Author Topic: Dealing with Roadnumbers  (Read 3341 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

CSXBaltimore

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 68
  • Respect: +16
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #15 on: July 06, 2020, 11:58:05 AM »
0


Over the years I've accumulated a stock of leftover decals.  In the case of my WM hopper fleet, I went ahead and ordered some custom decals that gave me updated reporting marks and numbers, so there was no fiddling with cutting out individual digits.  I just matched the font and size as closely as practical for the old Roundhouse hoppers, referencing the roster to make sure the numbers were reasonably accurate.


Thats a great idea. I didn't even think ordering custom decal sheets was a possibility.  Very cool as long as I can pull the old number off without making a mess of things :)

J

NorsemanJack

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 257
  • Respect: +32
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2020, 08:52:33 PM »
+1
I always used the tried and true (and free and effortless) strategy of just not worrying about it.  This is N scale.  Other than close up photos, does anybody ever even look at car numbers?  I'll bet you $50 that I could run a unit train at a show with 100 cars, all the same number, and nobody would ever notice. 

peteski

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 31687
  • Gender: Male
  • Honorary Resident Curmudgeon
  • Respect: +4530
    • Coming (not so) soon...
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2020, 09:04:37 PM »
0
I always used the tried and true (and free and effortless) strategy of just not worrying about it.  This is N scale.  Other than close up photos, does anybody ever even look at car numbers?  I'll bet you $50 that I could run a unit train at a show with 100 cars, all the same number, and nobody would ever notice.

COuple of decades ago, during model train shows where my local NTRAK club had our layout setup, there was a guy with a notebook and pencil who would carefully take down all the road numbers on our long trains.  He would notice the duplicates for sure.  Back then, some members ran 100-car coal or grain hopper unit trains, and he would let us know that he found duplicate numbers! I haven't seen him for years, but the memory remains.
. . . 42 . . .

nkalanaga

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 9624
  • Respect: +1315
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2020, 01:51:38 AM »
0
That guy had too much time on his hands.  He needed to get outside and railfan a real railroad!
N Kalanaga
Be well

peteski

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 31687
  • Gender: Male
  • Honorary Resident Curmudgeon
  • Respect: +4530
    • Coming (not so) soon...
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2020, 04:12:32 AM »
0
That guy had too much time on his hands.  He needed to get outside and railfan a real railroad!

I think being a rivet-counter (well, road number examiner) was probably his hobby.  He was an odd duck.
. . . 42 . . .

randgust

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 2544
  • Respect: +2012
    • Randgust N Scale Kits
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2020, 09:36:11 AM »
0
On a small-medium sized layout, this really only comes into play when you've got multiple car types / unit trains.

I've been careful to have cars that are in actual switching operations have unique reporting marks, but the 'run through' car blocks that are about 60% of my car fleet I could care less.   That includes the covered grain hoppers, piggybacks, etc.   About half of my cars in switching were custom painted by me anyway so the car numbers were put on with decals.

When I did the YK unit train of Roundhouse Thrall hoppers, I had custom decals made for the Ga-52 series, and individually painted and numbered all 35 cars.  Yikes. 

I think it's a lot more noticeable on a true 'unit train' where suddenly you realize every car has the same number and they are adjacent.   But spotting two same-numbered boxcars in a fleet of about 250 cars, right.....

I do have all cabooses, locomotives, etc. with unique numbers, they are mostly all custom painted anyway.

DeltaBravo

  • The Pitt
  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 637
  • Gender: Male
  • Respect: +189
    • N-Scale and other interest
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #21 on: July 09, 2020, 04:49:26 PM »
0
Before you get too far, start a spreadsheet with all your cars including reporting marks, car number, type and notes (for paint schemes, loads and other odds and ends). I have about 1600 cars now and keeping track of the car numbers can be rather difficult.

I do end up with duplicate numbers. I may not have my spreadsheet handy during an impulse buy, or I may have just needed several cars of a certain type and the manufacturer didn't provide enough car numbers. Your auto racks are a perfect example of the latter.



I can tell you the spreadsheet will work. But if your going to shows or want to track locomotive use and maintenance I use an application called EverNote. It is an app for both IOS and Android. I also have a desktop version and there is a web version. This gives you a lot of flexibility. This app has terrific search and tagging.  Below is a screenshot of a typical page in my application. I have a photo for every piece of rolling stock and locomotive I own. I even track the stock I sell or trade in an effort not to repurchase. 

David B.
 
Member WMRHS

https://undara.wordpress.com/


EL3632

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 251
  • I like ALCOs.
  • Respect: +186
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #22 on: July 10, 2020, 04:14:38 PM »
0
I can tell you the spreadsheet will work.

I can as well. I use a Google Sheet for my Locomotives and Rolling Stock rosters, and keep them as up-to-date as possible with the fleet. I use Google Sheets so I have access to the rosters on my phone when I do not have access to my computer.
I have them arranged in this way:
Locomotives-By Railroad, then in numerical order.
Rolling Stock-By storage location (car case box), then by alphabetical order of reporting marks, with numerical order for multiple cars with the same reporting mark.
I also keep a totals page, to keep track of the fleet in terms of what needs what, and to keep tabs on the fleet. Also helps me remember, "What is this one again?" and if I don't remember it, consider selling it.
In terms of duplicate road numbers, I have two locos of 495 that are duplicates. They are from a friend's estate and I haven't gotten around to messing with them yet, and keeping one set and selling the other. For rolling stock, the repeating numbers are far more common. Out of 1,005 currently cataloged pieces, I have 32 of a Delaware Lackawanna & Western hopper car, number 82209, another 10 of road number 83321, and another 9 of 85177. Those are the most common repeats in the fleet. There are more, but are repeated no more than twice usually. If there is a repeat, I usually try to get rid of it, after all, 1,005 cars is a lot, but for that specific train (a unit coal train), it makes sense to have repeats, though 32 is probably a bit much...
Modeling the Erie Lackawanna and Delaware & Hudson in 1975, and Conrail and the Delaware & Hudson in 1981.

