Locomotive acquisitions from prototype dispositions -

Copper State Railway

Deciding what to purchase when you have a proto-freelance model railroad can be

simple. You visit a train show and find a good deal, hit the hobby shop and find

that elusive undecorated model, or maybe you buy the cheap stuff on eBay on

Tuesday night at 0200 - because that’s when the auction expires. Whatever the

reason the intent of this blog post is not to dictate how or what to purchase, but to

give some insight into the thought of why - at least on the Copper State Railway

(CSR). In this writing I will help you seek to understand the purchasing decisions

and roster decisions I have set forth to further invite the feeling of a real railroad

into this fictional landscape.

An attainable goal was set when Brian Banna originally developed the idea of the

Copper State Railway’s roster to be prototypical based on dispositions from Class I

railroads. Realism can obviously be very subjective as it pertains to a photofreelance model railroad. Without much effort however, one can fall into the trap of

buying equipment “just because” without a direction thereby ending up with an

eclectic collection of motive power. While this may be acceptable for some, the

feeling of having a roster that rivals the realism of the prototype helps bring a

proto-freelance railroad to life.

For those unfamiliar with the term proto-freelance I will attempt to define it; A

proto-freelance railroad is a completely fictional railroad utilizing as many aspects

of the prototype and real world as possible. This takes into account both tangible

and intangible aspects of what we see in real world railroading. Building a roster is

one such component, utilizing real world locations could be another.

Considerations for your Proto-Freelance Railroad

Before I dive in, here are some considerations for building your fleet and why they

are important to consider.

Route Mileage, Gradient, & Helpers/DPU:

Railroads with larger route miles tend to have larger customer bases and thru

traffic, thus justifying the need for a more broad expense on motive power. Take

for instance Chris Palmieri’s Meridian Speedway (https://

www.meridianspeedway.net/) which has an extensive network of trackage

spanning several states. Thus the need for more motive power due to the large

concentration of traffic in the region. Take a look at the roster for the T&GN/NT&O

(https://www.meridianspeedway.net/tgnnto-locomotives.html). You can see the

relatively large numbers of locomotives for this railroad ES44AC, SD70ACe, &

AC4400CW models total over 350 locomotives. Back to the CSR, which does not

own as many route miles or possess the volume of connecting partners. However,

there is a considerable climb up the Mogollon Rim where the gradient reaches a

maximum just over 3.8% in a one spot. This requires the use of several

locomotives to keep our customer’s freight moving up and down the ruling grades.

Helpers are required on this section of railroad whether DPU or manned helpers.

Naturally, on the CSR, this increases the number of locomotives required on the

roster.

Train Size (Tons/Length) & Commodities:

While giving consideration to your layout space is the primary goal here we also

want to look at prototypical train lengths and consider them as variables in our

equation of train size. If your shortest passing siding is 20 actual feet on your

model railroad, I would advise limiting the majority of trains to that size, similar to

what the prototype railroads would do. If we are looking at the CSR from a 1:1 lens

then we would make considerations for commodities and train movement. One

such train type to consider would be the Copper Concentrate unit trains, the

preverbal “bread and butter” of the railroad. These trains are often 90-115 cars in

length (55 cars modeled) and require a minimum of three, six-axle locomotives.

Crew District(s) & Crew Size:

Railroads with larger crew districts and multiple lanes of traffic (more trains)

require more use of motive power to keep those trains moving. Likewise, industry

jobs and crew size also play a role in the deciding factor of how many locomotives

your railroad will need.

Era & Rail Size:

This is probably the most obvious of all the topics as different eras will have

dissimilar limitations in terms of locomotive requirements. On the CSR subsidiary

Lost Dutchman for example, steam locomotives were used well into the 1980s.

Due to some of those steam locomotives being well over 5,000 horsepower in

some cases only three locomotives were needed on the steeper grade. Likewise,

unless you model PRR engineering practices your railroad probably doesn’t use

144 pound welded rail (equivalent to Code 100). Rail sizes in earlier years were

typically lighter which correlated directly to train size and individual car weights on

the era.

