Charles, you make very valid points. At the time, I didn't know much about the ATSF (although it has always been my favorite railroad). I literally bought the United because I liked it As I have learned more about the prototypes; it pains me that the 4-8-4s weren't used on the Texas mainlines in Central Texas, where I want to model.
My pre-teen son liked to run the BLI 4-8-4 with a string of heavyweight coaches; may not have been exactly prototypical, but it was a way to get him to like trains. When I have something to run on in the basement, I expect to be able to coax him into the train room to run again.
My recent purchases have been a BLI 2-8-2 and a Key 1050 class prairie to complement a Key 1000 class prairie I already had. All three are more representative of the power that ran between Temple and Brownwood in the age of steam.
