Choosing an Era - Oh, the difficulty!!!

[dinwitty]

I am hitting the 50's heavy steam minimal diesels, but nothing says your layout never gave up on steam and run them today.

Heh, I thought about a museum line I have some variety of traction I may make a freelance streetcar/interurban to use them in.

I have modern equipment but mostly for the club I was in, and going to sell them.
Its taking up storage room anyways.

Modern equipment is larger, 85 foot long boxcars? Thats passenger car sized, looks better on 36" radius, my layout wont have any such curves due to a lot of personal compromise.

For my space, 40' 50' cars works, minimum 22" radius curves.

An early MR article has a layout made by an artist, he didnt use super big articulateds, his engines were however, 2-4-4-2's, but they looked...BIG!!
and he got away with sharper curves, so a lot of tomfoolery was going on for effect, and it works!

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

It is possible to be specific in place but not in time--model a specific scene, and with a couple of removable pieces you can "dress" the scene to suit the era. Change out the old Thirties roadsters with Camaros and Datsuns and you have a seventies scene--and so on.

It's possible, but actually pretty hard to do successfully. My neighborhood looks a LOT different now than it did when it was new (1890) or somewhere in between (1955). Fences, backyard sheds, the backyards themselves, garages, light posts , transportation, people's clothes, and even the house paint schemes have all changed radically in only 110 years. And that's not to mention trees: 50 foot monsters today were only saplings (if that) during the Depression.

[Jetrock]

It is possible to be specific in place but not in time--model a specific scene, and with a couple of removable pieces you can "dress" the scene to suit the era. Change out the old Thirties roadsters with Camaros and Datsuns and you have a seventies scene--and so on.

[Anonymous]

I'd say I'm not worried about getting bored with one era, but simply liking too many:

1) 40's & 50's - How cool does an old, dirty city scene from the 40's & 50's look!!!?

2) 70's & 80's - from when I grew up - lots of Nastalgia there.

3) Present day: Nothing like taking a picture of a diesel rolling by and then trying to model it.

Everyone is talking about the trains - but in the most realistic model railroad photos I've seen, or layouts I've visited, there isn't a hodge-podge of stuff. As someone mentioned in a previous thread, being very specific creates the nicest looking layouts. But then they're limited in what could be realistically run!!! Oh, the frustration!

What I will likely end up doing is picking a relatively modern era - say, 1996 just before SP was gone, then if I ever run a steam engine, etc., it will be just for kicks, without any attempt to be realistic.

[Anonymous]

This is why I created a fictional museum - I can run almost anything from any era and still be prototypical. There's a few types of loco that I had to do some minor historical rewriting to get in (there's no surviving examples of the FM Erie-Built, with or without the EMD F59PH powerplant that mine is assumed to have), but on the whole you can run anything. I do find that I have a tendency to buy locos in roadnames that have been preserved - I have a CMStP&P (Milwaukee Road) EMD FP7 which will eventually be numbered 104C to match the Illinois RR Museum's example.

[CP5415]

No problem.

A friend of mine is modeling the UP as well & he went & chose 3 different eras.
Transition, 70's & today.

or

You could do what I'm doing.

ERA, I don't need no stinking era!!!

I'm running my Baldwin 4-4-0 with my AC4400's.
I chose this route because if friends decided to bring locomotives over, it doesn't matter what they bring.
Last month my buddy came over, I was running AC4400's, SD40's & 50's with his Turbine on the track

There are many ways around the "What era to choose?" statement.
All you have to do is decide what is best for YOU!

Ask yourself this.
Are you going to quickly get bored with running the same era all the time?

Some people won't yet some will.
If you think you will, don't stick to one era.

My passenger fleet consists of Alco PA's, EMD F Units & GE P42's as well as a 4-4-0 & a 4-6-2 steam locomotive.
My freight fleet consists of RS11's, GP7's up to & including the fore mentioned AC4400.

Just my 2 cents.

