Most Interesting Type of Train to You?

[MK]

My favorite trains are those with wheels.   

[DKS]

I like 'em long and longer, and with lots of power...

I ain't sayin' it.

But seriously, I agree with those who contend that any train in N Scale does it... although my personal preference is for wartime mixed freights.

 

[CRL]

^^^^ That’s what she said!

[peteski]

^^^^ That’s what she said!

Wartime mixed freights? 

[Rivet Miscounter]

 

• I like 80's TOFC, and nearly all intermodal since but probably the sweet spot of late 90's/early 00's with transition to 53 from 48 is my fave.
• I hated coal trains in the 80's, but now they are among my favorite things to see/operate.
• Always liked MOW stuff, and especially the Continuous Welded Rail trains.
• RBBB Circus trains have gained favor in the past fifteen years or so after seeing one staged in a nearby yard. #rip
• An odd like...unit trains of *short* tank cars, like corn syrup or sulfur...they're short, but nice and heavy and need DPU's.
• Modern DODX/Military trains have to be close to the top of the list for me.
• Also love unit grain, especially the BNSF earthworms, but general BNSF and UP trains also are up there on my list.
• I liked BNSF's unit coil steel trains.

[jpwisc]

BNSF Earthworms. I love ‘em.

[CRL]

Wartime mixed freights? 

[mplsjct]

Local switch runs are my favorite, mostly because you never know when the shippers will close or abandon rail service, then all we’ll have are memories.

After that, mixed freights and taconite trains are tops.

Table trains are probably my least favorite.

[Tom L]

Stuff like this, although preferred era is a bit earlier (1957 - 1959).  Upper Midwestern branchline Trains on grassy tracks that are sinking into the ground! If it's a mixed train, even better.

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Tom L
Wellington CO

[Rivet Miscounter]

Table trains are probably my least favorite.

Yeah, baretables are kind of a buzzkill.   Nice for getting modeling pics though if you can find one stopped or on a slow roll.   

[mrhedley]

Love:  Odd consists, like I used to see on the (nearly) bankrupt EL back in the late 60's--such as an Alco 424 lashed up with a couple of GP-7's and and EMD B unit.  Those strange D&H Alco combinations, the big C units and low hoods in the Lightning stripes.  Bay window cabeese.  Peak era train stations.

Don't like:  Graffiti riddled rolling stock.  End of train flashers.  Concrete ties.  Modern stations.

[davefoxx]

Autorack trains..

~Ian

You mean FEMA Death Trains.   

[mu26aeh]

Modern mixed freights.  I'll sit and watch until the whole thing passes.  Autorack or intermodal, I'll check out the power and then meh....

[Jbub]

Amtrak No. Depressing reminder of what used to be.
Cabooses. Mandatory. FREDs are like a sentence without a period

I see what you did there   

[EL3632]

I tend to like a wide variety of trains, but in specific:
Interesting locomotive lashups, like mentioned in the above EL post
Mixed freights
Unit TOFC & Coal, 1970s era TOFC, and EL/D&H/Early Conrail coal.
Commuter: Particularly EL and neighbor equipment and Budd RDC's, though I grew up with NJT Comet IV stock (and would love to see that made available).
Mainline Passenger: I have a Phoebe Snow and am working on an Adirondack.
ALCOs: I model D&H, and they were a huge user of ALCO power. I also like their looks, and the (sometimes) clunky sounding prime movers.
Foreign Prototypes: I model Steam Era UK & Modern-ish era Japan. They interest me in their operations and types of equipment.

For actual operations, I prefer a mix of through trains and industrial/yard ops. That is enough to make the session interesting without making it huge and over complicated.

I also like going to shows and see trains and think "That's cool," but do not see the need to model them.

In terms of railfanning I like mixed freights, primarily. Coal trains are fun to watch on the slope (NS) and usually have interesting power. Otherwise, autorack trains have the occasional older autorack, which is always nice to see, but otherwise unit trains are kind of same old same old. I love watching the trains go by, no matter what they are, but would not want to see the same intermodal or oil train multiple times over...