Tony Koester's article in Feb 2020's MRR struck a chord with me.
Thru-out MRR 2019, I noticed the number of Transition Era Layouts and manufactured offerings. Possibly TE is a very popular type of Modelling?
Until I became interested in modelling USA R/R's, I had been modelling British Railways in the late 1960's, when they were going thru the same dark period as were USA R/R's that Tony mentions. But as I got older and reflected on my childhood memories compared to their eventual outcome, it was becoming a bit depressing, uninspiring and I was disillusioned with modelling BR. No interest in present day BR, at all.
Then I stumbled on a Youtube vid of a Switcher in Chicago 'spotting' freight cars at an Industry. Another of Freight & Commuter 'street-running' in Michigan City. Wow, fantastic! I learned about Conrail, the 4R Act and Staggers Act. I even had to Google 'Team Track'? The equivalent of British 'Goods Sheds' - that were all annihilated decades ago. All these things made me dump BR, very quickly.
What makes modelling USA R/R's the 'good new days', for me, is that Street-running, Spotting Freight-cars, and Team-tracks are happening now. It is going on right this very moment, not way back in 1968
Present day USA R/R's has been a new dawn for me, a new lease of life for my interest in Railways/Railroads and modelling them. Not quite the whys and wherefores that Tony writes of, but it keeps me rolling. Paul.
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
It does seem like US railroads - and hence US model railroaders - do tend to focus more on freight than passenger trains, unlike their UK counterparts. Someone once said if you say "train" to an Englishman he'll picture a passenger train, whereas an American would picture a freight train.
Americans embraced air travel and Eisenhower built the Interstates. Now we have 10 - 16 lanes of gridlock in American cities and we are left with a feeble Amtrak and some regional commuter lines
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Very true wjstix! Definitely partially due to the fact that American passenger trains are unprofitable for all of recent history! Still we do seem to make a bigger deal of passenger rail than in 1:1!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
BigDaddyow we have 10 - 16 lanes of gridlock in American cities
.
I believe traffic flow has been slowly getting better over the past 20 years.
I know Atlanta has become easier to get around. Miami has improved a lot. Jacksonville is many hundreds of percents better than just five years ago. Chicago seems better, but I only get there every five years or so. Even Dallas has improved a lot from my experiences. Charlotte has not improved much, but it is not terrible either.
Orlando was improved a lot with the Central Florida Expressway System, and now Interstate 4 is getting a full rebuild. That will make Orlando a dream.
Traffic is not going to get lighter, but it seems that all the new construction projects are making it flow better upon completion.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Some places that works, but it takes so long to get any such project complete that by the time they finish adding 2 lanes to the major roads, the population density is such that they need 4 new lanes.
If not for traffic, it should only take me 2 hours to get to either NYC or Washington DC. In reality, it takes 4 or more. So I ALWAYS take the train, it's a half hour easy drive to the train station, and from there I can relax until I get to either city. What's unfortunate is that the train station is never near the businesses we deal with in Philadelphia, or I would never drive that either.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
LazersNo interest in present day BR, at all.
Well, there is no "present day BR". British Rail has been divided up again, after a period of utter neglect. There are now 25 private companies operating in Britain, some with grand old names like GWR and NER.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Amtrak's short Hiawatha service (Chicago to Milwaukee) has been steadily growing.
The wife and I take it whenever we go to Chicago. Trains are full, and more trainsets being added.
The newer sets include the Siemans SC 44's.
We like making the road builders fat and happy here in the US. They have a lobby you won't believe.
Listen in on the Trains forum sometime.
Mike.
My You Tube
SeeYou190 BigDaddy ow we have 10 - 16 lanes of gridlock in American cities . I believe traffic flow has been slowly getting better over the past 20 years. -Kevin .
BigDaddy ow we have 10 - 16 lanes of gridlock in American cities
Highways aside, "transition era" modeling has been popular for a long time, probably because freight cars are shorter, passenger service remains, and people like to run both steam and diesel power.
I model the '70s and find the pre-Staggers Act and pre-container era of railroad is pretty interesting but neglected by the model press (except for some of Jeff Wilson's books). Some of the newer manufacturers are introducing products. Books and websites concentrating on the 60s and 70s are emerging.
RR_MelI can tell you haven’t been to LA in a long time!
I have only been to L.A. one time, this past April.
I drove right through downtown L.A. on the expressways at about 8:30 in the morning on the way to the coast. I saw no traffic problems, and only slight congestion, the entire trip.
Maybe I hit it on a perfect day, but it did not seem all that bad to me.
Like I said... only once.
Anybody that thinks traffic flow is getting better need only spend time on the Colorado Front Range or attempt a trip west of Denver, especially on a weekend, to have a complete attitude adjustment in the matter.
