How many locos do you own?

[longbow]

I found it instructive to draw up a list of about 30 desired consists matched to my current roster and my planned WR/SR layout. Result: the realisation that with 45 locos I already had two or three choices for some consists, my stud was unbalanced relative to the trains I wanted to run, and there were many gaps in my rolling stock. My buying now is much more focused and my rolling stock trays will be reorganised into consists to facilitate set-up on club running days.

[Railwaygun]

Dapol : ... Getting spares such as tender drawbar and bogie screws is the problem.

Begs the question - how are you losing them in the first place?

A rather stupid impertinent question  in my opinion (think about it - how do you lose them?) but I'll answer.

I would have preferred someone advise what the Dapol screw sizes are so I can get non-OEM replacements. Dapol can't answer/don't know about screw sizes in their products when I enquired and DCC supplies don't list them.
When you are 70+ with not the best eyesight these tiny screws are difficult to trace. Bogie pivot screws have fallen out somewhere in the layout (Schools class) and drawbar screws pop out when trying to refit the cardan shafts.
If anyone can provide a more useful reply I would be grateful.
Ian

a wagon with a powerful button magnet is good for "screw-fishing"!! attach it to the back of any track cleaner wagon as well.

[Webbo]

Reading through this thread, it seems to me that around about 45 locos is a common number to own. Perhaps 45 is one of the universal natural numbers such as 1.62 which is the golden ratio croping up in art, architecture and music. It happens that I'm about this number and it is sticky in the sense that if I buy another loco, I tend to sell one so the number in my collection has remained approximately constant over the last 5 years.

So, petejones with 7 locos at present may have plenty of purchases to go before he reaches a natural number of locos.

Webbo

[Chris Morris]

Reading through this thread, it seems to me that around about 45 locos is a common number to own. Perhaps 45 is one of the universal natural numbers such as 1.62 which is the golden ratio croping up in art, architecture and music. It happens that I'm about this number and it is sticky in the sense that if I buy another loco, I tend to sell one so the number in my collection has remained approximately constant over the last 5 years.

So, petejones with 7 locos at present may have plenty of purchases to go before he reaches a natural number of locos.

Webbo

Surely the answer is 42

[ntpntpntp]

... if I buy another loco, I tend to sell one so the number in my collection has remained approximately constant..

Sorry, this word "sell" ....  what does that mean?     

Only ever done it once when I changed from British N to European in the early 80s.   Couldn't possibly contemplate disposing of  any of my cherished models now!

[Bealman]

As long as they still run... a lot of mine don't!

The old pommy split gear trick 

[Yet_Another]

TBH, after a VERY expensive learning curve with LGB, I do try to follow a philosophy of only buying what the railway needs operationally, and then a bit of indulgence. But not everything.

[ntpntpntp]

... a VERY expensive learning curve with LGB...

Yep, got a bunch of that too, from small Stainz to big Mikado, 66 and SD-45 diesels.   All boxed up now the garden line has been lifted due to lack of use.   I think the trouble is I'm not really "outdoors-y" and would prefer G scale indoors in a huge room.  Hopefully one day will be back in service again...

[ntpntpntp]

As long as they still run... a lot of mine don't!
The old pommy split gear trick 

Doesn't only happen with Farish but they do seem to have a higher percentage of splits.   

I have to replace splits in Arnold, Minitrix and Roco locos from time to time - the last patient was a Fleischmann which was very unsual! I often have to specify and order gears from third party manufacturers, but it's very satisfying to get something up and running again.

Heresy these days I know, but I prefer the old brass gears. That last Flesichmann loco is now running with 2 old Minitrix brass gears from my bits box!

[Chris Morris]

For me
Summer



Winter

[Chuffington]

Thought I had around 40 or 50, decided to do an inventory check and enter everything onto a spreadsheet a couple of weeks ago.
Turns out I have well over 100 and I still have not catalogued everything yet...not helped by the fact that I have bought another 8 in the last couple of weeks...

[railsquid]

As long as they still run... a lot of mine don't!
The old pommy split gear trick 

Doesn't only happen with Farish but they do seem to have a higher percentage of splits.   

I have to replace splits in Arnold, Minitrix and Roco locos from time to time - the last patient was a Fleischmann which was very unsual! I often have to specify and order gears from third party manufacturers, but it's very satisfying to get something up and running again.

If it's any consolation, former Japanese N gauge manufacturer Endou are (well were, it's been a couple of decades since they exited the N gauge market) notorious for split gears. I stupidly acquired a couple of "non-runners" in confidence they'd just need a bit of tweaking, but it turns out they have an idler gear which is basically teeth mounted on a fairly thin plastic strip around an axle which is notorious for breaking.

[Portpatrick]

OK here we go

For steam/green diesel
82 locos
5 DMUs  One of these is the 6 car Ayrshire 126 consisting of a motorised 3 and a dummy 3.

For Contemporary
13 Locos incl a dummy 66
1 EMU  (a Revolution Saltire 320 on order as well)
1 HST  (A Virgin Cross country in 2+5 formation)
13 DMU  (2 of which are dummies)

But I have been in N Gauge for 42 years!

[PLD]

The reason for the question in the first place was to make sure I'm not getting carried away, having only recently started collecting N gauge again.

On that basis Pete, it's not an unreasonable question, though the answer is as per many of the above responses  - the right number to have is whatever fits your needs, desires and budget which may or may not be the same as for others.

The reason I asked why it mattered is because there are a small minority who have got to have one of everything immediately it is released and seem to believe that the size of their collection somehow gives them some level of importance  You don't come across as fitting that profile however one or two responses do...

The other concern is for those who have (perhaps naively) given a detailed list of every loco they take to exhibitions with a specified layout. Should the worst happen and one or several of those locos go AWOL at an exhibition, the insurers may ask a few awkward questions...

[Snowwolflair]

I plead the 5th as to reveal how many might be used as evidence against me.

Put it this way, several years ago I ran out of short DCC addresses