Your motive power roster, favorite road, favorite Loco, and worst loco you own

About 6 years ago I decided to focus on New York Central. Before that I was buying many other roadnames. Its a toss up between my USRA Mikados and Mohawks as being my favorites. My least favorite is my 3rd Rail Mercury, not just because its kind of homely but the rods and valve gear are made of cheese or a metallic equivalent and runs poorly. Someday it will get fixed but its way down on the list.

Pete

Don't know if I have a favorite engine, but your right on my 736 for steam.

If I could the EJ&E would be my favorite road but there is next to not much out there of it.

 I have just over 50, some never run and others do and the idea of favorite seems to change as stock rotates. These days for diesel it is my Williams by Bachmann, Black Bonnet Santa Fe Super Chief 2333 F3 A-B-A SET

My worst engine is my DT&I EMD NW-2 1,000 hp Switcher "Detroit, Toledo & Ironton" # 8111 that I have spent tons of time and effort on, way more than the value of it and it just keeps on breaking

If forced to pick one Railroad it would be SP,my favorite loco would be SP Cab Forwards.

Mikey

As my sig line says:  Frisco, MoPac, T&P.

Scale Roster:

Frisco #4100 2-8-2, #719 4-6-0

MoPac #1310 2-8-2

T&P #729 4-8-2

Semi-Scale Roster:

MoPac #1125 (repainted, relettered, & redetailed modern-era 726 Berk)

I also have a number of 027 engines, mostly Alco FAs, mostly from childhood or earlier stages of collecting.

I guess most esoteric (not really very much) is my #41 Army Turbine switcher (which is really a pretty good model of the real one).  My brothers got it when they were kids.

I don't really have a worst.

All my motive power is Lionel.

My favorite Lionel engine is the 224E from pre war time, it still runs very well.

My worst engine from the post war time is the Lionel 235 scout engine, kept breaking down with the original motor assembly. Replaced it with a newer motor that was DC from the 1980's.

My other favorite engines are Williams diesel engines from the Crown Edition era. I replaced the circuit boards with bridge rectifiers on 3 Williams engines because they didn't do what I wanted and that was to start in forward every time.

Lee Fritz

I have "only" a dozen engines, all CP except a couple of CN units managed to sneak in while I wasn't looking.

The thing that frustrates me is that four of the 12 required repairs "out-of-the-box." All were bought new . . . except one.

None are "dead" now. But several have what I'd charitably characterize as "eccentricities."

Favourite? Right now my Legacy CN F3 A-A, despite the green colour being decidedly "off" from the prototype. Very much looking forward to 3-rd Rail E8s to be delivered this spring.

Worst? My 3-rd Rail CP D-10. Chuffing is so irregular I don't run it anymore.

I have 32 Rail King locomotives, and most of them are steam engines. Of my steam engines, I cannot single one out as my favorite, but the worst is a Southern Pacific AC12 Cab Forward. The AC12 has an excessive overhang on curves, so there is a mainline branch it cannot run on because it wipes out a trestle and a lot of scenery.

I fancy Mallets, Camelbacks, Hudsons, Pacifics and Consolidations.

My favorite road is the Long Island Rail Road.

If I were modeling the Texas and Pacific yards of today which are now Union Pacific, here in Ft. Worth, it would not be the unusual to see CN locos. I understand from a UP engineer that the crews like the Canadian locos as they have more amenities re crew comfort. We also have many Norfolk Southern, and a few Ferromex engines and GATX and other lease engines.

N&W Steam, w/o quantity or specificity..

A, E, J, K, M, S, T, W, Y

I have no favorite railroad. I generally stick to local stuff - B&O, CSX, Chessie, Pennsy. I've been buying more of what I like. I enjoy the Postwar products, have one large N&W Articulated steam engine and other pieces.  I have a small assortment of Long Island Rail Road pieces as I have a deep interest in the LIRR's development of eastern LI towns, particularly the Hamptons at the turn of the century. The fact that I spend what little "free time" I have out in the Hamptons adds to this!

I have 23 O Gauge engines at the moment. I like them all. If I didn't, I wouldn't have bought them. I don't think I'll be getting many more (sound familiar?) as I have all I could ever want and little desire to run them. I enjoy looking at them on display. While the big steam is cool (and I have it), I tend to prefer small switchers. They look better on my layout.

My PS3 GG1 has always been problematic. New boards, new motor, etc, etc, etc. Then again, I've found a good bit of the new PS3 products to be a little "flaky".......

I'd have to say that my favorite engine is my post-war Lionel N&W 746 Class J Northern.  I also have LTI's 612 version.  All of my other engines come in a close second.  My favorite railroad is a toss up between the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad.  My least favorite engine and by far the most problematic is my Lionel 785 Grey Hudson.  Its a terrible runner and puller and its sounds like a broken coffee grinder as it circles my layout.  Trouble is , I think its a great looking engine with its open spoked drivers. 

You can make that two pikers, I lost count, but it's somewhere in the low 20s for engines.

My main and favorite road is BNSF. However, I have a couple of other engines in different road names. Right now I think my favorite engine is a Railking Scale PS3 Interstate RS-3 from a couple of years ago. I like the sound in it and the color scheme is nice too.