Gordon

[Pagardener]

I fell in love with an engine the Bachman Denver & Rio Grande 4-6-0 anniversary model. Once I bought that I started looking up the history of the road and became fascinated with the 1890s...so that is what my era is. Fortunately my back yard is not a yard but a forest with huge boulders so it won't be hard to mimic the Rockies[:)]. Plans are for 2 towns..Silverton and Ouray a mine (probably silver but maybe gold) and a lumber camp and some day a sawmil. Sometimes it is a little hard to find things in my scale (1:22.5) to populate everything...took me 2 weeks to find all the mules I needed..but I have them. My buildings are all kits and once I have done a few I will start making my own to keep with the era (there a only a few kits that match the pictures I have of the early Silverton).
But this is me (I am a history buff)...give it time..it will come to you!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Your modern era diesels could be hauling revenue freight off to distant off-layout points while your steam is servicing the local scenic railroad tourists. Since these tourist lines are short, close-to-home affairs there will be lots of coming & going and good use of those water tanks and coal bunkers while your diesels are puttering around the fuel tank.

If your scenic railroad is like some I've seen, you'll have a rag-tag array of old mis-matched equipment from a wide-range of years. It's a good, prototypical reason for having stuff that you like running on your layout.

Wayne

[RedGrey62]

I model the Burlington Route in the "60's". But I have some steam and early diesels that never made it into the 60's. It may be easier for us who model a Fallen Flag as there is a definite cutoff date! And to model those elusive Alcos that so few roads owned, look for other roads in the region you model that may have run through agreements or need to detour over your road. The Burlington had run through agreements with UP, NYC, GN, and maybe a few others.

Rick

[orsonroy]

It was pretty easy for me. I just sat down and thought about what I really liked about trains:

1) steam engines, especially big, nonarticulated superpower. That gave me a 1930-1960 limit.
2) wood boxcars. Again, 1930-1960.
3) NKP steam (based on my seeing three of them run in my lifetime) WITH the front angled numberboards. That restricted me to 1947-1958.

Everything else was just finding a part of the NKP that I could model. But even if I was to change prototypes (to say, the Frisco or C&NW), I would still be a fan of steam and wooden cars.

[METRO]

Here's what I do:

My line is set in 2008, three years from now, but, I run lots of Alcos on my commuter line. Don't forget, you can freelance and there are still quite a few old transition-era equipment pieces running around.

I run Horizon fleet commuter cars behind Alco RS2s and I can justify it through a logical and believable freelanced line history. Remember that Long Island just retired their FA1s and Metro North still runs FL9s.

Or you could put in a short line, their power is traditionally older and hand-me-down from class-1s. There was a discussion a while ago on the Trains forum about a pair of Baldwin Sharknose locomotives that are sitting back in the shed of a short line in Michigan. I found a way to justify running a Baldwin VO-660 as a passenger yard switcher, an Alco RS1 as a short line freight locomotive and an SD9 as a transfer motor.

Also there are lots of Class 1s that run old equipment, Conrail ran first generation Alcos until the 1990s, Canadian Pacific uses mostly modified GP9s around here for switching, and BNSF is famous for their SD9s that they've reciently repainted in their new scheme, I guess they intend to hang on to them for a while.

~METRO

[AggroJones]

Focusing on one era DOES help you save money and lessens tempation for items byeond your theme.

Go with the transition era. Late Steam & early diesels, best of both worlds. More cars will fit within a given length train cause the longest cars are '50. Most are '40. You can get steam locomtives for much less than MSRP. Save up your money and sit and wait. Like a python, STRIKE when the opportunity arises. If your timing is right, its amazing what you may afford.

[Anonymous]

Era ???

I model a specific YEAR !!!

1996, to be exact.

Of course, I "cheat" - on my layout the ROCK ISLAND is a regional road in Iowa - a mix of the Iowa Interstate and the (then) IMRL (now ICE). This lets me run RI with AMTRAK, BNSF Dash 8-40Bs, and even excursion steamers, which we have really had go thru the QCA!

When I want "real", I replace my RI with IAIS and IMRL.

SO ... it's your layout - you can make it as you like it !!!

[Anonymous]

Kind of like Tatans' idea, I built a layout around a small anthracite coal mine that feeds a local power plant and a forge with heavy industry.

All sorts of old equipment, power, buildings, etc from the glory years are still being used throughout the layout, but I also have an interchange where the big, clean, modern diesels from CR and CP show up.

