How many of you use real railroad pictures for a freight car or diesel before purchasing? To see if its prototypical set in that era. Or do you just buy them because you need it and makes no difference.
I'm just asking a general question what do you do when planning on buying a new car or locomotive.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
When I try to get a new freight car or diesel I look at pictures to see if the paint scheme is true and/or real. For any era for that matter. That helps me if it's worth buying or not.
I even watch railroad videos also when they're around to check on paint schemes on both equipment.
For cars and locos of my followed prototype, I try to make sure that the cars are reasonably close in style and lettering to represent the original, and the locos are reasonably close to correct. I have a couple Color Guides and Motive Power books that I use for reference.
For cars that are not of my followed prototype, I check to see if the build dates are reasonable for the era I model, and that the cars themselves are close to what the prototype would look like. For these cars, I don't worry about if the number of side ribs are correct, as an example, unless I have seen some information that would make me knowledgeable about that particular car. But I don't go out of my way to seek out such information. I figure that I can't possibly be an "expert" on everything.
For locos not of my followed prototype, well, I don't buy them at all. Saves me from wasting a lot of money on stuff that is nice but that I don't need (like GG-1s).
I try to fine ones that fit my era and for motive power, that are for home roads. I like accurate build dates but most of the time, that is not possible. Next I look for quality like Tichy etc.
angelob6660I'm just asking a general question what do you do when planning on buying a new car or locomotive.
Yes,no and maybe..
Yes,to see if the car's scheme fits my era..You see just because a car's built date is 1976 does it's scheme fit 78-80?
The no part is simple..I know all my IPD era boxcars can be used between 78-80.I know my SP,MP,UP,Rio Grande,Chessie,Railbox,Railgon,C&O,B&O,WM,D&M,B&M etc is good since they are the the cars of 78-80 time period.
Maybe meaning probably like a PC boxcar,PRR covered hoppers,Reading and other CR roads that hasn't been through the paint shops..
I am well aware that some of my cars isn't 100% correct but,close enough for me and I know my BB boxcars is a foot to wide.
As far as locomotives I check the roster and the paint scheme before buying to ensure it fits 78-80.
However,I bent that rule just enough to include Seaboard System(formed by merger in 1982) but,none sub lettered CSX even though the thought has cross my mind but,that might be to far fetch since I'm already squeezing Seaboard System into my time period.
Here's the reason..
As everybody knows I collect IPD boxcars and boxcars in general and the majority here may not know is for decades I been wanting to model SCL/Seaboard System so,at 66 I decided it was now or never and gritted my teeth and bent my own correct era rules..
I don't regret my decision..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
If you're familiar with your prototype, there's often little need to check a pic. Most of the time things are obviously wrong enough, you know...
Just kidding. Depends on what you model. But the fact is you should be at least familiar enough with your favorite road that looking up a pic will either be the last thing you do or not really necessary at all. Either it doesn't work for you or you see it and can say, "That's it!"
Sure, you can turn up pics that will show small differences, but if a model is done well, it overcomes those in overall effect and this sells itself to the consumer.
In fact, for some folks who suffer from terminal rivet counting syndrome (TRCS) they should never look at a pic or they'll never buy a model. Keeps costs way down, but doesn't sound like much fun as a hobby.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I read the lube plates on the model. I model the mid to late 70's - if the lube plate is dated beyond that, I don't bother.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
angelob6660 Or do you just buy them because you need it and makes no difference.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I follow 2 strategies.
1. I buy S scale cars that are appropriate to the early 50's and not later than 1952. I buy S scale engines that are a reasonably close match to the Ma&Pa of 1952 plus a couple for connecting roads.
2. I buy what appeals to me in various scales to include N, HO, S, 3 rail O, 2 rail O, Sn2, On30.
Enjoy
Paul
Maybe a better title for this thread would be "buying equipment after research" because I think most of us who have been at model railroading for a while have read enough or learned enough to have a basic sense of era when looking at a piece of rolling stock. If we have a favorite railroad we probably know most about its equjipment and paint scheme dates, but there is also generic knowledge -- when did the ACI labels first appear (and start to disappear), when did the lube plates first show up, when were running boards on car roofs prohibited, that sort of thing. There is no one book, or website, that tells you all these things. It is a learning process. I happen to find that kind of research both enjoyable and rewarding. I try to remain pretty pure to my era with what I buy and do my best to be disciplined about it.
I do know some modelers who find it very enjoyable to seek out prototype photos of the very locomotive or freight car number they have on their layouts. But they usually bought the car or engine first, and later found the photo.
