Late 40s early 50s. I was born in 64. Missed out on this era of railroading. Now I can recreate it in my basement.
I can go trackside to see all the modern railroading I want.
I'm 53 and I model the IC in the 1950s. I still remember my first train ride when I was about 4, standing on the platform in Belleville Illinois and jumping out of the way of the (to me at the time) huge IC E unit that was going to take my mother and I to St Louis. Steam was still running on the IC the first few years of my life but I honestly can't remember seeing it run. When I was in high school I modeled the late 60s and early 70s because those were the trains I knew.
When I got back into the hobby a little over 2 years ago I decided to model the decade I was born in. I currently live on the old IC North/South mainline about 15 miles North of Centralia where the big car shops were. My under construction layout runs from Centralia, North to Effingham about 50 miles of real life mainline. I have just as much fun researching how things were back in the 1950s as I do building the models.
Jeff
I model the early 80's til today. I work in a harbor so my harbor and oil facility is modern but the 80's is when all the mergers occurred in the east. This allows me to have CSX, N&S, Conrail and Chessie all show up. Also, I am modeling the small town I live in. somehow it got transported to an industrial area. Most of downtown was built in the 20's-50's and revitalized in the 80's. Plenty of models to choose from. I have to admit that occasionally a steam excursion train shows up from somewhere, as my kid likes to see the steam. My Dad on the other hand grew up in the 50's and likes the transition phase. He has just started building his so all he has right now is a couple of diesels. But I foresee a steamer in his future, possibly a B-day present this summer.
MotleyI'm wondering what eras you model and why. I notice that the 50's seem really popular.Is it because of your age? When you were a young "whipper snapper" in your teens and 20s.
I'm wondering what eras you model and why. I notice that the 50's seem really popular.
Is it because of your age? When you were a young "whipper snapper" in your teens and 20s.
For some.
For others (like me, who was born in 1965 in Norway and model the late 1950s in Minnesota) the transition era is tempting to model because it was an era where there were a lot of railroads that no longer exists, shorter cars (so you can fit more cars, longer trains and sharper curves onto a modest sized layout), both steam locomotives and early diesels, there were more companies building locomotives and more variety in the look of the locomotives, and there were still a lot of small rail served businesses, which today is served by trucks.
Ie a combination of the romance of yesteryear, and practical consideration of what is easiest to model in a decent way in the kind of space I have available.
Your mileage may (and probably will) vary. Smile, Stein
I had my first taste of railfanning in 1974, and it was also the year I got my first train set. So I model the mid-1970s in HO scale.
I model 1930 to about 1945.
Why?...
- Most freight rolling stock was shorter than in more modern eras (trains with more cars in a given length than for modern eras)- Rail dependency had generally not begun dropping significantly yet, providing a great variety of rail-served industries, large and small.- Automobile infrastructure still generally rudimentary- I have a "romantic" vision of the pre-transition era- Nostalgic for me, even though I wasn't born yet- Petroleum products shipped by rail - long trains of tank cars- All steam!!!!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
October of 1941...because of the diversity in motive power and rolling stock; the far larger choice in the range of industries served; the interesting complexity of RR infrastructure; the equally diverse and colorful scenes of both rural and urban development as compared to the drab and ticky-tacky similarity of the scene that is presented today. And above all, there is the marvelous mechanical motion and primal power one sees in the operation of steam locomotives which seems to make them almost living things...rather than the lifeless, powered boxcar, sameness, aspects of the modern diesel era.
I have found this thread very interesting reading as, so far, it clearly indicates that - as has always been the situation since the 1950's according to actual hobby surveys - the Transition Era is far and away the most popular among modelers and the claims that interest among hobbyists in recent years has been steadily shifting toward a more modern era, is essentially a fallacy.
