How do you choose a locomotive?

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anh.d.pham.91		#1 Posted : 02 April 2014 02:52:09(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/02/2014(UTC) Posts: 29		As being mentioned at the title of the thread. I just want to consult that based on what standards (color, form, functions, historical backgrounds, budget, etc.) that which locomotive you decide to buy. Your answers are meaningful and useful for youngsters like me Thanks! Anh


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Shamu		#2 Posted : 02 April 2014 04:35:52(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,068 Location: In a building site in Yeppoon		Struth Anh, That is such a open ended (and endless) question. Purely from my point of view it depends on what you are trying to achieve. Are you wanting to model a particular time in history ? Are you wanting to model a particular country or town ? Are you inclined to steam, diesel or electric and do you want to use catenary ? For me I grew up in a time when with the exception of a few diesel railmotors everything was pulled by steam. Maybe that's why I only have steam loco's (36 and counting) and due to VERY fond memory's of the Beyer Garretts (big mallet style steam loco's) pulling coal and long freight trains in Queensland where I grew up I have 3 Mallets with another on the way from Europe as we speak. For whatever reason I only like the German Loco's so every one is either from the German states or DRB/DB and only era2/3. Yes I know its a bit fuzzy with the era 2 as most of the German state ones were absorbed into the DRB by then. The obvious budget, but that is something that can take your whole life. Its not as if you have to buy everything at once. Just buy what you can when you can. I go thru fits and bursts over the years and I don't really want to know exactly (in case she finds out) how much I've spent, got to be well over 20k though. I buy some things on impulse and some times I am on a mission to get particular wagons to make up a military consist for example. I'm still chasing 6 axel heavy duty flats for that. But what it all boils down to, to me at any rate is just go with what "speaks" to you. Its your layout (or just collection) and there is only one person that has to like it..... AND THATS YOU ! Just go with your heart and not your head. All the best mate, Shane Edited by user 02 April 2014 11:46:42(UTC) \| Reason: clarity
		Sad when its cheaper to buy a new 29640 starter set from Germany than a CS2 on its own in Oz, welcome to the joys of Marklin down under .

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H0		#3 Posted : 02 April 2014 08:31:12(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,262 Location: DE-NW		Hi! Originally Posted by: anh.d.pham.91 Your answers are meaningful and useful for youngsters like me In the beginning I bought what I liked. Later I started to restrict my purchases to some eras and some regions. Many modellers try to run authentic trains, even if they run trains side by side that never could have met in real life. And some run anything they like. But if you ever decide to restrict your collection with respect to era or region, make this decision as early as possible before you buy too many items that no longer fit in. And you can still make exceptions for special trains (at least I do).
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS

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RayF		#4 Posted : 02 April 2014 08:53:00(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC) Posts: 15,839 Location: Gibraltar, Europe		This question can be very easy or very difficult, depending on what you want to do, but I'll give you my own perspective. In the 1980's I rediscovered my old Marklin trains, which included two Br89 tank engines from my early childhood. After poring over the 1984 catalogue I decided that Era III - IV was best served by Marklin, so on my next visit to London I bought a 3085 Br003 and set of green bogie coaches to go with it. A year later I bought a 3039 Br110 and set of matching tinplate coaches. That started my ever increasing collection which today stands at over 120 locomotives, mostly by Marklin, and about 70% German Era III or IV. Given this background, my ways of choosing locomotives has changed over the years. In the early years it was to do with building up a few staple loco types from DB of the right era. After some time I was tempted by some non-German Marklin locos, and so I started expanding my range, but staying within continental Europe. Once I'd decided to go outside my prefered location the floodgates opened and I also diversified into different eras, so that I now have locos from Eras I to VI. Today, I look at what is available and choose a few new locos per year from Marklin which are not yet represented in my collection. I try to avoid repeating loco types, unless they are very different variations. Also every couple of months I have a look through ebay and might get myself some older loco which catches my eye. I also look at other manufacturers and sometimes buy one of their locos for variety, such as the Brawa Br53.8 I bought earlier this year. How you pursue your hobby is a very personal thing, and I hope I've written enough in this post to give you some idea of what it means to me. Others will, of course, have different views.
		Ray Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.

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foumaro		#5 Posted : 02 April 2014 08:59:55(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 08/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 4,420 Location: Attiki Athens Greece		My collection including locomotives and rolling stock from era III from Germany and USA.The only exeptions are 37849 BR50 and 39011 those are era II and i have only 42229 set from era II to run with the locos.I bought these locos because i liked them very much.I have an era IV locomotive the 37228 E194,another exeption too.I run this loco with era III cars.I have 58 locomotives and 258 cars,so my criteria are era and country.