Layout Considerations:

Not everyone has the funds, time, energy, or even enthusiasm to build a basement

empire railroad the encompasses 5,000 square feet. Some of the smaller, wellexecuted proto-freelance railroads are shelf layouts that utilize a minimalistic

locomotive roster of four-axle equipment which I believe aids in creating a

prototypical feel. Limitations in turnout size and minimum radius curvature in these

confined layout rooms can also dictate your roster. If a #5 turnout is the minimum

for a location you may not want to build an auto facility that spots and pulls 89’

cars.

Shop (Size, Capability, etc):

On the Copper State Railway, Banna set for himself a constraint to build an EMD

roster. A real railroad would be inclined to do this because it streamlines the

maintenance concerns for the fleet. When locomotives are standardized to a

single builder, inventory and repair draw from a common catalog of parts. The

prototype may draw on the need to create variance in this concept when a sudden

surge in traffic spurs the need for additional equipment right then; Budgetary

constraints, location, operability, and timeliness could all factor into reasons why

they might deviate.

Building a roster, one locomotive at a time

I would recommend having a working conception of locomotive lineage as another

tool to build to a realistic roster. Utilizing a lineage tool allows one to blend your

fictional railroad into the real world. As older motive power is sold off by Class I

railroads it is typically cascaded down through disposition programs as an

economical option for Class II & III railroads. Referencing locomotive lineage is

made simple through sites like rrpicturearchives.net. In fact, I would recommend

this as a starting point toward building a realistic roster. As an example, the

Copper State Railway is a modern (2010-2020) shortline. It has been

conceptualized as a railroad that purchases used and wrecked locomotives. So, I

look for prototype locomotives that have been disposed, wrecked, or sidelined by

the prototype as a way to pattern my decisions for what the Copper State Railway

purchases.

Let’s take a deep dive into the Copper State Railway roster of six axle locomotives,

and I will share some of my research notes to evince my thought process.

Let’s start with:

CSR 500 (SD40-2)

Originally built by Brian Banna as an ex-CNW SD40-2

CNW rostered 135 SD40-2 models in 6 different purchase orders (more details

here: https://utahrails.net/cnw/cnw10.php#sd402_6801) which allows for 135

options to choose from for a viable CNW model. The key for me here is to look for

locomotive numbers that are no longer in use *AND* will fit the appropriate era I

intend to model with that particular locomotive.

Following the research path over to rrpicturearchives allows us to view where

these locomotives may have ended up after the CNW was absorbed by the Union

Pacific (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locolist.aspx?id=CNW&mid=10). The

keen observer will see the “Notes” section has been filled in on most locomotives

with what each number became in their post-CNW careers. Take for example CNW

6822 (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=83023) which shows

CNW 6822, then to HLCX 6200, now NBSR 6200. For the purpose of finding a

viable lineage for CSR 500; CNW 6822 is a no-go. Now, lets take a look at the

CNW 6850 (http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=76869).

This locomotive shows a post-CNW life as UP 3030 and the last verifiable image

of UP 3030 on the site shows a date of 7/10/2008 (http://

www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1236831). This locomotive shows

several features desired on the model such as the existing nose bell, ditch lights,

and fan styles. I don’t fret on smaller details that can obviously be moved around

post-purchase by your proto-freelance railroad (i.e. style of plow, horn location,

etc).

Working through that thought process above utilizing a variety of roster sites and

google here are the remaining locomotives in the six axle roster along with a brief

explanation of why I chose them.

CSR 501 (SD40-2) - ex-UP 3754 (Q fans, available model from ScaleTrains.com,

retired Nov 28, 2001)

CSR 502 (SD40-2) - ex-UP 3743 (Q fans, similar model available from

ScaleTrains.com, retired Nov 28, 2001)

CSR 503 (SD40-2) ex-BNSF 6854, nee-ATSF 5125 (who doesn’t love a snoot?!)