Dave Nelson
I am working on a Canadian Pacific FP7A and an FP9A as well as 3 FB units by InterMountain. I was using the Canadian Pacific Diesel Locomotive Roster as a reference for detailing the locomotives:
http://www.trainweb.org/galt-stn/cproster/topindex.htm
I discovered that pictures can be misleading. The F unit pictures in the roster were not dated. I am modelling the late 50's. The pictures showed several details which I thought would look great on the engines. Fortunately I asked the forum members about the dates when these details would have appeared before I started drilling holes. Two members, Mark R and cx500, answered my questions very clearly and I learned that the details I was thinking of applying were installed much more recently so they obviously were not appropriate for my era. Here is the thread:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/229174.aspx
My point is that you should do a little research before simply relying on a picture alone. That is not news to most of you but for those who are not familiar with the details of their roads I would suggest that you exercise a little caution before blindly charging ahead, which I have a habit of doing. Hey - I'm a Taurus. What do you expect from a bull?!? . I'm learning - slowly!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
When I was building up my N scale Santa Fe passenger car fleet (I now have pretty much everything I need- WHEN I get around to building what I've got), I made up a little book of my own of copies of both-side-view photos or scale drawings of Santa Fe cars- photocopied to N scale and pasted on pages by car type and number- RPO, baggage-express, coach, lounge, diner, sleeper, obs., etc. I carried this around when I expecteds to be near a hobby shop or train show, and could compare window arrangements, details etc against the prototypes I was seeking.
Now I do so much of my shopping online and have the convenience of being able to quickly research conformance against my files. I have been cross-referencing and indexing photos and plans of cars I think I may want to model, from prototypes from 1920 to 1960, from issues of Model Railroader, RMC, Prototype Modeler, Model Railroading, Rail Model Journal and the various incarnations of Santa Fe modeling organization. The Santa Fe group(s) from their inception and MR pretty complete from 1966. So I have about 25 computer files by railroad of cars, further categorized by car type and number series. For Santa Fe only, I have about 25 more computer files by the railroad's car class (BX, FE, GA etc) This allows me to track down photos from my library and compare them to model photos before I buy. And to give me an idea how my work I'm going to have to do to get what I want.
Doesn't everybody do this?
Most of you look for building plates and similar paint schemes. What happens when you get a boxcar that's painted red in the 1954, but than it looks green in 1968 with the same build date?
When that happens what you do next?
For my locomotives, I try to work from photos because there are so many 'custom' details that one railroad may use and others may not. A case in point is the location of the bell. On MEC second generation diesels, the bell was on the side of the long hood on the fireman's side ahead of the dynamic brake blister; on early first generation GPs the bell was on the nose of the short hood. This was changed in later years. Other RR put the bell under the walkway or some other location. The same applies to horns, radio antennas, sunshades, etc. Sometimes factory installed equipment was moved when the loco went to the shop.
For freight cars, I try to get them with an appropriate build date for my timeframe.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
angelob6660 Most of you look for building plates and similar paint schemes. What happens when you get a boxcar that's painted red in the 1954, but than it looks green in 1968 with the same build date? When that happens what you do next?
I model the Santa Fe (and a bit of the IC) circa "the 50s". I have a plethora of reference books, so I can easily determine what fits my time frame and what doesn't. We all have our rules for our RRs, and my primary one is nothing is bought if the prototype was built later than 1959.
Of course I also care about the rolling stock on my layout "making sense". The generic setting is the midwest from Illinois to Texas, and some RR cars would just be out of place. I.E. distant road hoppers, etc.
Some folks don't care what they have, and others have more stringent requirements than I have. And all of that is OK, for if its your RR, do what makes you feel good.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
angelob6660How many of you use real railroad pictures for a freight car or diesel before purchasing? To see if its prototypical set in that era. Or do you just buy them because you need it and makes no difference. I'm just asking a general question what do you do when planning on buying a new car or locomotive.
I first saw the famous Santa Fe FT 100 "first run" publicity shot in 1973. I finally got the all the equipment to reproduce it when Walther's came out with the 50" ice hatch reefers in 2008, so it only took me 35 years.
From WikiMedia Commons:
angelob6660What happens when you get a boxcar that's painted red in the 1954, but than it looks green in 1968 with the same build date? When that happens what you do next?
I am probably a greater offender in this department. I don't only check photos (often using them as a basis for my goals as Texas Zephyr does), but I check car assignments and diagrams. I model the Northeast Corridor in the late 70s, and there are a few great resources out there. The book "Amtrak Annual 1978-1979" not only has consist information, but a really basic roster. This roster includes car assignments for February 1977. The book "Amtrak by the Numbers" fills in most of the blanks, and an "Amtrak Passenger Car Plan and Data Manual" I have fills in the minor details and allows me to easily spot the minor variations.In fact, I don't even need pictures at least when it comes to some Amtrak cars, but I am a researcher at heart so I try to acquire photos anyway. I think what really helps though, is that my research efforts are relatively focused. I picked a particular time of day during a particular month of a particular year. This lets me pick up cars confidently. Some think this is a bit much, but in reality, it really isn't. I don't mind doing the research and digging up the facts. Its a great way to learn new things or find interesting stories. In the end, I get the added benefit of having a train that is not only prototypical, but potentially has an interesting prototype history to go with it. It also is a great tie-breaker when I see a few cars or locomotives I want.
Modeling Conrail, Amtrak and NJ DOT under the wires in New Jersey, July 1979.
Not really, equipment purchases are made based on road name, era relevance, and/or I feel I need that piece of equipment. I love my seattle north coast stuff even though it doesn't fit.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
I do freelanced in the 1950's so anything within that era is fine with me (even earlier repainted into the fictional railroad). I;ve started to narrow down my Pennsy fleet to the Keystone logo before teh shadow, but I am stretching history enough to allow a single T1 to run a LD passenger train, and to put off the diesel invasion for another 10 years or so.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).