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Dimi194		#6 Posted : 02 April 2014 10:07:10(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 21/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 382		Having only 11 locos (and being only 17), price is my biggest thing. I have abosultely not sense of realism-I like the idea of a mordern day railway which utilises old rolling stock, allowing steams trains and ICEs to run side by side (even if the logistics are completely mad!) Therefore, at my point, I'm trying to collect one loco to do each 'job' e.g. shunting loco, branchline loco, passenger loco, express loco, freight loco, even if they do cross over. I've been wanting a larger tender engine (Class 01, 45 etc) for a few years, but they're so pricy... mainly though, despite oringinally liking British protoypes (Thomas and Friends influence there), having been with Marklin for so long has made me come to appreciate the European locos, and now I just go for locos with a bit of 'character' (I like special paint schemes or the non german versions, with more colours than the simple red/black) Hope this gives you an idea! Interesting thread...
		Author of the gritty sci-fi novel 'Stories of Earth: WWIII' (featuring an awesome train chase) Avid YouTuber (XtremeTrainz and TrainzXtreme) and train person!
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Angus		#7 Posted : 02 April 2014 11:31:30(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 27/01/2012(UTC) Posts: 202 Location: Johannesburg		Hi Anh Good thread and interesting to see how the guys choose. I usually buy what catches my eye (and can I afford it). I prefer steam locomotives, the Era I loco's usually catch my eye first and I guess I have a soft spot for them. My advice, if you like it and can afford it, go for it. Someone else mentioned, it's your layout\collection, do what makes you happy. Thanks Angus


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river6109		#8 Posted : 02 April 2014 11:36:24(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC) Posts: 14,715 Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square		special editions are another issue like special edition cars, the following year a similar model is made but in mean time you've paid top dollar for it. purchasing locos at the release date is an other point of interest, wait 3 or 6 month and you'll get it at half price plus in meantime there may be reports about the models performance, details and other points of interest for the good or not so good. special editions may also proof difficult to get spare parts later on. if you are a handy man maybe buy a cheaper version and convert it yourself to your specifications if you're prepared to pay the extra price. another aspect I don't like is to buy locos and their decoders are not programmable like mfx sound or mfx and all depends what system you're operating. So whether you go for a specific era or type of loco, electric, steam or diesel, find out first what it is you like about the loco and its digital components as mentioned above. the question(s) you've asked are very wide ranging and for some of us there isn't a particular answer for it, as taste various a lot. I have locos from 4 different Railway companies and they can or could run almost together. for instance DB, ÖBB, and SNCF all travel into Switzerland, ÖBB. SBB into Germany, DB and SBB into Austria John
		https://www.youtube.com/river6109 https://www.youtube.com/6109river 5 years in Destruction mode 50 years in Repairing mode
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mbarreto		#9 Posted : 02 April 2014 13:08:24(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/02/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,265		Steam in my opinion is more spectacular, but as time goes buy you want also diesel and electrics. For having a mix, era III is very good, with the exception that the DB steamers are all black and red. If you want steamers in a colour different from bck and red, then Era I is better although some steamers didn't have so many pipes at the time. Anoher approach is to have the locs in sets of 2 or 3 that match. Some example sets: 1- BR50 with cabin tender, BR44, BR52 or/and BR41 2- BR64, BR94, BR24 or BR85 3- 3 Swiss Crocs 4- 1 Swiss Croc, Ae6/6, Re6/6 5- 2 Danish Nohabs (wine red + red/black) 6- Würt C, Würt K, Würt T5 etc Although during some time I focused on Era I steam, I am more on Ep III now and also using the sets approach.
		Best regards, Miguel Mostly Märklin H0.

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sjlauritsen		#10 Posted : 02 April 2014 21:38:44(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC) Posts: 1,081 Location: Denmark		I have a focus on era V and VI. I mainly buy stuff that I like, but I try to focus on rolling stock that are very common on the German railway. This means wagons like coil-, flat- and closed freight cars. With locomotives I try to stick with regular traffic red ones, and not the ones with advertising on them. Unless they have a special appeal to me. Some of my friends collect models of the privately held locomotives, I collect DB AG locomotives. I used to buy from various manufacturers, but in the last year or so, I have found my way back to mainly collect modern locomotives from Trix. This is kind of how it all started, and since Trix only produces a few models each year, it keeps the expenses down. I still go with what I like, but I try to focus on a particular era, because I know it will get out of hand if I don't. ...that being said, I am currently looking for a cool K.Bay.Sts.B locomotive to pull my Trix Club wagons though.
		Søren from Denmark Blog: https://railway.zone/ \| Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
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anh.d.pham.91		#11 Posted : 03 April 2014 01:59:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/02/2014(UTC) Posts: 29		Shamu : You're right. Eventually only me can determine for myself. I just want to get an idea of how people decide. It's great that you grew up with the development of the railroad industry so you have a solid reason to go for what you want. Like you, I prefer steam engine since I love looking at the wheels and all exposing details of the locomotives, that one of the reason I like to choose steam locomotives. 3sphone : I did the same thing. I started buying the one that looks appealing to me, and then later I started to care more about the functions, era, prototype, and brand as well. I'll take your advice. Great one! RayF : Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Brawa is a great brand (sometimes I think their products even have more details than Marklin's with same scale) but as a beginner, I think I should stick to Marklin until I know enough to expand my collections. I also prefer Era III and IV so my recentfocus is the steam engines from those eras foumaro : Do you run Germany and USA simultaneously? I love the form of 37849 and 39011 and the passenger car set as well! The first Insider model this year is pretty much like your E194 and its functions are charming. Anyways thanks for sharing your reasons of choosing a loco! Dimi194 : Right price is an absolute problem. We share the same ideas of letting old and modern trains run on the same layout in spite of the non-logic "character" is a good reason! I love locomotives that have some special functions/forms that differ from others. Great point! Angus : Thumbs up for steam engine! and I like your motto "do what makes you happy". yolo river6109 : Thanks John! Honestly I think it's rare to see a locomotive drop its price (half) after 3-6 months. I have dig ebay a lot and sometimes seen some shocking-price stuff, but it was not my turn because there were lots of bidders And what you said is exact. Finding out what we like about the locomotives is a great method to decide and I'm doing it. About your various railway companies models, do all of them run on the same system? mbarreto : Another steam lover ! I like mixing, so I think going era III-IV is the right choice for me Going for set is another great reason! I start to look at prototype and set recently and this method is very helpful! Thanks for sharing Miguel! sjlauritsen : Great sharing! So you go for diesel and electrical locomotive rather than steam? And as being a Trix member, you use 2-rail system, dont you? (I'm just curious) Thank you for sharing amazing perspectives. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me. I really appreciate that! Have a great day people

