extent a standard boxcar is a standard boxcar.)

But poring over your collection of train photos in WV and looking at what's actually behind the engines will give you a lot of specific guidance.

I don't necessarily go for "exact road numbers" but will model similar or equivalent cars based on photographic evidence, or lacking specific photos, what is logically and reasonable plausible for the era and location.



AmosxMoses said:


> I guess my question is is there rough outline of roster quantity?


How big is the layout? A small layout that can only run one train doesn't need more than one or two engines at most.

When you start getting into "basement empire" territory... How many trains you intend to run, and how many engines/train become questions. It may take 20-30 engines just to "fill" the layout and get even basic operations covered. But there's a very wide range between those two extremes.

There's also always just collecting whatever you think is cool and stuffing the extra 100 locos that don't fit onto the layout into display cases (some people are like this) but getting really focuses on a specific theme/setting and not buying more than fits on the layout really helps control it.



AmosxMoses said:


> So like a pair of GP7s , an army of GP30s and then start filling in specialty items? Or is it literally what people want/ like. No real plan.


A few things here.

A survey of photos from the proper area/era will help. This shows what was running and you can do some rough proportioning from whats in the photos.

Do some research on the C&O/B&O/WM rosters through books/web sites/historical associations and you can do some breakdowns of the statistical proportions of different types of engines in the fleet, like GP30s make up 15% (totally made up number do not quote) of the total fleet. etc.

However, note what type of service different types of engines are in - an SW1 isn't a mainline engine, and an SD40-2 would have been pretty modern during the Chessie age, so not really used in local or yard service. Various GP* type engines are great for road-switcher service but can also be found on mainline freights. Again this goes back into the photo survey approach.


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## Geno the Viking (Feb 29, 2012)

AmosxMoses said:


> I am looking for advice on how to build a collection. Is there any rhyme or reason to your first purchases when starting a collection? I’ve started a collection for my son loosely based off of Grafton Wv. Every Christmas he gets a new piece. We started with a chessie SD9, and last year he got a CO GP35 and a BO GP30. This year I’m torn between some sort of switcher or a western Maryland piece to compele the 3 railroads that’s made chessie.
> 
> 80s era grafton I could buy gp30s for days but when building a collection is it simply buying what you like or do you look for key pieces to add variety? I’m wondering if people go to shows and implement a plan like today I’m shopping rolling stock, today I’m looking switcher, today I’m looking for power. Any tips?


I started about 5 years ago. I first purchased GN and NP railroad stuff then expanded to anything I liked that was different. 90 percent was done on eBay and I got good deals on everything. All my power units are DCC.


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## 5kidsdad (Nov 28, 2021)

I chose my locos using a few ideas. I plan to model a subdivision of NS that doesn't exist. Knowing older units are common on smaller lines, I went with GP 38's & 40's. I have some Dash 8-40b units also. I like the looks of them & also what was around when growing up. 4 axle units can handle 11 3/4 radius curves better. I don't go over 60 feet in length for rolling stock. I buy what I like as long as it fits in the era I model. Roughly 1980 to 2000. I can run a caboose if I choose. Whether others choose to do what I do is up to them. Lone wolf operator.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I started my collection with a familiar locomotive at the hobby shop then I went to a train show. It was all over with from there till covid came along. Now it’s eBay or hobby shop because the illinois governor won’t allow large events to be permitted so no train shows till covid goes away apparently


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## HD FLATCAR (Feb 21, 2011)

AmosxMoses said:


> yes one of the biggest factors that I consider when making a purchase is has those road numbers been photographed in West Virginia. Every engine we have can be found in a photograph (exact road numbers) taken in West Virginia. I know that eventually we will have to abandon this but for now I really enjoy it.
> 
> I guess what I’m struggling with is what to do next. Western Maryland doesn’t seem to be the easiest to find. Do I get more gp30s?
> 
> I guess my question is is there rough outline of roster quantity? So like a pair of GP7s , an army of GP30s and then start filling in specialty items? Or is it literally what people want/ like. No real plan.


I'm modeling the Bessemer&Lake Erie... 1950s-1960s, so I wanted steam & diesel. The bessemer hauled iron ore south to Pittsburgh, then coal north to Conneaut Harbor, so I needed alot of open hoppers. Also local freight & passenger service north-south... I made a list of types of engines, locomotives, cars & approx. how many... JUST LOOKED FOR GOOD DEALS (alot of used stuff) or what I could afford at the time (new power on sale)... GOOD LUCK IN YOUR ENDEVOUR


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## Blue North (12 mo ago)

Sorry to be late to the thread, but I notice you are basing your collection on Grafton WV, one of the towns I photographed for a Main Street project in 2003 and 2011. Such a great place! Are you modeling that fantastic train station?
To answer your question, I've only been collecting for two months, but I started with two road names that mean something to me because I have ridden them and admired them in my native neck of the woods: Pennsylvania, and Reading Blue Mountain & Northern. The latter is not common (but may become more so) while obviously the former is, so I'll have no trouble finding things to add. Plus, a few oddly attractive items like the Mallard on its way from England right now.


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