CNJ831
I model the more "modern" era. I have the layout based on the 80's - now. Why? Well I was born in 1979, and that's what I remember seeing. I also enjoy modeling the rust on the cars, the older buildings, newer equipment, etc..... in this era.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
A quick scan of this thread shows a lot of people modeling time periods of early childhood or prior to being born. That surprised me a little as I typically think of people modeling what they saw with their own eyes during during the formative time of their life that they have memories off (ie between age 7 and 20 or so).Transition era is an obvious popular time (approx 1940-1955) because diesels were getting very common but steam was still around on mainlines until the mid-1950's approximately. Of course the down side of transition is steam is more expensive in an already expensive hobby. I knew a guy during graduate school who is modeling the D&RGW in 1953 and it is very expensive due to the fact that there are almost no prototypically correct HO steam engines for the D&RGW in plastic - its a pretty much all brass proposition, and certainly out of the question for a guy like me.
I model 1965-1990, which was the modern age of indedpendant D&RGW. To me that includes some transition diesel with the late 1960's therer were still some F units around, and there was the California Zephyr running. So maybe two major times, late 1960's, and 1980's is when I got to see the Rio Grande myself a few times while traveling through Colorado. I only regret not taking time to stop and photograph it personally - so I'm relying on a lot of books, and DVD's to re-live those times.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I model the 1970's/1980's on my own layout but model the 1950's/1970's on another layout I'm helping build.
Reason? A lot of travel around that period brought me to a whole host of intriguing possibilities as regards the RR's and their myriad approaches to transportation issues. I also found that, on a couple of locations at least, there were quite a few "steam" museums in the area I'm modelling. Just another excuse to build up small steam traction engines and such
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
1945-1965
USA operated the best passenger trains in the world in that era. This is before the government's policies put most trains out of busness in favor of highways and airways. .......
Also, most industries shipped by rail in small carloads. Switching to serve all of the industries is a fun aspect of this hobby.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Model the Santa Fe in 1989, in Oklahoma, heavy wheat movement, grain trains, also included is the BN Avard sub from Tulsa (staging) to Avard and Waynoka on ATSF, also staging.
My dad was a Santa Fe switch engineer, and we lived at Enid Okla from the time I was in 3rd grade until I graduated from Seminary. I worked for Santa Fe as an extra board clerk during summers while going to seminary. Graduated from seminary, went to a church in Kansas near Topeka, needed extra income, worked nights in the Santa Fe GOB at Topeka, got caught in the search for candidates to go to IBM school, and the rest of my adult working days I worked in the computer programming field in Kansas City and served small churches as a pastor. Now I am retired. My layout, which was started in 1984, recreates the part of the Santa Fe I grew up around. I model the main from Oklahoma City through Guthrie on the layout, then into Arkansas City staging.. I also have the Enid District modeled from Guthrie through Enid, Cherokee and into Kiowa KS and then into Waynoka staging.
Bob
I'm 41 years old and have no interest in even photographing the modern era. To me "modern" would be the Big Alco era of the '70's--and I have no desire at all for anything following that. I have very vague memories of having seen the Reading Alco Centuries, and the CP big Alco/MLW's.
At least in part because I completely detest celcon handrails on diesels, and in part because I have small boys at home (small boys are fascinated with steam power), I've opted to sell all the diesels and model steam power only--but as late as 1959 (so that I can have 1959 era freight cars which have slightly more colorful paint schemes, etc.).
Really, it would be more accurate to say I'm modeling the transition era, but just without any diesels present on the layout (they're always somewhere else far far away).
My layout is 3 scenes from the Southwest, with more than one railroad represented--I just basically buy what I like. There's a Tucson-area Saguaro desert scene that basically blends into mojave desert. There's an autumn Utah red-rock Echo Canyon-type scene on UP, and a winter scene with roughcut red-rock tunnel portals.
My motive power currently includes 4-12-2's, 4-6-6-4's, and one weathered 4-8-8-4 (Athearn Genesis due very soon). When I am able to get my hands on a good SP 4-10-2, I'll likely get one of those too (or the UP rebuilt 4-10-2).
Future steam power may include SP 4-8-2's, UP 2-10-2's, and DRGW 4-8-2's, as available models and funds allow.