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shannon		#12 Posted : 03 April 2014 03:22:32(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 27/01/2005(UTC) Posts: 337 Location: Taipei,		Loco purchasing for me is based on the following conditions 1.good look -----> for example, BR01 with large spoke wheels 2.special design on prototype ----> as BR 50.40 with 2nd boiler, BR96 with 4 cylinders mounted on a couple of powered bogie, Crocodile that almost marklinist own this loc 3.special record on prototype----> like BR45 as the most powerful steamer in Europe 4.affordable price -----> not higher than 500 euro together with condition 1 & 2 is absolutely must buy

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anh.d.pham.91		#13 Posted : 03 April 2014 04:42:49(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/02/2014(UTC) Posts: 29		I totally agree. Good looking and special design are my most concern as well. My affordable price is much lower than yours, however Anyways thanks for sharing your very direct yet reasonable standards!


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foumaro		#14 Posted : 03 April 2014 08:33:37(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 08/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 4,420 Location: Attiki Athens Greece		foumaro : Do you run Germany and USA simultaneously? I love the form of 37849 and 39011 and the passenger car set as well! The first Insider model this year is pretty much like your E194 and its functions are charming. Anyways thanks for sharing your reasons of choosing a loco! I am runnning most often to my layout german trains because it is a little small for USA trains.I run my USA long trains when i have the oppurtunity to a friend's layout which is perfect for long trains.


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utkan		#15 Posted : 03 April 2014 19:04:11(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 14/07/2009(UTC) Posts: 19,116 Location: Istanbul,		...they choose ME..... ,bang,bang.....
		Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you...

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Janne75		#16 Posted : 03 April 2014 20:29:25(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 23/03/2012(UTC) Posts: 2,550 Location: Finland		I choose my locomotives by their era and railway company. And they have to look "right for me". First I had only German locos and almost all were steamers. I started with era III. I have now some era IV locos too and also many era II and just a few era I locos. I don't want any era V or era VI locos except actually I kind of have one... But it is a steamer from originally era II Märklin 37186 blue K.Bay.Sts.B. S 3/6 museum loco. I want to think it as era II loco anyway . I like mostly now German locos from era II or era IIIa (without DB logo). There are DB, DRG, K.Bay.Sts.B. , K.W.St.E. , SBB, ÖBB, SNCF, SNCB, CFL, FS, DSB, NSB and SJ locos in my collection. I like one Roco AC NS 1000 electric loco 68676 very much and will buy it one day, so then I will extend my collection to NS too. I don't run usually different era locos at the same time, but I run mixed railroad companies as in Europe many trains run to different countries. I don't run my SJ, NSB and DSB trains with other European railway companies. Maybe sometimes DSB as it could be more "realistic" as Denmark is very near other European countries. But hey, this is model railroading and everything is possible! I have steam locos, electric locos and diesels. I like them all, but for me steamers are number one and also Swiss electric Crocodiles . I should buy some DR (East Germany) locos too as I got some other manufacturers DR rolling stock in exchange. I have not any of them. Nowadays I try to buy locos with good motors also. C-Sinus, SDS, DCM (to be converted with ball bearings). I don't think that the new motors are so bad either. Their bad reputation has much to do with some locos not so good mfx decoders control value settings. That is not motors fault, it is a "mapping" problem. Regards, Janne
		Märklin H0 digital layout. I have analog and digital H0 Collection. Rolling stock mostly from era I, II, III and IV. Märklin 1 gauge beginner.

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