Since I am modelling the present day, I am obviously stocking my railroad with modern (or still currently in use) equipment. The Maple Mountain Railroad's story is that of a new-formed railroad looking to buy used, but almost state of the art equipment. In keeping with that philosophy, the aquisitions below make some sense...
You
may be wondering how I came to choose the SD75M for my freelanced railroad - one
word: bargain.
One of my favorite hobby shops is Arnie's Trains in Westminster, CA. Somehow they always manage to have interesting things on their bargain tables... One day when I was in there I came across a whole shelf full of these undecorated Athearn Genesis SD75Ms for the outstanding price of $29.98 each! I picked up 4 of them on the spot and the Maple Mountain Model Railroad was born! (In hindsight I wish I had picked up a few more...)
These engines came without decoders and will be outfitted with QSI Revolution sound decoders. They will also receive the Maple Mountain corporate paint scheme.
Once I had the main fleet in place, I started keeping my eyes open for a yard
switcher - specifically an MP15AC.
Back at Arnie's again on a different day I spotted this Athearn Genesis MP15AC - again at the great price of $39.98!
As with the SD75Ms, this engine is DC - which is just perfect for me, as I want to install the QSI Revolution sound decoder in this one as well.
The CP paint will be stripped off to make way for Maple Mountain colors.