John
Heartland Division CB&QUSA operated the best passenger trains in the world in that era. This is before the government's policies put most trains out of busness in favor of highways and airways.
While most people think of his period as the zenith of US railroading, it was actually an era of huge compression and the era when the fall was accerlerating. The zenith was probably in the 1920's, after that US rail mileage began to contract. Coal was falling out of favor as a general heating fuel and so the eastern roads were in a large part circling the bowl. By the 1960's the weak roads were failing or laying on the floor twitching, the LNE, NYO&W, CRIP, LV. Even the mighty PRR and NYC were in trouble. It wasn't until the next "big thing", computers, came in the 1970's that railroads started to pull out of the nose dive and by the end of the 80's the changes in regulation, etc allowed the railroads to actually begin to expand again. While the "transition era" was cool because of the mix of power and big steam engines a lot of the railroads were actually dead men walking.
From what I've seen the US railroads peaked in the 1920's, bottomed out in the 1970's and are in the midst of a climb to a new peak right now.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I model the Iowa Division of the Milwaukee Road from 1979-1985 since cabooses still ran back then.I lived 40 miles from Perry,Iowa and got to see trains on the Iowa Division a couple of time until the March 1980 shut down.I went to Davenport,Ottumwa and Washington to watch the Milwaukee Road until the Soo Line take over in 1986.
dehusman While most people think of his period as the zenith of US railroading, it was actually an era of huge compression and the era when the fall was accerlerating. The zenith was probably in the 1920's, after that US rail mileage began to contract. Coal was falling out of favor as a general heating fuel and so the eastern roads were in a large part circling the bowl. By the 1960's the weak roads were failing or laying on the floor twitching, the LNE, NYO&W, CRIP, LV. Even the mighty PRR and NYC were in trouble. It wasn't until the next "big thing", computers, came in the 1970's that railroads started to pull out of the nose dive and by the end of the 80's the changes in regulation, etc allowed the railroads to actually begin to expand again. While the "transition era" was cool because of the mix of power and big steam engines a lot of the railroads were actually dead men walking. From what I've seen the US railroads peaked in the 1920's, bottomed out in the 1970's and are in the midst of a climb to a new peak right now.
While you are very correct from an accounting or boardroom standpoint, the outward appearance and public face of the railroads was very good in the early 50's and did not start to decline until the early 60's - but it did decline quickly when the post war attempts at rebuilding and reorganizing began to fail.
And the government helped cause that failure with its policies on piggyback and other freight tariff regulations (over regulation that should have ended decades before then) and passenger service which the railroads spent a ton of money trying to recapture with no support from the goverment.
Had the government deregulated both the railroads and the trucking industry in 1950, there might not hardly be a tractor trailer on an Interstate highway today, they would likely all be on flat cars except for local deliveries.
My father worked for the Southern Rwy in the early 60's, as a piggyback system manager. Everyone saw the opertunity but the tariff system tied their hands in terms of being competitive.
It took the government 3 decades to get out of the way, by that time, trucks and trains where deep in competition with each other rather than working together as it could have been. We are only now starting to see intermodel come into its potential - Think of all the oil that could have been saved (even then trains got 5x the ton miles per gallon of a truck), traffic problems lessened, tax dollars saved, Thank you Washington!
Sheldon
I model what I see in front of me. I also happen to model all that I've seen for the fairly short (as compared to a lot of y'all) 26 years that I've been around. I'm modelling the CSX Dothan Subdivision from Montgomery, AL (the town of my birth, where I was raised) through Dothan, AL (as compared to the sub's terminus in Thomasville, GA). I currently live in Troy, AL, basically the mid-point of the section of line I'm modelling, so watching the grain moves, along with the mixed freights is fun for me.
I'd love to model way the area looked back when, I've always liked the ACL colors, but its harder for me to find the information necessary to do such. Perhaps as time goes on and more and more information might come available, I can model an earlier time, but since I didn't come along until 1983, when Seaboard was running the rails through here, its harder for me to relate to the earlier time period.