I'll post my top 3 favorites.....you can guess.......

And you like your coffee, eh!

I tend to lean more toward modeling CB&Q, and one of my favorite CB&Q steam locomotive models is the Sunset/3rd Rail M-4a 2-10-4 with the Elesco Feedwater system. A few other of my "favorite" steam locomotive models would be: Sunset/3rd Rail Northern Pacific Z-8 Challenger, MTH UP 9000 4-12-2, Sunset/3rd Rail "Super Hudson" with roller bearing rods and Worthington Feedwater system, Sunset/3rd Rail SP GS-4 in black without shirts, and finally Sunset/3rd Rail CB&Q Hudson #4001.

I have no "worst" models. 

I only have 21 O-gauge locos and most are Williams. In O-gauge, I have Union Pacific in scale size and Pennsy in semi-scale. With only two roads and each with it's own purpose, I can't really pick a favorite road. As far as a favorite loco, that is tough. I would have to say my Williams E7's are probably my favorites if I had to pick just one. They look great and because all three are powered I can pull a lot of scale passenger cars with them. They are very impressive in action.

My worst loco was a Lionel RS-3 that was from an entry level train set. I did some customizing to it and I really liked it, but it couldn't pull more than a few cars on level track because it was so light. I sold it a few years ago. After I got rid of the RS-3, my RailKing NW-9 quit working. It became my new worst loco. A Williams reverse board, TBII board, some dummy couplers and it's all good now. Since the RS is gone and the NW is fixed, I don't have a "worst" loco anymore.

I have an Atlas O 0-6-0 switcher which is my favorite because of the detail. 

2nd is the Lionel SD70ACE Union Pacific  

3rd is a TMCC EP-5 because you really have to pay attention when running it because of the pullmor motor. The kids like it the best as well because they think it's the "fastest."

One constraint I put on my engines is that they must be able to handle O36 curves. I have a lot of them along with O60 and it helps me to keep my layout size and engine purchases from spiraling out of control. 

My roster of Penn Central locos.

Since this photo was taken I have added an Atlas Trainman U23B in PC paint.  Have a Lionel SD45 on the way.

I also have several locos in PRR paint as well as an AC&Y H16-44

I have no favorite or worst loco.  All have a purpose and I run them all.

Tom

My Favorite Railroad would be Union Pacific, with a Strong secondary interest in Southern Pacific, and Weyerhaeuser in Logging equipment .

 My Favorite real locomotive would be the UP Late Challengers, I have several in the Lionel Lionmaster line, but no scale size Challenger models as yet.

My Favorite model Locomotive would be a tie between Lionel's scale UP version of the C&O H7, and the Lionel Scale size SP AC9. The Lionel Hudson Jr. in Union Pacific, will always have a Special place in my Heart, as it was THE  locomotive that got me started in 3Rail O Gauge after more than 35 years in HO.

MY WORST was a 736, that was one of the few locomotives that I ever regretted buying, and was glad to sell it, even at a bit of a loss.

Doug

Man, to pick a favorite would be tough.

The 2009 Lionel Legacy FEF-3 is one of them.  Great locomotive.  A small correction to the side rods and I'm thrilled with it.

VL Challenger-another winner.

3rd Rail-UP Mikado and Fetter's Challenger.  Only versions produced in 3R.

2R Favorites-Precision Scale Company 2-8-8-0 Bull Moose. Stunning models and beautiful runners.

One more-OMI 2R FEF-1. Love it!

Favorite road? Whatever one is on the tender of the engine I am running currently.

Favorite engine? Probably my grandad's 685 4-6-4. Somewhere in my repair work I slowed it down, so it crawls when other engines fly.

Worst engine? My great uncle's 2243 ATSF A-B combination, as they spend more time with broken wires than running. Temporarily a shelf queen for that reason.

Roster is the 8380 Lionel Lines SD28, 610 Erie NW-2, 2243 ATSF A-B F-3's, 999 NYC 2-4-2, 685 Lionel Lines 4-6-4, 8802 SAL 0-4-0, 8902 ATSF 2-4-0 (unpowered), 495 Marlines 2-4-0, 999 NYC 0-4-2, 258 2-4-2, and the Hogwarts Express engine. All see some use.

My MTH Trainmaster Demonstrator are my favorite , until I can find a Lionel pair at a decent price ...

I am a Fairbanks Morse diesel guy ... 

main Railroads are

Illinois Central steam and diesel  , up,thru the end of the Green Diamond era 

N&W steam and , N&W Fairbanks Morse diesels , after the mergers 

For me it would be the PRR and particularly K4's.  Overall, I probably have 125-150 locos from Lionel, MTH, American Flyer, Marx, Scale Craft, Marklin, Athearn and a few others probably in scales ho, oo, S, O, and Standard.  Oldest is a 1915-23 Lionel 154 and newest is a Lionel 11319 Legacy K4s.  Frankly, I have too many stinking trains for the space I have to play in.....That does not seem to stop me though.. Below are Lionel, Scale-Craft, and Williams brass K4's

Current favorite is my Lionel Legacy DD35A in NYC paint (I know it never existed, but I like it)

I'll say my least favorite is my tmcc NYC Alco PA... Some days I like it others... Meh. I will admit it has never given me a problem though. :/