Rolling Stock - What is a sensible roster?

[dunnyrail]

I have been busy today (between making arrangements for some purchases) sorting out some paper work that I printed off the Internet back in my early days of using the beast, but also more importatntly when someone else was paying the bill for the printouts. Now most of the the paper is heading Recycle wise. However some is going to a luddite mate who wont buy a computer, but who is interested in USA Short Lines.

What is this to do with rolling stock purchases for USA lines? Also much of the List would work pretty well much the same in Europe for a general carrier railway. So where does this match with the heading?

Well the paper work was being read by self whilst enjoying a pint and I thought that the roster (stock list) of a particular line had much relevance to what most of us are trying to do in our gardens. I know that we all buy too much, but for any beginners out there a PLAN may be of help if it is followed and looked at with a relevance to what the real thing did,

The line that interested me (and I hope some of you) was a 5 mile line the "West Virginia Midland Railway". This was an impoverished line that connected with the Baltimore and Ohio at Holly junction. Link to site:-

http://www.taplines.net/January/wvmid1.htm

The key part that interested me and makes a GOOD stock list for a Garden railway was the list of stock available to the line on their last listing in 1931. This comprised of:-
4 Locomotives
3 Passenger Cars
1 Combination car
1 baggage and Express Car
10 Box Cars
4 Flat Cars
10 Coal cars (Opens)
2 Cabooses
2 Company service Cars
52 Logging cars (these could easily be ignored)

Now with the exception of the logging cars, that is a fairly comprehensive, but not massively onerous stock list. particularly if you start to build things up in the Proportion of those numbers (say 1 locomotive and build in Quarters).

Hope that some of you find this of interest, if you go to the main site of the Webb link, you will find many more interesting histories.

http://www.taplines.net/

JonD

 

[Gizzy]

I guess the stock roster is dependant on the local commodities that the railway was built to transport.

A large coal field would generate the traffic for that particular industry and an appropriate loco and stock roster would be required.

My own railway is the Logging, Gravel and Brickworks Railway, and has 2 V52 locos, a V14 and a V10 for the main loco fleet.

The wagons used are 5 flat stake wagons, 5 hopper wagons, and 7 low sided wagons. A couple of high sided bogie wagons and 3 vans are availble for other goods. There are plans to obtain some bogie flats for longer logs this year.

Passenger services at weekends are run by a preservation society using 3 old time 4 wheeled coaches and a luggage/bicycle/wheelchair van, hauled by a Stainz. They also have a Spremberger and a tram on their charge.

Weekday passenger services have recently started using a V52 and 2 bogie coaches. Other stock may be purchased as the management seeks new business opportunities for the railway....

 

[Dtsteam]

I've used the same principle but a different approach. The strassenbahn (and its two predecessors) use 2 'mainline' trains - usually a freight and a passenger, a branch train, two railcars/interurbans/secondaries, one tram & one works train. The idea is to build these trains in Swiss, DR, US, IOM & Classic LGB. A big ask. I've been at it for thirty years, and have completed about 75% of the current plan. There have been a few unwise purchases along the way, and most of the last 25% will have to be built, but thats all part of the fun. Its tempting to get sidetracked when you see something cool, and I'm quite pragmatic about the remainder of the stock plan. It just keeps me on track, so to speak.

 

[djacobsen]

For an American short line,
depending on the era & area you are modeling,
you might might consider adding to your roster:

Tank cars
Stock/Cattle cars
Refrigerated cars/reefers

All the above were used on short lines.
Some shuttled off of main lines for local
deliveries, or picked up by main lines
for delivery to distant markets.

 

[Zman]

Rolling Stock - What is a sensible roster?

Dunno, I'm a middle-aged (and a bit) bloke playing with trains, what's sensible about that!

 

[Steveford666]

I am mix and matching my stuff. Freight and passenger cars on the one train.

 

[chris m01]

Never never have a sensible roster. Its good to have the right type of wagons and coaches but always go for far more locos then you need to run a railway.

 

[KeithT]

Rolling Stock - What is a sensible roster?

Dunno, I'm a middle-aged (and a bit) bloke playing with trains, what's sensible about that!

Fair question.