West Coast S In my world it is never earlier then 1925 or later then 1927, I faithfully model the SP Ojai branch which was a major source of citrus and produce among other commidities, until 1932 the SP provided Pullman service for resort patrons, thus a good blend of operations are possible. As paved roads developed, many shippers abandoned rail service, changes within the industry also impacted later rail service. To be a glutton for punishment, i've chosen S scale where it has been necessary to scratchbuild or kitbash virtually all the motive power and a great precentage of the rolling stock. I can't precisely say where I get my inspiration, perhaps growing up in the Northern California foothills where we harvested an apple crop each year and pears every other year for sale to the local co-op where it was shipped by rail might factor into it.8D] Dave
In my world it is never earlier then 1925 or later then 1927, I faithfully model the SP Ojai branch which was a major source of citrus and produce among other commidities, until 1932 the SP provided Pullman service for resort patrons, thus a good blend of operations are possible. As paved roads developed, many shippers abandoned rail service, changes within the industry also impacted later rail service. To be a glutton for punishment, i've chosen S scale where it has been necessary to scratchbuild or kitbash virtually all the motive power and a great precentage of the rolling stock.
I can't precisely say where I get my inspiration, perhaps growing up in the Northern California foothills where we harvested an apple crop each year and pears every other year for sale to the local co-op where it was shipped by rail might factor into it.8D]
Dave
Hauling citrus? You just sparked my interest. I model the PRR and have lived in the east coast all my life, but there is something beautiful about California. Thanks for sharing your story. Do you have any pictures of the Ojai Branch during the 20's? Or perhaps some photos of your work?
To the OP, I model the PRR because I grew up (and still live) around Philadelphia, and there is a lot of unique railroad history here, like the Baldwin Locmotive works that was in Eddystone, PA. I also have a fondness for Pennsylvania in general, I think there are some beautiful scenic areas around Lancaster, and farther west past Harrisburg. In particular though, I have always been in awe of the intricate catenary system used in and around Philadelphia, although I model the 1940s mostly, its still nice to see modern acela trains glide under the wire near Upenn.
I also like the Reading, and the Norfolk and Western railroads, beautiful area, and unique railways. Again mainly the 1940s, but sometimes earlier.
Alot of interesting responses!
For me I really like being able to model what I can see. I like the look of new deisles, like the look of long coal trains, huge yards, etc.
I haven't really been rail fanning lately, only a few times have I been to a real yard, but when summer comes, and my new layout gets more complete (well it's never completely complete..right), I will be getting out and seeing alot of action! And get instant satisfaction of the "hey I got that on my layout!!" kinda of thing.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
I model the Driline Quad Cities circa 1995 because it was right here in my home town and I was the last person to take pictures of the engines as they left when it was dissolved.
It was a 37 mile railroad that functioned as an industrial switching and freight transfer railroad co-owned by both the BN and Soo Line.
dehusman Heartland Division CB&QUSA operated the best passenger trains in the world in that era. This is before the government's policies put most trains out of busness in favor of highways and airways. While most people think of his period as the zenith of US railroading, it was actually an era of huge compression and the era when the fall was accerlerating. The zenith was probably in the 1920's, after that US rail mileage began to contract. Coal was falling out of favor as a general heating fuel and so the eastern roads were in a large part circling the bowl. By the 1960's the weak roads were failing or laying on the floor twitching, the LNE, NYO&W, CRIP, LV. Even the mighty PRR and NYC were in trouble. It wasn't until the next "big thing", computers, came in the 1970's that railroads started to pull out of the nose dive and by the end of the 80's the changes in regulation, etc allowed the railroads to actually begin to expand again. While the "transition era" was cool because of the mix of power and big steam engines a lot of the railroads were actually dead men walking. From what I've seen the US railroads peaked in the 1920's, bottomed out in the 1970's and are in the midst of a climb to a new peak right now.