CSR 504 (SD40-2) ex-PRLX 234, ex-NREX 234, nee-QNSL 234 (unique model

available from Bowser)

CSR 505 (SDP45/SD45M) - ex-UP 2770, exx-SP 8694, nee-EL SDP45 (Athearn

model available, neat model)

CSR 506 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-MPEX 5356, exx-ATSF 5356, exxx-ATSF 5506, neeATSF 1806 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 507 (SD39) - ex-LTEX 1925, exx-BNSF 1925, exxx-BNSF 6215, exxxx-ATSF

1571, nee-ATSF 4003 (yard switcher, model

available from Athearn)

CSR 508 (SD39) - ex-IHB 3902, exx-CBRY 304, nee-SP 5324 (yard switcher,

model available from Athearn)

CSR 509 (SD40T-2) - ex-UP 8807, nee-SP 8267 (Built by Brian Banna)

CSR 510 (SD40T-2) - ex-UP 2697, exx-UP 8626, exxx-UP 4056, nee-DRGW 5369

(Wanted Tunnel Motors to match CSR 509, models available from ScaleTrains.com)

CSR 511 (SD40T-2/45T-2)

CSR 512 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-NREX 6404, exx-BNSF 6404, exxx-ATSF 5335,

exxxx-ATSF 5500, nee-ATSF 1800 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 513 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-NREX 6407, exx-BNSF 6407, exxx-ATSF 5380, nee-

ATSF 5617 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 514 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-NREX 6410, exx-BNSF 6410, exxx-ATSF 5389, neeATSF 5602 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 515 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-NREX 6415, exx-BNSF 6415, exxx-ATSF 5434, exxxxATSF 5588, nee-ATSF 1888 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 516 (SD45/SD45u) - ex-NREX 6416, exx-BNSF 6416, exxx-ATSF 5435, exxxxATSF 5504, nee-ATSF 1804 (ATSF is one of my favorite prototype railroads)

CSR 517 (SD45-2) - ex-NREX 6490, exx-BNSF 6490, exxx-ATSF 5840, nee-ATSF

5652 (my favorite locomotive type)

CSR 518 (SD45-2) - ex-NREX 6497, exx-BNSF 6497, exxx-ATSF 5847, nee-ATSF

5649 (my favorite locomotive type)

CSR 519 (SD45-2) - ex-NREX 6498, exx-BNSF 6498, exxx-ATSF 5848, nee-ATSF

5642 (my favorite locomotive type)

CSR 520 (SD45-2) - ex-NREX 6475, exx-BNSF 6475, exxx-ATSF 5825, nee-ATSF

5665 (my favorite locomotive type)

CSR 521 - reserved for future use

CSR 522 - reserved for future use

CSR 523 - reserved for future use

CSR 524 - reserved for future use

CSR 525 - reserved for future use

CSR 1885 - reserved for future use (Arizona State University scheme)

CSR 2012 - reserved for future use (State of Arizona Centennial scheme)

As you can see I have given a substantial amount of consideration into what

locomotives I chose to be on the CSR roster. To me, this helps align with Brian’s

original vision for this desert shortline by building an authentic collection of

locomotives. Compiling this list of engine projects helps prevent scope creep from

happening when building a model railroad. So many of us in modeling tend to get

interested in a variety of projects all at once and spread ourselves too thin with

regards to time, money, and interest. This roster allows me to focus solely on the

railroad that is right in front of me.

One obvious problem with creating the preceding roster is the potential for overlap

with other proto-freelance railroads. With a limited number of prototypes and

models to choose from its inevitable that somebody will utilize that same

locomotive(s) for their own railroads.

That is fine.

Too much emphasis on perfection would lead one astray from the ultimate goal of

creating a reasonably realistic roster.