 

[KeithT]

It is a good question

I started off less than 3yrs ago with limited intentions for "something" branch line and "something" mainline.
Last week I rearranged the locos on the shelves to make them more accessible and realised that I have 25 locos and one 0-4-0 motor block.
Things have got somewhat out of hand!
A reappraisal is called for.

 

[C&S]

What's a sensible roster? Good question - how long's your bit of string?

Personally, I'm trying to model a rural US-style short-line with a main line and branch (so there are 3 hidden staging tracks, plus a modelled main station and a junction) Total in-view siding capacity is 17 cars, though for ease of working the yards would normally be at about 50% capacity, and of course there's off-track storage in the fidle yards. To provide one to two trains on each route daily plus a week-day mine run and logging train (fulls and empties) takes about 25-30 items of stock, so as to avoid using any freight car more than once daily. Trains are limited to three cars plus caboose maximum, but can be shorter.

Breaking down the total by car types seems to indicate I'll need 6-8 boxcars, 2-3 reefers, 3 gondolas,
2 flats (general use) + 3 flats (logging), 1 tank, 1 stock-car, 5-6 mining hoppers, 3 freight cabooses, 2 combines. Rather more than I'd anticipated, in fact.

Locos - Three and a switcher/spare are a minumum; if Extras are included in the timetable another loco may be needed.

 

[Zman]

It is a good question

I started off less than 3yrs ago with limited intentions for "something" branch line and "something" mainline.
Last week I rearranged the locos on the shelves to make them more accessible and realised that I have 25 locos and one 0-4-0 motor block.
Things have got somewhat out of hand!
A reappraisal is called for.

It is Keith, 25 is neither here nor there, either buy five more to make thirty

or there's at least five you could give me to make it twenty !

 

[Steveford666]

It is a good question

I started off less than 3yrs ago with limited intentions for "something" branch line and "something" mainline.
Last week I rearranged the locos on the shelves to make them more accessible and realised that I have 25 locos and one 0-4-0 motor block.
Things have got somewhat out of hand!
A reappraisal is called for.

Cripes! You have more locos than National Express East Anglia!

 

[stevedenver]

well i play trains

i dont have car orders, or protoypical operatoins

and i have more than i need -just stuff i like

but 

one thing i have learned is that most of us have much more in the way of rolling stock and engines than is needed to enjoy simple operations-

it really doesnt take much to have great operation IMHO-one might love impressive yards and engine facilities -but thats another thing entirely

looking at early colorado railroads -like the co central -a 3 passenger- 2 mail- 1 baggage
a few flats and boxes, a few gondolas and a few locos-NO cabooses no stock cars no tank cars 

i once saw, perhaps 30 years ago,  an absolutley amazing HO ng display (with SOUND !) that had 3 passenger cars and 5 freight at a single small depot located in alpine like mountains  

-2 locos and i stood and watched it for several hours as trains arrived and departed and consists were changed and the locos proceeded to wind up and in and out of the mountain (floor to about 8 ft tall-free standing and 360 degree walk around

simple is good 
do what you like

reasonable-dont ask me

 

[Spule 4]

Interesting.

I always had a fondness for the WAG. The per-diem cars were interesting, would have been nuts if all had to "come home"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37908073@N04/3776663574/

Would have more than filled their meger yards!

But then this is not the norm?

Norm for the big boys was about 3 or 4 to one open Vs. closed cars.

Gons...more gons. Flats. Then think boxcars.

So it goes.....

 

[3Valve]

A sensible roster is as much as I can get past SWMBO

 

[Zman]

A sensible roster is as much as I can get past SWMBO

 

[djacobsen]

Rolling stock roster for
the narrow guage portion
of the D & RGW for 1939...

Locomotives 58

Passenger cars:
coach 39
combine 10
baggage/mail 19
other 10

Freight cars:
box car 742
stock car 446
reefer 66
gondola 1359
flat 52
caboose 25

 

[Spule 4]

Yup, look at the numbers of open to closed....so it goes?

 

[Rod Fearnley]

Sensible?? Not me. I've got a few freight cars of whatever takes my fancy, about 24. The only nod I make towards Passenger trains are two Budd RDC's.
Rod

 

[minimans]

I think the original post was about a specific railway but hey don't ask me I have absolutley no self control.........................

Just ask my wife..................