An analysis of my freight equipment, by manufacturer

[bbussey]

Sure, why not? 

Here are my full New Haven era "active fleet" numbers, with the extensively-kitbashed models broken out separately:

62  ATL
48  KD/MTL
46  IM
15  ATH
13  RC
10  ESM
9  Kitbashed
6  BOW
5  CC
4  BM, TWX
3  BLU, RO, TX
2  BLMA, DI, FVM, GHQ, MP, PRB, PS, RH
1  FNS, KATO, LL, TCAT, WBM, Scratchbuilt

253 total

And here are my full Conrail-era numbers:

54  ATL
38  KD/MTL
20  RC, TWX
15  ATH
13  EXR
11  Kitbashed
10  BLMA
8  ESM
7  FVM, IM, RO
5  BLU
3  TX
2  CC, DI, OVR, TLT, WOT
1  KATO, LL, Platinum Line, RR, SPF, Scratchbuilt

234 total

And just for grins and giggles, here are my HOME ROAD numbers:

New Haven:

22  IM
14  ATL
11 KD/MTL
6  RC
5  ESM
3  Kitbashed
2  GHQ, MP
1  ATH, BM, WBM

67 total

Conrail:

14  ATL
5  BLU
4  RO
3  KD/MTL
2  BLMA, ESM
1  ATH, LL, OVR, SPF, TWX

35 total

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have to recheck my inventory. I have about 1200 cars total, but even the active fleets (weathered, MTL couplers) needs upgrading to metal wheels and body mounts. In a sense, I have no true active cars.

I use a lot of Atlas, IM, FVM. Athearn and Trainworx have been making huge gains with their covered hoppers. MTL is also well supported.

I wish companies like BLMA and Blueford made more cars that would fit my era and location. Both have somewhat of a western/Midwest bias.

[jagged ben]

I need to update my spreadsheets.  Badly.

Do containers and trailers count as freight equipment?   

[bbussey]

Most of my active fleets still need weathering, but practically everything has body-mounted couplers, metal wheels and scale ride height.  And, all cabooses have retaining springs on an axle to lessen the coupler oscillation.

Ben, I actually do log trailers and containers (and container chassis) as separate items in my database, even if the container and chassis are permanently linked (such as my Chiquita fruit mural refrigerator mounted on fuel-tank-equipped chassis), because I log everything by reporting marks.

[OldEastRR]

What ratio of NH (incl FGE)  to foreign road cars do you consider prototypical for a NH layout?

[bbussey]

What ratio of NH (incl FGE)  to foreign road cars do you consider prototypical for a NH layout?

For mid-1950s New Haven, I'm trying to get my 300-car fleet to roughly these ratios:

	NH	PRR	Direct	Indirect	Other	*totals*
Boxcars	65	20	23	17	10	135
Open Hoppers	12	13	18	5	1	49
Flatcars	10	5	2	2	0	19
Gondolas	2	9	9	3	3	26
Covered Hoppers	4	2	5	2	2	15
Reefers	1	0	10	9	3	23
Tankcars	0	0	0	0	11	11
Stockcars	0	1	1	0	0	2
Non-Revenue	20	0	0	0	0	20
*totals*	114	50	68	38	30	300

On any Class I railroad, at least 1/3 of the freight fleet should be from the home road.  In this case, Pennsy handed off a ton of freight traffic onto NH in Queens and had a presence half as large as the home road.  "Direct" is Direct Interchange and are roads NH immediately interchanged with, in Bronx and New London and Maybrook and throughout Massachusetts.  FGE is included in the Reefer Direct Interchange total.  "Indirect" are roads that interchanged with NH direct-interchange partners and pushed a large amount of equipment onto NH rails, such as the B&O.  "Other" covers remaining roads not in the first four categories, such as ATSF, SP and CNW for example.  I don't know if I will match these numbers exactly, because it is tough to do (every time any new model is added, an existing one may have to be booted based on road and type) but the totals by railroads and equipment type will be close.  TOFCs (40'-53') are included in the flatcar numbers.  Milk reefers are considered passenger (or specialized) equipment and are not.  Work/wire train equipment including assigned flats and gons along with scale cars are considered non-revenue, as are the cabooses.