Just to clear up my perspective, I think the streamliners were the best. Dome cars, in particluar, were nice. I grew up next to Burlington's triple track mainline out of Chicago watching zephyrs and some NP and GN passenger trains. Santa Fe's mainline was a few miles south of me, and it was good to go see the warbonnets. Our family traveled by rail in late 1940's to early 1960's, and there were many very nice trains. We traveled CBQ, ATSF, SP, UP, IC, MILW, CNW, UP, PRR, NYC, B&O, ACL, and others.
Yes, the ridership began to decline as modern highways and airports were constructed. 707's and DC8's were flying by 1960. GM was advertising "See the USA in your Chevrolet". Competition precluded railroads from raising fares to match cost inflation, and by 1960 service was being reduced. The era of great passenger travel by rail was over.
That, to me, is enough reason to have model trains. In my little word, Zephys, Chiefs, the Empire Builder (orange of coures), and the North Coast Limited are still serving my 1/87 scale population. I enjoy every minute.
I model the Seaboard Air Line operating on the West Coast of Florida up to about 1948/49 or there abouts. There are many things that attract me to these three primary elements of a model railroad that appeal to me - the railroad company, the era and geographical location. I have formed an emotional attachment to them to the extent that I have an ambition to create these elements in scale model form. I am happy that I am a child of the late 1940's and the 1950's. I can model late steamers and first generation diesels with their striking paint schemes..
I like coastal locations, the Sea, and industries like fishing and modeling a suggestion of the presence of the Navy and the Coast Guard. Various styles of architecture and industrial design - automobiles, trucks, airliners - I relate to all those things and so I want to model them. It's all an escape from the present and into the past.
Bruce
Summer 2005
Reason is because that is when I was in Montana going to Montana State University. Sure college is 4 years but that was the year that MRL got their ACe's but also used a lot of their other old engines too. So I can still model engines like MRL's F45s as helpers and when Athearn Genesis provides me with MRL SD70ACe units I can model them too.
Sadly, I moved back to California a month before MRL got their ACes. Not a good move but I had to for a job. So to this day I have not see a SD70ACe in blue and black.
Also, this was the time that BNSF was coming out the the new logo. Cars and engines with the logo gives me a reason to keep them looking clean.
I'm considering the idea of what Joe Fugate does with his railroad: if it is 2010 then on his layout it is 1980. 2011-1981, 2012-1982, and so on. Kind of a cool idea, but for now, it 2005 for me.
--Zak Gardner
My Layout Blog: http://mrl369dude.blogspot.com
http://zgardner18.rrpicturearchives.net
VIEW SLIDE SHOW: CLICK ON PHOTO BELOW
I submit one correction: computers did not help railroads pull out of the nosedive, but in the well-documented case of Penn Central actually accelerated the nosedive. Both PRR and NYC had computers in the 1960's--and they merged the two railroads together without considering that their 2 computer systems were incapable of communicating with each other. The resulting confusion did nothing to help an already bad situation.
Also, with their profitable 2,000 mile nominal mainline haul between Chicago and the West Coast, or New Orleans and the West Coast, the western railroads during the transition era were far from "dead men walking". Many were in the black. As documented by Fred Frailey in Twilight of the Great Trains, some truly first class railroads like the Santa Fe seriously considered opting out of Amtrak and continuing to run their own passenger trains (as Southern, D&H, and Rio Grande actually did, at least for awhile.) As a matter of company pride, the decision to end passenger service was very difficult for the Santa Fe, but without the mail contract, became easier.
