Fenderlind is a climax, a shay and a climax are 2 totally different beasts. Made for the same purposes but act and run differently, bachamnn has made a climax but these would need re-tooling cause of the cost of the current spectrum one. Cut back on detail and minus the decoder and maybe he can be made.

This is true, I thought he was referimg to modern steam.

I can't supply a link but to start, Its mainly the Western US that is anti-coal fired steam. This is why steam locomotives out west are usually oil fired. Out east, the big names like NKP 765 are coal fired, and she's ran on Norfolk Southern a bit recently too, so there really isn't a anti coal thing in the east. If I remember correctly, it was cause of air pollution (California smog?  ) hopefully someone else can go into detail.

I'm tempted to buy one just to do small yard jobs around the club layout. My 0-6-0 saddle tank was a good engine (randomly died so probably need a new decoder), along with the GE 70 ton. Big things come in little packages.   

I remember, like a year or 2 there was a thread like this, but that one probably fell into the pit of the living dead  

There are quite a few new people and some of our older members have left (join date wise, not age   )

As for me,
http://www.youtube.com/jettrainfan

Videos range from railfanning, model trains, Day out With Thomas, a few random videos here and there but most are train related.

Its a basic on paper write-up, sort of like an essay, so I'd guess B. Would be the closest, its basically buying the flats industrial but starting at ground Zero, except current customers and current trackage.

I got a chance to make up a project for science, and decided to do something along the lines of how to run a railroad. For the scenario, A person buys the Flats Industrial Railroad, but they have no rolling stock or locomotives (other than a track mobile, but that's owned by one of the companies that gets served). The line is in Cleveland, Ohio and is 4 miles long, running from an interchange off the Norfolk Southern Cloggsville Line to some sidings at the end of the 4 mile stretch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flats_Industrial_Railroad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1wmsSfkw0M (old video but the only one on hand to give the general idea)

For the scenario, I'll say that there are 12 hoppers needed 3 times a week (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) and the hoppers all go to a customer in Chicago. In a perfect world, they'll be back by the time the 2nd load is ready to be shipped out. Norfolk Southern would basically pick up loaded cars and drop off empties Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Nothing happens Sunday, the hoppers just sit at the interchange till the locomotives from the new railroad, called the L&WI (Lakewood & Winterton Industrial) pick them up Monday morning.

Now for the questions...
1. What locomotive/s should be used? I was thinking, just to compare and contrast a GE-44 ton, a SW1200, a GP38 and a SD40-2. (Im tempted to add a F unit just to mess with the crew.  ) There really isn't much work for a second locomotive but should another one be bought/leased just in case the first one breaks? The flats industrial originally had one SW1200 but now they have 2 SW1200s and a SW1500. Im open to suggestions to other locomotives to add to the list. What would be compared is their horse power, fuel consumption and efficiency/reliability to the job at hand (hauling covered hoppers).

2. Should the railroad buy its own rolling stock/locomotives or lease?
What I figured rolling stock wise was to have 24 hoppers, and 2 box cars. The box cars would be parked on a siding as storage for parts and materials. Sites for buying/Leasing rolling stock/locomotives would be great!

4. What parts should be on hand, if any?
Basically if there's an engine like a SW1200 on property, should there be a motor on hand if needed, or is there other parts that are more important to have ready?

5. What would it cost/need to keep the railroad maintained?
Considering there is about 4 miles of main line, from the interchange to the first siding and about a quarter mile worth of sidings, about 9 switches and a lift bridge.  What maintenance needs should I look into? This is just an industrial railroad, but im sure some maintenance is needed every now and then.

6. Any other info I forgot to ask?
I figured Norfolk Southern would bill the company, so the shipping cost really wouldn't be a problem for the L&WI.

The reason for this project is just to get the general idea what it takes to run a small railroad. Any suggestions or advice would be great. The time for a lease/maintenance would be for a year, and the railroad was fully operational when bought. The one site im looking into at the moment is Sterling Rail (http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds/Listings.php?type=Locomotive&fsw=FS) If you have any other sites that you recommend, it would be great if you can share them with me. Hopefully this isn't too confusing.

Thanks!