I want an N Scale GE U33/34/36C!

NorsemanJack

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 257
  • Respect: +32
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #23 on: July 10, 2020, 08:42:56 PM »
0
COuple of decades ago, during model train shows where my local NTRAK club had our layout setup, there was a guy with a notebook and pencil who would carefully take down all the road numbers on our long trains.  He would notice the duplicates for sure.  Back then, some members ran 100-car coal or grain hopper unit trains, and he would let us know that he found duplicate numbers! I haven't seen him for years, but the memory remains.

That's funny.  He must have been a very quick writer.

nkalanaga

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 9624
  • Respect: +1315
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #24 on: July 11, 2020, 02:15:43 AM »
0
And had good eyesight.  I can read N scale numbers, but not in a moving train, at train show distances.
N Kalanaga
Be well

peteski

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 31687
  • Gender: Male
  • Honorary Resident Curmudgeon
  • Respect: +4530
    • Coming (not so) soon...
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #25 on: July 11, 2020, 10:00:12 PM »
0
And had good eyesight.  I can read N scale numbers, but not in a moving train, at train show distances.

Well, when an adult bends over the rope in the stanchions around the NTRAK layout, he can get within a foot or two of the trains.  And in some areas (like our yard) we have no stanchions, so the spectators can get right to the module edge.

I has been many years ago, but as I remember him, he was in this 50s back then and wore glasses.  a 100 car hopper car does nto travel very fast on the layout, so there is plenty of time to read off the numbers.  Like I mentioned, I think his hobby was recording road numbers of the cars on the show's layouts.  he was an odd duck, but harmless.
. . . 42 . . .

nkalanaga

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 9624
  • Respect: +1315
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #26 on: July 12, 2020, 12:45:01 AM »
0
"an odd duck, but harmless" probably describes many of us, in the eyes of the general public.
N Kalanaga
Be well

Maletrain

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 3396
  • Respect: +559
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #27 on: July 12, 2020, 10:07:31 AM »
0
Maybe he was trying to figure out if you had some numbers he didn't already have for his own long trains?  It's darn hard to make even a coal drag that has 100 decent cars from the same era without duplicating numbers. My 12-car "cut" of MTL 40' stock cars has only 2 numbers for reporting marks.

peteski

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 31687
  • Gender: Male
  • Honorary Resident Curmudgeon
  • Respect: +4530
    • Coming (not so) soon...
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #28 on: July 12, 2020, 02:11:30 PM »
0
Maybe he was trying to figure out if you had some numbers he didn't already have for his own long trains?  It's darn hard to make even a coal drag that has 100 decent cars from the same era without duplicating numbers. My 12-car "cut" of MTL 40' stock cars has only 2 numbers for reporting marks.

Guys, that was no big deal.  I just mentioned this anecdote because it seemed topical.  This guy was just a spectator at the local train shows.  Not a typical model railroader. He was just different.  For all we knew, he didn't even own any model trains.   He would just make notes in his notebook and occasionally engage the NTRAK club members to let us know he found some some road number discrepancies.  I believe he did the same thing on other display layouts (in all scales) at the show.  Maybe he was one of the people who watch the 1:1 scale trains and records all the road numbers in each passing train.  Some people are obsessed with numbers - he seemed to be one of those. 
. . . 42 . . .

sd45elect2000

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 1089
  • Respect: +452
Re: Dealing with Roadnumbers
« Reply #29 on: July 12, 2020, 09:25:26 PM »
0
On a small-medium sized layout, this really only comes into play when you've got multiple car types / unit trains.

I've been careful to have cars that are in actual switching operations have unique reporting marks, but the 'run through' car blocks that are about 60% of my car fleet I could care less.   That includes the covered grain hoppers, piggybacks, etc.   About half of my cars in switching were custom painted by me anyway so the car numbers were put on with decals.

When I did the YK unit train of Roundhouse Thrall hoppers, I had custom decals made for the Ga-52 series, and individually painted and numbered all 35 cars.  Yikes. 

I think it's a lot more noticeable on a true 'unit train' where suddenly you realize every car has the same number and they are adjacent.   But spotting two same-numbered boxcars in a fleet of about 250 cars, right.....

I do have all cabooses, locomotives, etc. with unique numbers, they are mostly all custom painted anyway.

Good god, i just finished painting and lettering 125 Atlas iron ore cars for the Milwaukee. All unique numbers. I used K4 decals, Tru color paint, Hay brothers loads and various Floquil paint for weathering. Now I am slowly gathering Shapeways coupler pockets, micro trains scale couplers, ESM wheel sets and MT trucks without couplers.
Not too many months ago I was looking at my spreadsheet and discovered that with a collection of 3000 or so cars I did not have a single ore car. As luck would have it a seller on E Bay was selling a large quantity of undecorated ore cars, I snapped up as many as I could. Turns out I bought a total of 125 of them.

Now I have a hundred or so spare decals for taconite cars. I used only the lettering and the numbers for the natural ore cars.
Fine n scale makes taconite extensions to fit the Atlas car so I bought a small group of them about 20 and here and there I bid on the Atlas cars. I can’t stand the thought of those decals going to waste.