I fudge things just a little bit, but mostly it makes sense in my mind. Hell, the owner of the railroad even has an old Lackawanna Camelback that drags some coal hoppers around. It's his pet.

Rumer has it that the owner even got his hands on an old PRR Mountain type! (Now I'm pushing it, but its tough to have a model railroad without at least one big steamer, plus it was a clearance item from BLI).

Ken

[JohnT14808]

Sheesh....does this mean I HAVE to buy diesels??!? NO!! I can't do that....I like the steam too much...so I plan on a scenic layout with easy curves, rolling hills, maybe some industries on the backdrop and then I can run whatever era train I want on the rails. It could be any time of the century, based on what just rolled by...heheheh Talk about your transitions....every five minutes, the era changes!!

[Anonymous]

Who says you need a deffinent era? I model UP, ATSF and SP in the 40s and 50s, but I still run my UP SD70M and other modern units. There aren't any rules, go for it!

[IRONROOSTER]

You could also have a few buildings that you change out. Abandoned water tank and a water tank in use, same for stations, Roadside diner and MacDonalds, etc.

One idea I have yet to see anyone try is to have sections of the layout that rotate. Turn them over and change from 2005 to 1955 as the mood strikes - you could do three in a triangle so you could include a third era, maybe 1905.

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

My suggestion is to just do what ever your heart desires..... plan your own layout an do like I'm going to do or something..... a movie theatre.... you can run steam.... transitional.... and modern..... and then there are timless passenger stations as well like LA Union Station.... it's pretty much been the same since it was put in.

[tatans]

Now you know why I picked a logging outfit . Any old equipment from many eras were bought by logging companies steam, diesel, passenger cars for sleeping quarters etc.etc, many different RR companies, plus buildings pretty well stayed the same.

[Anonymous]

For me, I think the best one would be the 1980's to present. The reason is, that since I LOVE the DRGW, most of the best engines are from the 1980's. But my layout is present.

[Anonymous]

I look at the era in the equiptment. The layout is just a place to run trains on the track.

Therefore if I am running SD70MAC's with twin stacks and other modern stuff then it is present day.

If I am running steam with piles of boxcars and coal with some early desiel the clock just got turned back to the 50's or so on the layout.

Simply by changing equiptment I can choose which era to run. Obviously modern vehicles on the roads and other small items would clash with a 50's time period.

[twhite]

I'm locked into big steam and the '40's, but that doesn't mean that I might not want to sometime run an SD40-2t with some 'hi-rise' cars, or some AMTRAK. I've seen model railroads that shift eras pretty smoothly, depending on what the railroader has in mind. As far as the scenery and buildings--they're the backdrop for the drama (trains), and they really haven't changed much over the years. If you've been running steam, you can always have the facilities (water tanks, coal towers, etc) abandoned but not yet torn down everytime you go for modern diesels. You might build some alternate locomotive facilities that you can replace every time you change eras--there are lots of possibilities here. Remember, it's YOUR railroad. A lot of the guys I know choose the Transition Era, so they can run both steam and 1st generation diesels, some others I know run strictly 'modern' era, but keep some older equipment around for 'rail-fanning'. Or you can run a short-line with second-hand motive power and modern freight equipment. Like I said, the possibilities in model railroading are practically endless. The main thing is to have FUN with this hobby.
Tom


[:D]

[Anonymous]

Just when I've convinced modern is the only way to go, I come accross a transiotion-era layout that is astounding (at the risk of posting the same link in obnoxiously too many places - I put a link to a layout in the Proto:87 thread).

It can be so hard to choose.

One one hand, modern is the way to go because I could personally photograph prototypes, etc.

On the other hand, all that goes by on the tracks these days is UP yellow, and that's it.

Oh, the agony of choosing!

Maybe I could create a transition era layout that could double as modern day.

I'm wondering how successfully I could pull that off. Like an old downtown area with buildings from the 40's. Those buildings could still be there today, with modern engines running through when the mood strikes.

But as someone mentioned in a recent thread, the most believable layouts seem to be the ones with relentless dedication to a prototype/era, etc.

Maybe I just need to choose then put my blinders on to anything outside of my choice.