why 'big' steamers ??

[wvgca]

i don't see why people usually get the big steamers, i prefer the small or geared steam ones myself ...

[peteski]

If they model in H0, then all the steamers are larger than N ones. 

I like them in all sizes and from all over the world.


As for the large ones, I like them because they are large and impressive. Lots of moving parts and steam everywhere.  What's not to like?  I like small ones becuase they are cute. 

[CBQ Fan]

I think bigger steam locos translate better in N Scale and can pull more cars than medium or small locos.  I like the contrast of everyday regular locos next to the big 4-8-4 locos. Waiting on the Kato Big Boy to upsize my steam fleet.

[Mark5]

For me, it's what the railroad by my grandparents house ran.

[peteski]

i don't see why people usually get the big steamers, i prefer the small or geared steam ones myself ...

What are *YOUR* reasons for preferring small steam locos?

[wvgca]

What are *YOUR* reasons for preferring small steam locos?

easy enough of a question ...
my layout is 1890 .... not many big steamers then ..
my layout is 'up north in the bush' .. not much use for a big steamer, too far out, lol
my layout is 20" curves {HO} .. and it's fairly tight, no room for the big ones, they'd look silly ..

[Chris333]

Well everyone in Japan knows Americans like everything big.

[peteski]

easy enough of a question ...
my layout is 1890 .... not many big steamers then ..
my layout is 'up north in the bush' .. not much use for a big steamer, too far out, lol
my layout is 20" curves {HO} .. and it's fairly tight, no room for the big ones, they'd look silly ..

Ok then, what if someone models (in N scale) Class 1 railroad like UP or SP in the 1930-1950 range?  They won't have much use for early steam, or small logging locos.  So they will run their Big-Boys or other large steam locos.  I don't own a layout, so I buy what like. But for most modelers with layouts, the answer would be that they buy and run steam engines that the railroad they model was using.

I know - call me "Captn. Obvious".

[wvgca]

well, obviously they can model what they like .....
you did for MY reasons why i prefer smaller locos ...lol
i also chose 1890 back woods in the middle of nowhere for a lack of electrified houses, signals, elevated ballast ...
a rather simplistic, yet realistic layout, with a lot of grades in 15x16 feet

[greenwizard88]

Big steam sells because it's bigger.

An A5 0-4-0 costs about the same to produce as a 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. And the general public who just wants to watch trains run roundy-round think Big Boys are way cooler. It's, like, the biggest engine EVER!!!1111!!1

And it's also damn near impossible to mass produce an 0-4-0 with DCC and sound and pulling power, so why bother when you can just do another run of an articulated engine instead?

[MarkInLA]

The only two big ones I'd want if I had room and $$ (HO) would be: Both DCC/Sound, NYC Hudson (generally accepted to be the most handsome of all steam),
and a 2-8-8-2 B&O y6b (which to me is the handsomest of the articulated locos)..
But Toots, that don't mean I don't like 0-6-0 yard goats or Shays !!  M

[thomasjmdavis]

When I was in my teens modeling in HO 50 odd years ago, I really, really wanted a 2-8-8-2.  I figured if I saved up for several months, I would be able to afford the AHM model then available.  I would drool over the one in the local hobby shop case.  The owner was kind enough one day to put it on a loop of track he kept for testing locos, so I could see what it would look like on 22" radius curves- as it might on my home 5x9 layout.  To me, it looked like a toy train, and I quickly realized I would need to wait for a much bigger layout with much broader curves, if realism was at all important to me. I stuck with my mikado, pacific and first generation diesels.

Now, in N scale, with a basement room of 13x26 available for layout space, I could no doubt construct a layout with curves broad enough for articulated steamers (not real scale for whatever their minimum radius, but something that would look good from a modeling perspective), but there aren't any that were in use during my planned time frame on the roads I will be modeling. 

What I really need for the layout is a GTW U4b, but the chances of that ever being done are zero, unless I win the lottery and start my own manufacturing company.  Maybe someday I will talk a 3-D print designer into  doing a shell, but even then, finding a workable mechanism may be a challenge (so far, anyway).

The largest steam I would buy if someone made it is an ATSF 2-10-4.  I don't need it, but probably would not be able to help myself.  Likewise an ATSF 4-8-4 if it were upgraded to the level of more recent Bachmann steam- but I doubt I will see either of those in my lifetime.

[SkipGear]

The only two big ones I'd want if I had room and $$ (HO) would be: Both DCC/Sound, NYC Hudson (generally accepted to be the most handsome of all steam),
and a 2-8-8-2 B&O y6b (which to me is the handsomest of the articulated locos)..
But Toots, that don't mean I don't like 0-6-0 yard goats or Shays !!  M

Just  a correction....Y6B is a N&W loco. AHM/Rivarossi?Concor was famous for slapping B&O paint on them  B&O only had 2-8-8-0 and 2-8-8-4's except for a couple inherited 2-8-8-2's from BRP and Seaboard.

Why big steam....look at all the historic rail videos, most of the time guys were chasing the big stuff. The small stuff was run of the mill, boring and relegated to the yards. I like all sizes of steam but the part I like about steam is the living breathing aspect of it. It's "guts" are all out in the open and you can see what is doing the work. Big articulated stuff just gives you more to look at and appreciate.

[nickelplate759]

Just  a correction....Y6B is a N&W loco. AHM/Rivarossi?Concor was famous for slapping B&O paint on them  B&O only had 2-8-8-0 and 2-8-8-4's except for a couple inherited 2-8-8-2's from BRP and Seaboard.

Why big steam....look at all the historic rail videos, most of the time guys were chasing the big stuff. The small stuff was run of the mill, boring and relegated to the yards. I like all sizes of steam but the part I like about steam is the living breathing aspect of it. It's "guts" are all out in the open and you can see what is doing the work. Big articulated stuff just gives you more to look at and appreciate.

I seem to recall Con-Cor selling the Y6B with the trailing truck omitted, and a vandy tender, to make it a B&O 2-8-8-0.

[Mark5]

I seem to recall Con-Cor selling the Y6B with the trailing truck omitted, and a vandy tender, to make it a B&O 2-8-8-0.

Yeah, a "B&O 2-8-8-0" - that was pretty much a joke (kinda like taking a FM Trainmaster and painting it up as a SD45). 

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