A Brass Locomotive For My 4x8 Layout

One of the nice things about a 4x8 layout is you only need a few locomotives. With few exceptions, most 4x8 layouts don't have room for more than 1 or 2. Since you only need to buy a couple, you might as well spurge and get a nice brass locomotive or 2. I just picked up a really nice little AT&SF 2-6-2 Prairie that should be perfect for my layout. It's a brass locomotive from Key Imports that's been custom painted and weathered. The best thing is I got it for only $250 including shipping. That's not much more than a Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 RTR locomotive. If you've ever wanted a brass locomotive for your layout but thought they were too expensive, think again. If you keep your eyes open and stay patient, you can find some really good deals on eBay. This was the 3rd brass engine I tried to get for less than $200 (bidding on the other 2 went over $300 so I dropped out) and my patience paid off. This is really a nice little engine. (Follow this link for more thoughts on brass model trains)