Should layouts always show scenes that are picture perfect. Most people its seems models the opulent 50's and summer! why, and why not the dirty 70's or 80's, the mud season( as acording to Mike Conalone), orsome other not so nice era or time or setting. just like to know about your thoughs
"Mess with the best, die like the rest" -U.S. Marine Corp
MINRail (Minessota Rail Transportaion Corp.) - "If they got rid of the weeds what would hold the rails down?"
And yes I am 17.
What are you modeling, and why?
I'm modeling coastal Oregon, 1900. There's a temptation to do Fall when the aspens are yellow, and I may yet do so. I have no desire to duplicate the winter snow, mud, and wet. I've been in it enough. Just getting the atmosphere of the summer fog is enough of a modeling challenge.
1900 appeals to me because it's a time when "stuff" was relatively expensive, and therefore worth caring for. And the work ethic and culture of the time encouraged companies to present their very best appearance to the public. A dirty or non-descript appearance was an indication of a failing company. Labor was relatively cheap. If you didn't work, you needed private charity to eat and find shelter. There was no government safety net, only private charity. So back then there was no shame in being a low wage cleaner or wiper.
Finally, I view my layout as my personal creation, my own little world. I get to set the rules. And one of the rules is that stuff gets kept clean.
Fred W
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....
Chief Engineer, Wiper, Bottle Washer, and Jack of All Trades for
Picture Gorge & Western Railway
Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Co
Didn't know folks modeled scenes that were picture perfect. There have been a zillion articles over the years on weathering, detail, and everything to make a scene more realistic rather than perfect, though to tell the truth, some of the landmark layouts actually went off the deep end and over did it to become charicature. And, I'm not sure the 50's were opulent, nor the 70's and 80's dirty. Of course lots of folks model the 30's when things were often run down somewhat. So perhaps the basic premise of your question is flawed.
Why do people model summer? Perhaps because it's the easiest to do? It's pretty easy to do a green forest, but doing a fall colors well without overdoing it is hard. And winter is even harder, though there've been a few articles over the years in MR on doing winter/mud season and all the little details it takes to do well. And some of those guys did a really great job in modeling it. Mine's no where near that good, but I'm working on fall, around harvest time because it's one of my favorite times of the year.
gabeusmc Should layouts always show scenes that are picture perfect.
Should layouts always show scenes that are picture perfect.
Layouts should be set in whatever era/eras their owner/creator prefers, including no particular era, of that is the preference of the owner/builder. You pick a location, theme, and era/season that appeals to you, and I will pick something that appeals to me.
gabeusmc Most people its seems models the opulent 50's and summer! why, and why not the dirty 70's or 80's, the mud season( as acording to Mike Conalone), orsome other not so nice era or time or setting. just like to know about your thoughs
Most people its seems models the opulent 50's and summer! why, and why not the dirty 70's or 80's, the mud season( as acording to Mike Conalone), orsome other not so nice era or time or setting. just like to know about your thoughs
The 1950s are popular for several reasons: large variety in motive power (many companies manufacturing locomotives, both steam and diesel), more railroads still in operation, lots of car types less common today - e.g boxcars with Less than carload freight, the railroads were run with more people - e.g. caboose usage, helper engines instead of distributed power, passenger trains, generally shorter cars (which allows the layout to have sharper curves when fitting a layout into a room), serving smaller industries (which are easier to model), but which today would be truck served or closed down.
You don't have to like the 50s. If you prefer something else, I suggest you model something else.
Smile, Stein
You need to check out Rod Stewart's layout. MRR magazine had a feature recently on his layout (Dec. 2010). He models the 1940s NYC. And he has a really cool looking city scene that's all grungy looking, it's amazing his detail work with skyscrapers and all.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/toys-in-the-attic-rod-stewart/
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
I model a very specific place (the Upper Kiso Valley, Nagano-Ken, Japan) at a very specific time (September, 1964) for two reasons:
It was hot, dusty and far from perfect - but we had fun.
I seriously doubt that I could model a 'perfect' scene, even if that was my intent. However, my intent is to model the road as it was, mudholes and all. The buildings of the sawmill complex will look old, worn and dirty because that's the way they were. As for the collieries, clean coal mine is an oxymoron. Ditto for anything pulled by a steam locomotive burning low-grade coal. I expect to include lots of dust, rust and general-purpose grime.
Perfection is unrealistic. I prefer to shoot for realistic imperfection.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi!
Being 67, I have always modeled the '50s as it is the wonderful (by comparison) time of my train loving childhood. And, I can realistically show off steamers and the earlier diesels.
Regarding seasons, winter was not a nice time of year (I grew up in Chicago), so late spring thru early fall is the best time for me. I have modeled fall with all the colors, but while "pretty", it just didn't bring me back to those summer days I loved best.
Of course there are a lot of folks that model earlier and later eras, and certainly modelers that model fall and a few that do winter. But it is my feeling that those of us that grew up in the late '40s and '50s, that cut our teeth on Lionel and Flyer, tend to stay with that period of time - mainly summer. Oh, by the way, there are an awful lot of us "old guy" practicing this hobby, which is why your perception is what it is.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Didn't know my first post would be so (un)pouplar.
When i refer to the dirty 70's and 80's i am talking about the decline of the railroads and the faded paint of locomotives of newly created reginals and short lines.
also i do not mean that modeling the summer or 50's is wrong (I model the summer, but also some not so preety settings such as western MI in the modern era), just wanted to see what you all would say
Gabe,
Model any era you want to and make it look like what you desire. The hobby is to please and satisfy the creator (and possibly you family) but stop worrying about what others do and think.
hey eagle scout, if iworried what others thought of my layout, the layout would not be there. Again this is just a question, nothing is wrong nor right when it comes to model railroading
mobilman44 Hi! Being 67, I have always modeled the '50s as it is the wonderful (by comparison) time of my train loving childhood. And, I can realistically show off steamers and the earlier diesels.