[lock4244]

I wish companies like BLMA and Blueford made more cars that would fit my era and location. Both have somewhat of a western/Midwest bias.

Heh, I wish I had the will to resist buying cars I have to make a stretch to justify 

[lock4244]

How is it that I have more ESMC cars than Mr ESMC himself?

[wcfn100]

On any Class I railroad the NH or other roads I know about, at least 1/3 of the freight fleet should be from the home road.

Fixed that for you.   

As much as I love to get into the numbers on this, there is a bigger reality people should get a handle on.  On your list (which I would call a modest roster at 300 cars) you have 65 NH box cars, which is probably very reasonable.  But what chance does a normal modeler stand modeling 65 different (insert home road here) box cars? For my CGW, I figured I needed about 20 'X29' box cars.  I don't care if it's prototypical, I'm probably not doing it.  I'm going of sacrifice a few of those for other, more interesting projects like having a couple extra FDDM&S and MNS cars or I got my eye on a DUPX hopper that's way down in the .05% but I want it.  Also, there should be room for some of the new cars that manufacturers are coming out with.  In the case of ESM, I didn't need the CBQ car, but it's too nice of a car that fits into my era to pass up.  Maybe when I'm done scratch building the 30-40 cars that no one is ever going to make,  I can retire the ESM one, but until then, there's plenty of room for it.

What I will agree on is that home road should be majority for the most part (if we're talking general road operations between division points), but that majority could be as low as the 10% range if that's what the modeling reality allows for and still be effective and prototypical depending on railroad.

Oh, and I think you need more tank cars. 

Jason

[bbussey]

For my road and my era, the ratios are good.  I will acquiesce on the "any Class I railroad" proclamation.  But for most of the major northeast roads that I know of, the 1/3 ratio for mid-20th century holds up.

No, tank cars were few and far between on the road during that time.  I already have way too many, but I had to make some adjustments to have certain models included.  Technically, there shouldn't be any stock cars.  But I have two now (IM's ATSF and MTL's NYC) and probably will have three by this time next year (BLI's PRR).  The models are accurate to a specific prototype, and I like to support those efforts by manufacturers.  I've currently got additional "numbers problems" in other areas also that are only going to get tougher in the months ahead as new products are announced/released.

As far as the X58 in my CR circa-1980 era, there is a small presence.  But remember — I know what's coming in future releases, so certain "holes" will be filled as new X58 schemes are released.

Regarding ESM products:  There aren't many ESM releases (ironically) that fit within my NH and CR time periods.  The XIH fits in the NH era, but there were only 550 built in total, with only 100 owned by NH.  I already have twice as many as I should with 7 cars (2 BAR, 5 NH).  It should be 2 BAR, 1 NH, but that is one of the exceptions, and it helps cut into the large AAR boxcar requirement which still is around 20 cars.  Two PRR ck G26 gons and one LV G26 gon, and that's it.  I will get to add one D&H well car and one MEC low-side gon whenever they arrive. 

Keep in mind that I have at least one of everything ESM has produced.  This is strictly in reference to equipment for operation purposes.  All of these ESM models have been upgraded with metal wheels, and the seven XIH cars ride on ASF A-3 trucks (the TWX version, as it has the same offset bolster hole and high profile as the MTL trucks that the model was designed for).

[Specter3]

Bryan

Since you list numbers for your fleet I will ask this. Is your total fleet size based on something? Are you restricting yourself for a specific reason to 300 cars?

[bbussey]

A fleet of 300 is what the layout will comfortably support when the layout is completed.

[wcfn100]

I'm glad this thread popped up again, I wanted to add a couple thoughts.

Like most things in modeling, rosters don't scale down well.  The bulk of this can come from not being able to run scale length trains.  In my case, the CGW averaged 100 cars trains through Waterloo which, of course, isn't likely to happen on any layout I build.  The secondary reason is that our rosters are so tiny compared to the prototype.

Here are three examples of how the best laid plans can get easily busted in a reduced roster.