While we're at it, are the wheels (as in the ones that are the pick up) treaded or flat? The Broadway limited one I bought was good till the treads caught dirt, then it was a pain running it, sense then I sold it for this reason, but it was a beautiful truck no less. Any info would be great!

If its like the Etrl locomotives I tried, yes and no. Straight track usually works... decently. As for curves... I tried and couldn't get mine to work. Maybe someone else will have better info.

Nothing like seeing the circus, I went once quite a while ago, and was a good show, story line was interesting (a "random" family got to be apart of the circus and the young boy used his imagination to create the circus or something... i forgot what tour that was.) Well, I always remember that show whenever I see pics or videos of the Ringling Bros. circus train. I was able to catch it once, on a miserable April afternoon, about a year ago, when I had a bike, and I was bored enough to railfan the NKP line, 2 blocks away from my house. Long story short, Norfolk Southern pulled a hat trick and sent it rolling down the NKP, when it was suppose to take the Chicago line from Vermillion to Rockport yard, then take the cloggsville down to the NKP in Cleveland. I was a really happy guy, even though the weather was absolutely damp.

Now, I usually check my phone whenever I get out of school and get in my car. First thing I notice is a text from one of my railfan friends saying that the circus train is coming through, and should be at Rockport around 4-6 P.M. for a crew change. It's only 3 P.M. (ok... 3:06 P.M.) so I go home and get my buddy, Daisy. I don't know whose bright idea was to bring her, but I had to go get my camera from my home anyway, and she isn't that bad. So I pick up her, and she's thinking I'm buying her Dairy Queen and checking the signals on the NKP to see if a train is coming. Boy was she wrong, but I'm sure the little ceasers pizza we shared and the track side fun was a welcomed change to ice cream and one boring auto rack train 

Figuring Berea was going to probably be a mess (usually isn't on weekdays) I went to Olmsted Falls, Ohio to wait across the street from the CV&WS model railroad club (I'm a member there). I walk daisy down to a bench, and we just sat there, listening to random chattering on the scanner and eating pizza. First train that passes is 15K, which is surprisingly short. I've had a couple of incidents of catching a heritage unit on 15K, but no luck today with him, just usual GE power. An hour later, the silence was broken with what my dog and I have been waiting for. "NS 047, Clear... CP 195... west, out" This is the fun part, sense the curve is at CP 195, so when I got up to look, there it was, 3 lights, and a black smudge followed by silver. SHOW TIME! Getting my camera ready, I set up for the shot, and roll film so I can take a couple of snap shots on my phone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDcXiXhnIeQ

Beautiful day, beautiful weather, and a beautiful train. I took a few glances at Daisy and to be honest, she was in pure amazement, never looking at me, just watching the strange cars that she has never seen before roll by. The train ends, and I look at Daisy as she looks at me before grinning. I think she enjoyed seeing the circus train, and one of these days I gotta get her to see one of Norfolk Southern's heritage units, I think she's ticked she hasn't seen one yet 

Just a note: The high and wide was NS 053 (I think... don't quote me on this) with 2 transformers. I didn't like most of the shots from that day, so I decided to add some icing to the cake for the circus train video. 

Fresh crews Shawn, fresh crews. They want a bit of the action that we've seen in the last 4 years. Its only fair, sense they're late to the party I guess  (and wow its been a short 4 years at that)

mrrailroad, You can supply a link to one of these videos if you can find one, it would really help.

The 1990s generation is different from the 2000 and soon to be 2010 generation. They get a different audience every 4 years probably (children age 2 to 6 average), so changes usually are nessicary. When a totally new generation is the audience, that's when the changes are likely to happen. If the series needs to be watered down to fit these needs for the new generation then they shall happen. Its hard to let go of the series and accept these changes, but there is hope that the series will possibly slowly return back to the way that we knew and loved Thomas The Tank Engine.

Some of the animations look like they're from a computer game I used to have (the roundhouse scene mainly) and the face shots of James-Thomas and Percy make no sense to me... its a kids show so I'll keep my mouth shut for now.

I do like the idea of Stephen doing work, that was interesting, seeing how old he is 

It ranges from 10 to around early 20s for the majority from my observations. To answer your question, I'm 17.