Changing the Model Train Game with Freelance Railroad Cars 

Hi Red, that is a "Carson 5X MiniBrite LED Lighted Slide-Out Aspheric Magnifier". I got mine on Amazon: amzn.to/3wZNGpY

He did a lot for moving operations toward realism in the hobby and did a lot to legitimize freelance roads.

I agee! 😉

I agree. I’m impressed with the lineup of road names he has coming up.

As you know I model Chessie, but those roads will make trips to Baltimore too.

Especially if you are looking for higher end cars. You can sometimes get undecorated cars at the high end and decal them yourself, but in my experience the more delicate the car, the harder it is to work with an undec.

Freelanced roads do definitely give you a lot of options for creativity!

I’m familiar with the CV. It used to run through Palmer MA and had a small years there. Always nice to throw in the freelance cars though.

Awesome. They are nice-looking cars.

There are a ton of options as you’ve pointed out here. I’ve also kicked around renumbering some corn syrup cars in freelance leasing marks.

I’ll need to check that out!

Not quite one of a kind, but it certainly does provide some variety and a break from the “same old (prototype) roads.”

I plan to do a follow-up video on the pros and cons of freelancing. It can be a lot of fun but I think people often underestimate the amount of mental work it takes if you really want to do it with a measure of accuracy.

Agree! Even a fictional RR has to be run like the real thing. The guys in the first group of cars from HomeShopsLLC have done a superb job with their fleets and layouts. I am so happy there were willing to share. I do look forward to your videos but it will be interesting to what you come up with on the next one

That’s for watching and I hope you’ll subscribe. The freelance road names aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay. And yes, if you operate regularly and take cars on and off the layout with any frequency, the details do tend to take a beating.

Certainly is the cheaper way to go!

I've been known to do that myself, but more for informational purposes. Recently someone told me they were doing Chessie 1977, and they were painting up a GP35. Chessie 1977 IRL was a GP40-2, so I let them know, but also said "in case it matters to you." In the end, he didn't care and he's having fun, so no harm no foul!

Are the G&D cars the only other freelance cars you have (besides your own RR)?

@@ThePixelDepotLLC Onto my US Layout yes, onto my northern german layout, my roadname is a fictional RR under own Management based upon a former real existing Branchline of a private stockholder RR Comoany established in 1852 but became part of the state RR in 1936. That Branchline is still existing, today but is being operated by the state RR, only. Still a private RR won the right to operate the passenger service for the following ten years. Me I am modelling the year of 1908 and in my fiction it was a private stockholder company established in 1882 with an eastern extension across the trave river mouth with a RR Traject Ferry close to the coastal line of baltic eastsea. My fictional RR is doing the coupler test of the imperial prussian state RR of 1899 to 1909, too, to test the Krupp middlebuffer Coupler a more havier version of the US Janney Coupler. So I can use the kadee knuckle couplers. In addition I use some C.C.C.C. = Canda Cattle Car Company Livestock Palace Cars (built in 1888). In addition I do using two US American built Locos from ALCO of the year of 1904 as 2-6-0 Moguls fired with coal. Around the year of 1900 it were a comon practise of german imperial state RRs to operate imported US RR Engines or of Course RR Cars, too. The roayal bavarian state RR imported two 4-4-2 Atlantics and in addition two 2-8-0 compound Consolidations since 1898. The Royal Wuerttemberg RR importat some 4 axle passenger Cars in the early 1870's and used the Link & Pin Couplers until 1918 but find out a way to make the Link & Pin Coupler more safer by coupling procedures using a spring and washer plate to the coupler what holds the pin up and when the link pressing down the washer the Pin bolt comes down to couple the cars automaticly. Other RRs used US freight cars long before some freight cars came during WW I to belgium and france and found their way to german state RRs in period of time before and during WW II. In my cause I am using some US Locos and of course Cattle Cars in addition. a busy slaughterhouse requiring lot of Livestock (pigs and cattles). A daily wagon shipment of up to 45 cars with meat and canned products taking my RR busy by operating a marshalling yard.

I am honored, sir!

I do this too. Sometimes for fun and sometimes because the reporting marks don’t my make sense for my layout.

I picked up some locomotives at a flea market that I intend to patch. We bought ‘em used!

Happy to share. And thanks for supporting Home Shops!

Yes. It sounds like we’ll have some nice choices soon!

Kevin, can you email me at the address jparker at thepixeldepot dot com? I'd like to understand your idea better.

I could see with the small size of N Scale that trying to do decals could be tough.

As in, no one has noticed at all or as in they fit right in?

@@ThePixelDepotLLC They fit right in. They don't look out of place at all.

I did notice that afterward. 👍🏻

Wait, the Michigan Interstate is based in… Texas?

@@ThePixelDepotLLC Yes. Former Michigan resident moved to Texas I think. McComas I think is the owner's name