First would be certain road names.  In this case, TLDX.  In my train lists, I have 6 movements (in one month) of these 4427 hoppers.  And these are nice because they ran both directions, one empty and one with wheat.  Add to that, Exactrail made these exact cars and they're a good car for a mid-late 60's modeler.  Most of these were in blocks so I have 4-5 of them.  But in the reality of a 300 car roster, I should only have 1. 

Second would car styles.  In this case Stock cars.  I have listings for sheep movements using both ATSF and CGW cars.  Of course I'll want the CGW cars, but again, Intermountain made the exact ATSF cars so I have 4.  I figure I'll make 3 CGW cars whenever I get around to the XM-1 box car project.  So there's 7 Stock cars where I only need 3.

Finally are just the home road cars I want to build or have.  I can easily come up with 15 cars that I don't need but will eventually want to have.  Add to that, MOW and house or company cars, it starts to add up.  Also, like the BLMA 4000ps,  I need one, but have three.  I can ultimately lose one, but that still leaves one to take the place of some other car.  Another one is CGW gondolas.  I need one, but being an open car, I want one with a scrap load and one empty.

There are a bunch of situations like this which by themselves aren't much, but together can mean 30-40 (or more?) out of 300 cars that don't fit into the 'numbers'. Ultimately I think 40' home road box cars take the biggest hit (for a 60's era roster) which is okay because  modeling 40+ home road box cars just doesn't seem like a good use of resources in the bigger modeling picture for multiple reasons.

To Bryan's point about  tank cars on the NH.  I'm sure the 11 he's set out will work fine, but then there's pictures like this where 11 won't even do one trains' worth.



Apparently, these are loaded with fuel for Otis AFB. So here's another modelers choice situation.  11 may be right enough, but you have proof to run more.

I don't know that there's a point in all of this, it's just some things I've run into trying to build my roster. 

Jason

[Philip H]

Over at MRH this month, Joe Fugate resurrected and retooled an articel he apparently wrote years ago for the Layout Design SIG along these lines.  He wasn't doing a by manufacturer analysis per se, rather he was trying to figure out how to over come the rosters don't scale issue that Jason rightly calls out.  His answer is an interesting formula based on feet of track length, square feet of train room size and a few other scaler factors.  Its an interesting read.

[Denver Road Doug]

Over at MRH this month, Joe Fugate resurrected and retooled an articel he apparently wrote years ago for the Layout Design SIG along these lines.  He wasn't doing a by manufacturer analysis per se, rather he was trying to figure out how to over come the rosters don't scale issue that Jason rightly calls out.  His answer is an interesting formula based on feet of track length, square feet of train room size and a few other scaler factors.  Its an interesting read.

I've gone through a lot of these types of exercises and analysis and so forth, but in the end after coming up with all these scientific formulas (for home road and traffic patterns and interchange tendancies etc.) and allowing for the "5 cars when the numbers only say 1" exceptions and THEN applying the formulas again...bottom line is that--when compared to my "gut feeling" or the natural distribution based on limited road numbers offered--the result was USUALLY a difference of one single road/class/type of car over the major categories...even with a ~700 car roster like I will end up with.

One.  Uno.   So ten cars give-or-take when dealing with the major freight car categories.  Not a percentage worth getting the panties in a wad, for sure.   

Maybe I just got lucky.  I do understand in cases where there is no "gut feeling"....such cases as modelling an era too far gone, or an era that you didn't even share earth with, or a locale/line that you have never lived near and/or are not familiar with.   And I suppose if you had 4,000 cars then it might make a difference. (and I'll concede a good bit of mine is unit train consists which skew the numbers further)   But for those of you in the cheap sheets fretting about all this, I would not put that toward the top of your priority list of things to worry about.   Now, I personally find all this VERY interesting to research so don't get me wrong.   Just trying to keep the less insane modelers off the window ledge.   

I do admit to one area of challenge, and this covered hoppers....about the only car that *commonly* appears both in general manifest freights and also unit trains.   So accounting for those is always tricky.  Applying the formulas straight out tends to give me a bloated number, but then when I consider spotted cars (also above average probably given what I model) and the chances of two unit grains passing each other (a very common occurrence) then I think maybe it's not so bloated.