What Era Are You Modeling?

[Dave Schneider]

Quote from: Dave Schneider on Today at 03:08:03 AM

    Has to be summer, because that is a great season for beer.

BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEER DRINKING WEATHER!!!!!!

Absolutely! I should have stated that beer shipments increased on the Beer Line during summer.

Best wishes, Dave

[GP38-2freak]

1976...the year I was born so I can run units from PC,Conrail, BN and other roads...but that is future as I just started building the doors and laying foam on it...

Tim

[ErnieC]

May as well post as the minority needs to have their say...
I'm modeling 1930, lumber industry on it's last legs in PA, later than that would eliminate the industry I'm depending on for operating fun. Of course there are a few diesels hiding in the cracks, all ATSF zebra stripes and pre-1950. (it's easy to blot out the small ATSF heralds) so I can update the railroad to the 40's if my steamers give out. 
Ernie C

[Mr Z]

I also am modeling multiple era's
  Maine Central - just prior to Guilford
  Maine Central - steam/diesal transition
  Central New York in the 70's

Of course I also have a number of items which don't quite fit; i.e. Bicentennial D&H, the latest Amtrak Heritage engines, and I have on order the E5 set that Kato just announced.

Martin Z

[Chris333]

We (steam modelers) finally reached 5.  Woohoo

[UP4-8-8-4]

     I've always ran Transition Era.
But new planned full basement layout will also be Transition Era, but will have large lift out mountain areas that will hide the diesel serviceing facilitys so I can also run a 100% Steam Era.



Ernie

[bill pearce]

This is a flawed survey. The catagory Diesel Era covers more years than Steam and Transition combined. We need to be able to find out if there are others like me that model specific times in the so-called diesel era so we can show manufacturers why we need more things from the sixties. I guess all the guys in manufacturing were there in the sixties and therefore can't remember it.n
ah, well, I only remember bits and pieces, but I didn't choose that era based on personal memories.

[VirginaCSX]

Modern era (present time)  Just like those big six axle diesels, the more the better.

[C855B]

This is a flawed survey. The catagory Diesel Era covers more years than Steam and Transition combined. ...

Agreed. Nearly all of "my" diesels (late 1st- and early 2nd-generation) are long gone. My desired locomotive modeling experience ends with Pinkepank's Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. GEVO? What the heck is that? A pasta sauce?

However, the breakdowns aren't easy, and finer subdivisions than in the poll invariably generate controversy. There have been numerous similar discussions on model railroading forums since... well, since there were model railroad forums. What I have learned is there is little consensus on where the eras begin and end. Heck, there's not even agreement on "transition".

[Packer]

For me, I picked diesel.

I'm modeling BN from 1976 until 1985. I get to keep my Bicentennials, Alcos and Fs; but get to run some SD60s, GP50s, 8-32B, and a few others.

[PRRATSF]

PRR 58-68 Spruce Creek tunnels to Forge Tower. I get all excited when I see a stone arch bridge!!!

Sam

[kelticsylk]

The original idea for the Allegheny Eastern was to model the Pennsy in 1859. I had purchased tons of Mantua 1860's freight cars and coaches and even kitbashed some with "monitor" roofs. All the locomotives were Mantua 4-4-0's. And I was trying to figure a way to kitbash an 0-8-0 Winans's "camel".  The trouble was that HO was too big to model the "bigness" of the PRR (it was huge even in 1859). I sold all the stuff on E-Bay. I thought to go to N scale, but the only 4-4-0's were the Bachmann loco's. I still think it might have been a cool layout, but ended up modeling the late 40's (1940, not 1840).

And that's how this...

Turned into this...

The unfinished layout in the video is now under reconstruction. Hopefully it will do the PRR justice.

Frank

[Nato]

        I agree,the diesel era,besides transition should be broken down into generational catagories, first generation.second generation etc. I actually have five steam locomotives parked on my layout right now, which can be run during my operating sessions, two are steam switchers,one of them could be used in the yard,three are road engines. If a modeler is going to run all 100% steam then why not get rid of all those diesels, whiy hide them? iknow I'am a great one to talk with a S**t Pot of locomotives and a hobby shop's worth of cars.Why not just do the transition thing and mix them together, or run different eras during different months (which I was once going to do) and make the era specific buildings interchangeable?                          Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[Mark5]

Era?

I model 1974 primarily (give or take a few years).

I have a secondary interest in summer 1955 (N&W was 100% steam then).

N&W Pokey.

Mark

[CBQ Fan]

Late transition / diesel...1955-1965.
But, you won't find many steamers on my roster, pretty much for the same reason the railroads were swapping out for diesels...steam is too hard to maintain.

This is the same time frame for me.  I make it broad enough that I can run anything Q that I really like.