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Years ago when I first got concerned that my railroad "fleet" was becoming a hogpog of mixed (up) eras I started at least looking at the "built date', or 'rebuilt date' in the dimensional data on the sides of freight cars-it was a start but totally unreliable because one was relying on the manuf. of markings to be correct?, the kit manuf. mating correct markings/data with accurate car body, etc. And then their was the old AHM/Rivarossi nomenclature for their 1920's heavyweight and 1930's lightweight/streamline pass cars that gave us even more potential misinformation. But it was a start towards selecting a more protypically correct fleet. One of the first bits of advice I give to beginning modelers is to decide on an era to model, and then decide, as soon as practical, on a specific road (if prototype) or locale if free-lancing. You know-"do as I say, not as I did!" It's a lot easier now since the amount of available information has skyrocketed -esp with forums like this- but so have the sheer numbers of products that beg for our purchase. I applaude Life-Like Proto series for their informative ads/packaging, as well as their approach to providing specific details-both pieces and info so one can come at least close to a specific roads' equipment. Some, but not enough, magazine 'product reviews' present some era/correct road application info. Responsible manufacturers should strive to mimic those like Life-Like Proto to provide era info. Not every modeler has the time to research every item prior to purchase and 'newbes' certainly don't know where to even start-once they become aware of the mismash of equipment they've assembled they will either start researching like most serious modelers, drive 'senior' hobbyists crazy with questions if they're lazy, or bail out of the hobby. Perhaps some industry recognition by a key publisher like Kalmbach or Carsten, or even the NMRA, could be initiated (like a "better Homes & Garden -Seal of Approval") that indicates that the manufacturer has provided an accurate product for a specific era and railroad. I'm not advocating rivet counting-that's not for everyone, especially 'newbes'; the hobby has enough in its ranks already. One wouldn't include an F16 in Soviet markings in a Korean War model plane collection anymore than have an ATSF 'war bonnet' F3 pulling Gunderson cars on a New England layout.
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