I am 64 and I model the 1975 to 1985 time period when Conrail was just coming into existence!
I was able to go railfanning then and had the means to capture the REAL Conrail in pictures and on Video Tape!
When I was young I was not near much of the railroads as most were few and far between (living in a very rural area) and I didn't have the means to go railfanning then - let alone have a camera to record the few images I saw!
As for the season - it is late Summer - early fall - depending on the area of my layout I am working on as I model about 65 miles in North Western PA and the season can change the further one goes east and north.
So this is the reason I am doing various seasons.
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Gabe:
I think you'll find that there are about as many eras and seasons modeled as there are model railroaders, LOL! For instance, I model the California Sierra Nevada during the WWII era, the setting is late October. That way I can have Big Steam and early diesel, and scenically, indulge my love for a mixture of tall evergreen timber and brightly colored Fall deciduous trees. The focus of my MR is the Northern Mines area of the Sierra, between 3,000 and 6,000 foot elevation. That's where I grew up and that's where my first railroad impressions came from--big articulated steamers hauling long freights up heavy grades. A lot of drama for a kid, back then.
That's my 'era', so to speak, and I largely try to stick with it, but that's just me. Other modelers will have different takes on both era and settings, some modelers even mix eras which makes for an enormous variety in the locos and rolling stock that they use--current diesels alongside 'historic' steam. Maybe not 'prototypical', but enjoyable just the same.
The 'transition' era still seems to be very popular, and I don't know whether or not it has to do with the age of the modeler (I'm 71, BTW), but I'm noticing more and more in the various model railroad publications that layouts set in the '70's and '80's are becoming pretty popular. I think it might possibly have to do with the age at which the hobby 'bug' hits, frankly. As I said, for me, it hit as a kid when Big Steam was having its last great stand and those 'upstart' F-units were just beginning to make their way onto the scene. Interesting times for me, but not necessarily everyone else, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I have a different take. My prototype is the memories I have of trains and places I have visited. Through the use of worm holes and time warps I can have all the seasons and anytime. As I drive a train around I get to relive many places and many times. For me, that is why I am building my version of the "World", as I remember it. Each scene means something to me and each building represents an experience or a dream.
Some would say I do not have a model railroad, but I have a model world with a railroad in it. That may be true.
For me it will be two eras, fall of 59 and fall of 68. They are close enough that the area of the country I choose to model was still in business. And with just some changes to equipment I can shift eras. I will also be free lancing so that I can create a fictional railroad and a more prosperous locality than really existed. This will be the world I grew up in with just the good memories and the good times depicted. It will also let me use the final days of steam and the ALCO centuries and 645 series EMDs and older GEs as well as all the first generation diesels. So with a bit of equipment transfer to storage tracks I will be able to model my two favorite time periods.
This layout is still in the planning stages but I have been building rolling stock and acquiring track and equipment. The actual area modeled will be less than twenty miles of an Ohio to Atlantic Ocean railroad along the Ohio River centered in the Wheeling, WV area. Now the rails have been pulled up and it has been turned into a bike trail, that does not do much to create jobs. The population is now about 1/3 of what it used to be. So I'll give the place another chance and create what might have been.
Picture perfect? Not all of us are Pelle Soeborg... <wink>
Model what *YOU* like, it's your layout.
As for me, it's a hot and humid day in summer 1981 or 1982, depending on what railroad runs the branch that day. I'm doing a freelanced Southern Railway branch set somewhere in southwest Indiana. If it's 1981, SOU equipment runs; 1982, and the line has been sold off to a startup shortline.
The hot and humid summer days are my favorite part of the year, so that's a no-brainer. The 80s have personal significance because that was the time I was in college and coming into my own, as well as the last hurrah of the Southern before the NS merger.
If I had not chosen for the SOU influence, I would have settled for Conrail in the same time period but centered in northern Indiana.
Out of left field, my 3rd choice would be WW1 era Big Four.
Enough of that rambling. Scenery does not have to be perfect, just reflect your taste. If you want to emulate Pelle, go for it, but Dave Barrow's latest is the minimalist school, much like the stage plays that put just enough effort into creating a set without fine detail. Just the building flats; no painted track, no vegetation, cars, people,ballast, etc. I can see his point: why put that much effort into a switching layout?
I will be somewhere between the extremes of Dave and Pelle. Maybe I should read the rest of the thread to see who else said the same thing... <wink>
I used to be clueless, but i've turned that around 360 degrees.
I don't know if I model a certain era per se, I like the old green and gold CN livery as well as the draper taper/sgt stripes era. I guess that would be the '50s up to the early '90s. Thats a big span. I have a few steam locos and no recently made locos. Most of my scenery will be summer but I plan on one area to be fall colors. I don't really have an area where I can insert winter scenery and make it fit the overall theme. I don't care for certain freight cars either, like high cube box cars, intermodal, or those giant looking auto racks. I model what I like and nothing more.
-Paul
I chose to model the summer months of the early 50's for a couple of reasons.
1. Living in Wisconsin, the winters are too long and dreary. When I go down to the basement, I don't want to be reminded of that. It's always sunny and warm on my layout.
2. I love the wide selection of locomotives from this time period. I like both steam and first generation diesels, so it fits.
I can't say that I model an era from my childhood, though, since my layout pre-dates me by about 20 years (I was born in 1971).
Scott
I chose to model parts of my hometown. It's an older, small town, with many buildings built in the early to mid 20th century. So, it can be set in any era. I wouldn't model a Wal-mart, Lowes etc. and have it set in the 50s.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR