TRAIN SIZE DIFFERENCE IM NEW TO HO

[JIMLEO]

I BOUGHT THE RAIL CHEIF SET WITH A BIG DIESEL ENGINE AND THE I BOUGHT A STEAM ENGINE AND COAL TENDER  ITS HO BUT SMALLER IN SIZE WHAT GIVES

[Jhanecker2]

All capital letters means you are shoutiing .  Locomotives even in the Same scale are different sizes . The differences are caused by the type of engine  and what it was originally designed to do . A 4-4-0 built around the 1850's is significantly smaller than a Challenger or a "Bigboy" built in the  1940's . the same applies to diesels , the originals were conceived as switchers to handle yard fuctions to the modern high power road engines that can generate  6000 HP .  A model is a replica of a proto-typical machine .  J2.

[Doneldon]

JL-

Railroads buy locomotives for the same reasons we buy personal vehicles. Some of us only need in-town transportation for two so they only buy a smaller car. Others need great carrying capacity so they buy vans (for lots of people) or trucks. Still others need something to carry their egos so they buy expensive sports cars or enormous Freudian SUVs which never carry more than three people and a bag of groceries but that's okay because the rest of us will understand that they are Real Men.

Railroads don't get into the I'm-tougher-than-you-are thing so their loco purchases typically demonstrate more sense than sensation. They buy smaller locos to do switching duties or maybe run a short local freight train or commuter service. They buy larger locos for heavier duty mainline service, including locos with special equipment for passenger trains like large drive wheels (on steam engines for speed) or steam generators (on diesels for heat and possibly other purposes). Finally, they buy monster engines to pull long, heavy freight trains when power is more important than speed. This was most obvious during the steam era when adding locomotives meant adding operating crews; diesels can be MUed (linked) together when added power is needed without the need for extra crews, saving the railroads some money. This, plus the fact that diesels require only a fraction of the maintenance of a steam engine (think of an old Jaguar and a new Lexus) is why the railroads got rid of their steamers in favor of the diesels.

But think of those cars again. Which has more panache, personality, *** and excitement, the 12-cylinder Jag or your father's Lexus sedan? No contest, right? In my opinion, the same principle applies to locomotives: To me, a growling, heaving, clanking steam lokie easily outclasses some inarticulate, thrumming diesel any day of the week. Others results may vary. (But they'd be wrong!)
                                                                                                      -- D