newbie needs help,pt. 5

[IRONROOSTER]

Era depends on what you like. Some to consider:
1945-1960: Allows both steam and diesel. It probably has the largest selection of model products. It also pre dates most of the railroad mergers.
1900-WW1: Small engines/cars allow more railroad in a given area. Automatic couplers were in use. Many narrow gauge lines that can be modeled. Every town no matter how small had lots of sidings since railroads were the primary transportation. Passenger trains ran everywhere.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Trainwreck,

How dare you put fun over being protypically correct!!!!!!

Seriously, as long as you are enjoying the hobby (be it totally prototype or on the other side totally freelanced) it really doesn't matter!

[Anonymous]

Just do like me, If it runs on your track and you think it look pretty just run it. I have everything from a 2-8-2 steam to a new Dash 8-40BW in BNSF paint. [soapbox] Mix it up and if someone else doesn't like it they don't have to make their layout the same way.[:D]

[Anonymous]

another consideration would be space, the older cars from the 20s and 30s almost never stretched more than 40'. however the new 5 well intermodal cars can be as long as a football field. the smaller cars are more fun to switch but keep in mind that even if you choose to model modern railroads you can still run only 40-50 foot cars if you like. thats what i do becasue i like the newer motive power but also like switching.

[Anonymous]

That's a tough call. It depends on what type of motive power/rolling stock you like (ie: SD90's would look a little out of place in a WWII era layout), the space you have (older eras had smaller equipment that would look better on tighter radii), the scale you like (narrow guage is pretty hard to do in N) etc etc.

I model the late 60's/early 70's. This lets me model both first generation and second generation diesels of the PRR, CNJ and LV as well as the carfloat operations of NY City. Of course with all the recent offerings from BLI, backdating to the 50's and including Pennsy steam is very very inviting. Ed's idea of modeling a 20 year block (mid 50's to mid 70's would be perfect for me) deserves some heavy duty consideration. hmmm

On the other hand, modeling a very specific era and sticking to it will prevent one from buying everything! lol (I can ignore those really fine running and detailed Kato diesels and BLI steams because they don't fit my era - but gee whiz I'd like to have a couple)

[tstage]

Stephen,

I would have to agree with trainwreck and Ed. If you have a variety of interests then model a period or era of time so you don't limit yourself so much. (A 20-year period is not a bad figure to work with.)

Like trainwreck, I personally like the (early) 40's. I'm partial to steam but I do enjoy seeing the early diesels. (E.g. S1 and GE 44 switchers) The variety of locomotives in that era are a lot more interesting to me visually. With all due respect to the diesel guys on the forum, except for the paint jobs, the newer diesels all start looking the same to me after a while.

Ed is absolutely right. The farther you go back in train history, the fewer choices you have on merchandise, such as locomotives, structures, and equipment. For me, even locating suitable automobiles in the 30's and 40's is pretty limited. You 're mostly restricted to building kits and a few die cast models. Once you hit the 50's and newer though, the amount of choices you have seems to rise exponentially.

Personally, I like the restriction of keeping my rolling stock in (and prior to) the era that I'm modeling for historical accuracy. When I'm shopping for rolling stock at my local hobby shop (LHS), I look at the BLT date on EVERY kit and RTR car that I consider purchasing. Alas, the consequences are that it does limit somewhat what I CAN have on my layout. (Some of the new cars are very nice looking.) Oh, well. That's the choice I make.

Stephen, hope this has been helpful for you. BTW, welcome to the forum. Keep us posted...

Tom

[egmurphy]

Really depends mostly on the equipment you are attracted to, steam locos, big modern diseasels, truss rod equiped cars, autoracks, etc.

Keep in mind that choosing to model the 20's or earlier will start to restrict the amount of choices of equipment readily available in the market. There's lots of stuff available for later periods up through modern day.

Personally I like to think of an era as 20 years, mid-40's to mid-60's for me. Lots of steam locos and some earlier diseasels. Gives me more latitude in selecting equipment. And hey, I'm not even that strict on sticking to engines and rolling stock that exactly fit that time period either.

It's your railroad, you can make the dates as open or as restrictive as you like.

Regards

Ed

[cefinkjr]

Welcome, Fellow Texican! (OK. I'm not a native but I got here as soon as I could...16 years ago.)

The quick answer to your question is Yes. The real answer, though, is that it depends on your interests. And there is nothing in the rules that says you have to pick only one era. I've known several modelers and at least one club that select an era for each operating session. If a session is supposed to be based on 1940, most Diesels are banished, glass and stainless steel buildings are replaced by common brick, and most passenger traffic is in heavyweights. A modern session would have only excursion steam locomotives (if any), no wooden freight cars, Amtrak passenger trains (if any), and McDonald's golden arches on every other corner.

You actually missed some railroading eras that have more than a few devotees (Yeah, Yankees; we Texans know words like that.) Those would be the very early days (say pre-Civil War), the Civil War years, the late 19th Century (1865 - 1900 give or take a few years), and the early 20th Century (1900-1920). There is a lot of model railroading based on the late 19th Century.

You seem to be leaning toward selecting an era and I would strongly recommend doing that. Some people go even further though and select a specific date with nothing being modeled if it was built after that date or more than 30 years before (railroad rolling stock typically has a pretty long useful life although that seems to be changing).

Bottom line: Do your own thing. Remember a sign that used to be posted on many model railroads. It said:

1. It's my railroad.
2. If you see anything you don't like for any reason, see rule 1.

Chuck

[Anonymous]

I would model the 40's, because you can run steam or diesel. Transition era is one of the better to model since you have the option. You can also use a variety of buildings for that era, there were some old buildings that had been maintained and were still in use, along with more modern buildings that are easy to come by. If you choose to model this era, get pictures from a different state, because Texans probably still had outhouses and rode horses around Dallas. (No gunfighters in the street)

The Okie (Greg)

[Razorclaw]

Howdy from the greatest state-Texas,

I was wondering what would be a good era to start modeling in-Roaring 20's, Classic 40's or 50's, Civil War, Cold War 60's and 70's or modern times 80's and up. Your comments are always appriciated, even if you are from Okie territory[:D][:D] thanks, Stephen