Well, if you're getting a

Well, if you're getting a couple of diesels, an old Baldwin switcher certainly seems to go along with Shays and other logging locos, at least in my eye.

Diseasals

I too, am a steam fan. Just regular PRR. But they always had a reputation for not running great. Diesesals do run better. So, I broke down and bought a FM C Liner from Proto 1000. Had a simple decoder put in. And it too, had a reputation for never running right. After a few years, I finally found a guru who would analyze it. It was a bad decoder. Duh! Kind of makes you want to quit/give up on DCC. But this guru very nicely replaced it no cost. Now I have a diesesal. WIth that success, I went and bought at swap meets the cheapest I could find. An F7, a couple Baldwin S-12?, an A-B-B-A Sharks, a brass switcher, a brass Alco, and a bunch of other stuff. Guess what? They all just sit. Any running is steam.So, yes, the Baldwin Switcher is a good choice. A fun size, can be used all over the railroad. And you can paint it for just about any road. In the early days of diesesals, the Baldwin was right at home with EMD and Alco. And a switcher does not have to be MU'd. A great beginning for you. Lot's of luck!

Diesesals ?????

Is that a new railroad term I haven't heard before?  Time to update my spell shecker.

Sorry,  couldn't help myself  

Randy

Diesesals

Spell it however. Since diesels came on the scene and steam engines were shoved aside, for me, those new comers became a disease. LOL

Diesel + Disease = Diseasals?

Diseasals ...a term only a true diesel-hater could compose.

I think it's Hillarious

Just never heard that way of describing the newer technology. Long live the Klunkers !

My name is Mike and I have a problem...

With diesels...  . No really, I do kinda like the older 1st gen models.Have a A-B-A set of C-liners I need to get decoderized one of these days. But for the most part I do run steam. Funny , I've always used the term Diseasels, think I picked it up from an older Narrow Gauge modeler many years ago.....Mike

Blame "Thomas"...

Dear Ted,

IIRC, "Diseasals" was a term brought into common usage by Thomas the Tank Engine,

"...coughs and sneezals spread Diseaseals..."
(Implying, when a steam loco misbehaved or "coughed",
a diesel was waiting to step in and take it's place)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

According to one John (chili)

According to one John (chili) Pritchard, deceased. He referred to them as infernal combustion machines but his love of the Alco PA could not be denied. This from a man who was dyed in the wool Rio Grande and in particular their Mallets. He stated the PA should be named a honorary steam loco. Took me a long time to figure that one out till I watched one being notched up on a video and saw the smoke coming out of the exhaust.

An alternate view to steam

An alternate view to steam engines.  I like steam engines not love them; I've also ridden more steam than most, my grandfather and uncle were CN engineers out of Jasper Alta. My father was an officer in the Royal Canadian Service Corp during the war and afterwards, latter it and he became logistics.  He was away a lot, like many military personnel, either on field maneuvers in Gagetown, NB or peacekeeping at the Suez Canal.

Because he was involved in movements, our discounts on train rides across Canada were deep; because my mother was the daughter of a CN engineer the discounts were even deeper.  Routinely in the summer, my mother and I would leave from some eastern Canada city - Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City - to take the Super Continental across Canada from East to West, 4 days and 3 nights usually in a roomette each, to Jasper.  I have made numerous trips when I was a young bunny on steam pulled passenger trains, noted I was a very young guy.

What I remember with steam passenger trains, being young and impatient, was a zillion stops so the engine could take on water.  A common refrain from me was, "Mom, why are we stopping again."  Steam engines from my point of view are great looking engineering with poor performance (too many water stops and intensive servicing), much like a Harley Davidson motorcycle, looks great but slow off the line performance and they don't corner like performance bikes, like a Ducati.

I much prefer modern era with current trains rolling on the layout.  Modern engines aren't as "spectacular" as steam, but they can still get the heart pounding if you stand close to some like the SD90's, etc. But the over all train look is much more interesting, colourful, with all kinds of differing cars.  If I never see another box car red or brownish box car again I'd be happy.  You can appreciate most of the planet models the transition era so almost all layouts I visit locally are from that time period.

In fact in N scale, I don't own any steam, even though I do own roughly 50 engines.  And I own one HO steam engine, the "Royal Hudson" 2860.  So you can have your dull box cars while I get to play with modern auto racks, colourful containers and cars, and all sorts of assorted goodies.

PS: Not intended to flame but to discuss, saying not all are enamored with steam.

Not everyone likes steam???

It's OK, We forgive you.Everyone has a right to be wrong once in a while....LOL      Mike

The Late John Allen

... who was known for his sense of humor as well as his modeling and photography skills had a lynching scene on his layout. His explanation? The unfortunate fellow at the wrong end of the rope was a diesel salesman who had unknowingly wandered into Gorre and Daphieted country!

George

I like to see people learning

I like to see people learning from the hobby.   Second to the fun aspect, it's what keeps it so popular I think.   And railroad history gives you a mighty big palette to draw from when you want to reproduce it.   I kinda doubt that I'll ever be an ace when it comes to motive power and rolling stock.   It's more of an atmosphere thing for me, with the rails being just one of the players in a very large play.  

Keep 'em on time -