Model Railroading > Theme Trains

O.K. guys,
I have a bunch of questions for all..... I am thinking about writing an article about theme trains for an N scale magazine and I need guts. I am talking about theme trains, i.e. circus trains, blue trains, caboose trains, military trains, etc. not unit trains, i.e. roadrailer trains, coal drags, intermodal, etc.
Question #1. Do you have a theme train?
#2. What is the theme?
#3. What made you start the theme train?
#4. Does it hold special meaning to you?
#5. Why does it hold a special meaning?
#6. How long have you been putting together the theme train?
#7. How long is it?
#8. What types of cars are in the theme train?
#9. What engines do you use to pull the train and why?
You can answer me here on the forum or email me off list at gatrwork@pacbell.net. If you have good quality pics of the train, please feel free to send them to me. All pics will be used for the article only. Please put theme train for the subject line as I throw away stuff that I don't know what it is.
If this article goes well, the next progression will be unit trains.
Thanks all......
Audra

trainlady Wrote:

> Question #1. Do you have a theme train?
> #2. What is the theme? unusal cars portotye cars.
> #3. What made you start the theme train? Its just unusal and something different and fun to play around with.
> #4. Does it hold special meaning to you?Yes
> #5. Why does it hold a special meaning? because it is hard to find the cars your looking for, and chances are not to many other people have all the same cars as u.
> #6. How long have you been putting together the
> theme train? for about 5 years
> #7. How long is it? 13 cars
> #8. What types of cars are in the theme train? mostly box cars, one caboose, one well car, and one hopper
> #9. What engines do you use to pull the train and
> why? good old NS 80MACS

My "theme" trains are what you would call "unit" trains such as a couple coal trains. These have taken a lot of time and effort to assemble and run about 40 cars each. These are based on real trains on the UP mainline, so they ARE "theme" trains. By the way, many intermodal trains are not true "unit" trains in the classic sense. Another train that I call a "theme" train is my mid 1950's reefer train, based on PFE trains on the UP in the 1950's. It has about 50+ cars built over a ten year period (and still gets a new car now and then). The cars are mostly PFE, all modified to represent proper PFE prototype series. Another "theme" is my MoW train, that is still being added to (about a dozen cars counting ballast hoppers).

Motive power for these trains vary, but the reefer train usually gets a set of F3's or FA's. The intermodal draws SD70M's, the work train usually gets an Alco RSC-2