Respectfully submitted--
regarding dis-similar computer systems, i was there when it happened. NYC used IBM for their car reporting system at even in those early days it was far superior to anything else available. PRR, on the other hand, used a Frieden card system that required to car movement car to travel with the waybill. i think it was an outgrowth of Singer Sewing machines.
in order to run a wheel report for an outbound train, with IBM the clerk just cut a couple of header cards and then put the whole deck in the keypunch machine and went and got a cup of coffee. this could even be done after the train had departed. the PRR system required the giant sized card to be folded into the waybill and a clerk had to hand feed the cards through the reader one at a time producing a punched tape that would later be transmitted by wire. it took about a half hour or more to run a 100 car wheel report and the train could not leave until this was done since the cards had to travel with the car waybills.
upon the PC merger in 1968 we Big Four types couldn't believe the wooden axle system they were using. of course after we stopped laughing we just cashed in on the overtime and laughed all the way to the bank.
by the way, nobody had figured on the problems with locomotives either. NYC engineers' agreement called for arm rests and the P company had mostly bar stool seats. 40% of their engineers would not accept 60% of the merged company's power for a lead unit.
grizlump
I model 1997 or 2000, as I think it's a pretty good golden age of shortlines in the sense I want to model them. I originally started out with an era of 1971-2009 and then slowly worked to narrow down that era as my layout took form. I model the diesel era for two reasons:
1. I'm an n scaler, and there's a HECK of a lot more diesel era stuff available than steam era.
2. I was born in 1994, and I've grown up with the modern diesels, although I actually like 1st and 2nd gen and also GP38-2s, SD40-2s, and GP40-2s.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Packers#1 2. I was born in 1994, and I've grown up with the modern diesels,
2. I was born in 1994, and I've grown up with the modern diesels,
Wow. I RETIRED in 1992.
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Burlington Northern, 1975-1985. That period allows me to run ALCOs, Bicenntenial, tiger-striped, and patched units. As for choosing the BN while in Florida and never actually seeing it, it was a fluke.
Had other factors kicked in, I would have doing the SP in the 90s, or the Omaha Road (CN&W subsidy my great grandfather worked for) in the 20s.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
CN and CP, transition to modern. Why? Because as much as I love steam, I can't resist beautiful diesels. I swap out vehicles as required, and try to use buildings that are somewhat time-generic. My imagination is strong enough to overlook the anachronisms that remain. At least for me, life is too short to deny myself the pleasure of both steam and diesel. To each his own. Cheers.
I do model the 1950s and it was a real easy choice. Everything I wanted in a model railroad happened in the 1950s. In no particular order, these are the reasons.
1. Transition period. This is the most obvious. If you want both steam and diesel, its either the late 1940s or the 1950s. It's not just that I can run both types of motive power either. I have a fondness for first generation diesels, E and F units, Geeps, and RSes. I just don't see much that I like in the later decades.
2. Passenger trains. Sure passenger travel has survived in one form or another but the 1950s was the end of passenger service's heydey. People still routinely traveled between cities on trains and the railroads were still making the effort to hang on to the train travelers. I'm not sure what year the airlines overtook the railroads for intercity travel but I'm guessing it was some time in the latter 1950s. By the 1960s, the railroads had pretty much given up the fight. The handwriting was on the wall. Routes were cut and service downgraded. But in the 1950s, I can still run just about every type of passenger train I choose from a first class limited to commuter trains.
3. Retail railroading. So much of what I see in modern railroading is unit trains from a big shipper to a big customer. In the 1950s, I still have lots of opportunity to spot one or two cars for a wide variety of shippers and receivers.
4. Rolling stock. I like 40 and 50 foot boxcars and I want roofwalks on all of them. Model railroads have practical limits on the length of our trains so I would rather have more cars of a shorter length which adds interest.
5. Cabeese. I know they survived into the 1980s so this doesn't dictate the 1950s to me but pretty much rules out anything from about the mid 1980s forward. An added plus is that typically, a caboose was assigned to a particular crew in the 1950s which gives me a reason to have a large caboose fleet.
6. Peripherals. I like automobiles from that decade. I like the houses from that period. Businesses had more character too. Ma and Pa grocery stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies were still common back then before the big box stores ran most of them out of business. Besides the asthetics, it is much easier to find room on a model railroad for a small hardware store or grocery store than to make space for a Home Depot, Wal-mart, or Kroger's.