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LazersWhat makes modelling USA R/R's the 'good new days', for me, is that Street-running, Spotting Freight-cars, and Team-tracks are happening now. It is going on right this very moment, not way back in 1968
In today's railroad terms there is no team track only transload track.. They are basically the same with "transload track" as the modern marketing term.
Oddly these Transload tracks are own by the railroad and operated by a transload specality company. Any type of freight from boxcars to covered hoppers can be unloaded. Tank cars are unloaded directly into tank trailers. Centerbeams require equal unloading from the sides to avoid the car from tipping over so,there is a paved area on both sides of the track.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I haven't got the cash to truely modern the "new days" but my 80's and 90's colleciton scratches the childhood throwback vibe affordably while also feeling not-to-dissimilar from the equipment I see and photograph today.
As has been mentioned, I do think that transition remains a powerful era for many folks even beyond those who lived it because of the ability to include steam and some of the most attractive early diesel era equipment.
It's not for me though. I've got a couple steamers I'll run as historic equipment, but it's modern that appeals to me.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
BRAKIE Lazers What makes modelling USA R/R's the 'good new days', for me, is that Street-running, Spotting Freight-cars, and Team-tracks are happening now. It is going on right this very moment, not way back in 1968 In today's railroad terms there is no team track only transload track.. They are basically the same with "transload track" as the modern marketing term. Oddly these Transload tracks are own by the railroad and operated by a transload specality company. Any type of freight from boxcars to covered hoppers can be unloaded. Tank cars are unloaded directly into tank trailers. Centerbeams require equal unloading from the sides to avoid the car from tipping over so,there is a paved area on both sides of the track.
Lazers What makes modelling USA R/R's the 'good new days', for me, is that Street-running, Spotting Freight-cars, and Team-tracks are happening now. It is going on right this very moment, not way back in 1968
A privately owned AFAIK, lumber transload facility in Newnan GA. A great modeling opportunity. All it takes is some space and a chain linked fence.
http://www.newnantransload.com/about.html
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Newnan+Transload+Inc/@33.3892969,-84.8234193,319m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x974e02528ac8a789!8m2!3d33.3899553!4d-84.8222606
- Douglas
Graham Line Highways aside, "transition era" modeling has been popular for a long time, probably because freight cars are shorter, passenger service remains, and people like to run both steam and diesel power. I model the '70s and find the pre-Staggers Act and pre-container era of railroad is pretty interesting but neglected by the model press (except for some of Jeff Wilson's books). Some of the newer manufacturers are introducing products. Books and websites concentrating on the 60s and 70s are emerging.
A big factor in the popularity of the Transition Era is that many of us, particularly those who are done with children and work and finally have the time, are of that age. My original teenage layout was Late Transition, which at that time would have been Modern.
We still love steam engines, too, and the opportunity to run them in revenue service and not just on excursion trains, is also a big attraction.
Twenty years from now, let's see what things are like when the Boomers are all in nursing homes.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Atchee Anybody that thinks traffic flow is getting better need only spend time on the Colorado Front Range or attempt a trip west of Denver, especially on a weekend, to have a complete attitude adjustment in the matter.
LOL you can say that again. I was just there in July and wow, the traffic on 70 in the Idaho Springs aea was insane. Luckily most of the places I went to see on my free weekends, I was able to use 119 and 6 down from Blackhawk. When I went to Silver Plume to ride the train, it seemed most of the traffic was going the opposite way I was going.
I model about 1960 because the boxcars are shorter, (40' and 50') on my branchline. Shorter cars mean more on a passing track, and then more opportunities for spotting.
Interstates were built by President DDE to ease movement of military personnel and equipment in case of emergency. The other results were unintended.
Dave
deleted
Hi Brakie & Doughless,
Thanks for your updates, re Team-tracks. The info' is especially useful, since I had Centre-beam cars in mind, for my Transload operations. But I had a good read-up on Wiki.
Graham Line - I have just received my copy of 'Modern Freight Cars' by Jeff Wilson. For me, this will be a boon when I'm debating which second-hand Freight-stock to buy (i.e. I can afford) that is still present day. Not easy in the UK
Mister Beasley, my modelling of British Railways was also based on my youthful memories, but the equivelant of our Transition Era was marred by interferance, on the lefthand - bungling incompetance and on the righthand - fraudulent corruption. Enough said. After reading Tony Koester's column about the grim 'old' days on USA Railroads, I was reminded why I stepped away from BR 1960's and embraced USA R/R's today, because:-
Ulrich, I live right next to the London-Edinburgh mainline. There are plenty of Passenger trains but only about six Freights each day. The Freights are all (short) Unit-trains and they never vary. I find this totally uninspiring, compensated only by the sound of EMD Class 66 D/E engines.
So the fact that in the USA, there are still Spurs for use (and used) by the Public, in the form of Transload tracks - I find this type of example, an inspiration for modelling todays RR's.
Regards, Paul