Ideal era?

[wcfn100]

Oddball's got a fair amount. Microscale still has the stripe sets, though I don't know why they don't do a set with stripes AND logos (side and nose) AND lettering/numbers.

Some of Oddballs stuff is OK (the white ones), but I also have some that are unusable due to the halftone (anything else).  He can't print orange* or any type of imitation gold which makes the Lucky Strike logos and some lettering a problem.  I grabbed a bunch of MS decals when they discontinued them but a lot of those have registration issues.  At least they eventually got the color right, the first Lucky Strikes MS did were yellow instead of orange.    


Jason

*I guess he could with an expensive, OOP cartridge.

[TiVoPrince]

1940
availibility of Southern Pacific AC12 Cab-Aheads and Daylight GS4 models with appropriate cars make a Coast Line layout a reasonable dream.  If only I was starting with a blank slate and had a reasonable amount of space to execute such a plan...

[davefoxx]

Yup, that would describe me to a tee. Mid to late 1980's is when I started going foaming with Dad, and my era is set between 1987-89. This allows me to have all the operations and power I remember from my youth, like the Temagami ore trains on CN (assuming someone ever does the cars in N), F7A's and F7B's on CN, MLW's on CN and CP, vans, smooth-side passenger cars on VIA, graffiti free freightcars, branchlines, 40' boxcars (in Canada at least), open multilevels, unrebuilt GP9's, weekend warrior GO units on CP, leased ACR SD40's, ex. Chessie GP40's , ONT SD40-2's, CR35's on CP, leased B&LE SD9's on CN.

I like foaming modern stuff, but my heart is in my youth.

My era of choice tends to keep coming back to the early 1980s, which is when I was 10 to 15 years old.  That era still had cabooses and some first and second generation locomotives were still running strong.  I like Geeps, and there were many more four-axle locomotives back then.  This era can be pre-CSX and NS, which brings a lot of fallen flags back into the fold.  Good times.

DFF

[sirenwerks]

Some of Oddballs stuff is OK (the white ones), but I also have some that are unusable due to the halftone (anything else).  He can't print orange* or any type of imitation gold which makes the Lucky Strike logos and some lettering a problem.  I grabbed a bunch of MS decals when they discontinued them but a lot of those have registration issues.  At least they eventually got the color right, the first Lucky Strikes MS did were yellow instead of orange.    


Jason

*I guess he could with an expensive, OOP cartridge.

Jason,

Check your PM.

[wazzou]

Bryan -

I thought you were modeling late 1960's WP.

[FloridaBoy]

I think there is no such thing as an "Ideal Era".  I have pretty much the entire range from 1880 thru present and every one has its strengths and weaknesses.  My main "era" is the transition from post war to 1960, prox, because that is where I spent my impressionable youth.  I also speculate that all of us model a particular stage in our life where the presence of a train produced an big impression. 

Since all of us are of different ages, and from different parts, as the influence of rail varies in the geographic and historical eras.  Maybe if I were 6 in 1980, I might be really moved by GP38's as I am with steamers now.

When I was so adamant that the transition era was so definitive back a few years ago, I wanted to see why so many guys modeled modern era, or even the 18th Century and found I enjoyed them too.  Lucky my history in western Pa allows for "architectural stability" an old Lima steamer running through my scenery is just as home as an SD70Ace. 

What is most important is that although we may differ in our opinions as to what is the best era, we should respect the other's opinion as to why and how. 

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[sirenwerks]

A recent family reunion in Wisconsin and side trip to visit my sister in Iowa made me rethink the WP; and photos of Modutrak modules placed on this board pushed me over the edge. I have returned to an original Midwestern railroading infatuation and the CGW is leading the pack in terms of my interest.

I'm playing with a fantasy scenario though - 1969 and the C&NW inhaling didn't happen. Instead M&StL was merged into CGW and the two are healthy, and GP35s and 40s in red and Coca-Cola brown abound (maybe some Blomberg-trucked U30Bs if they ever happen). I'm still fleshing out how the traffic levels will be justified and I'm considering an additional fantasy as the basis for my layout - a CGW line over the Miss to Milwaukee (Red Wing to Eau Claire, Neenah, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee - via my Dad's hometown of West Bend); with some GN action from Minneapolis worked in. Rocky power run-through with Hill lines pulp traffic, and maybe even ore trains. It's a work-in-progress at this time and I need to get some more historical perspective before I say anything else (though input is welcome off-list).

[DKS]

What makes any particular era "ideal"? It's very likely different things for different people.

Most rail miles? That would be turn of the century (20th, that is).
Most varied locomotive types? Transition, of course.
Most easily modeled? Arguably modern, particularly true for smaller scales.

I personally like the transition era for its locomotive variety, but I'm not convinced I could model it faithfully enough. Yet I dislike the modern era for being rather homogenized and lacking in character. Given an opportunity to build a substantial layout again, likely I'd focus on the late 70s. Being an adult by then, I was able to appreciate railroads in a meaningful way, as opposed to just being wowed by them. And while it lacks steam, that era was fairly colorful and full of character by virtue of it being so volatile a time, marked by a steady stream of failures and mergers and a strange and wonderful blending of roads and dilapidated equipment.

I'm pretty sure that an "ideal era" is a personal thing that comes from within.

[Sokramiketes]

At least they eventually got the color right, the first Lucky Strikes MS did were yellow instead of orange.    

But those sets work perfect for one 60's era original scheme GP!   

[sirenwerks]

But those sets work perfect for one 60's era original scheme GP!   

Hmmm, it sounds like we may have a 3rd possible partner for accurate custom-printed CGW decals. Anyone else out there?

[wazzou]

A recent family reunion in Wisconsin and side trip to visit my sister in Iowa made me rethink the WP; and photos of Modutrak modules placed on this board pushed me over the edge. I have returned to an original Midwestern railroading infatuation and the CGW is leading the pack in terms of my interest.

I'm playing with a fantasy scenario though - 1969 and the C&NW inhaling didn't happen. Instead M&StL was merged into CGW and the two are healthy, and GP35s and 40s in red and Coca-Cola brown abound (maybe some Blomberg-trucked U30Bs if they ever happen). I'm still fleshing out how the traffic levels will be justified and I'm considering an additional fantasy as the basis for my layout - a CGW line over the Miss to Milwaukee (Red Wing to Eau Claire, Neenah, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee - via my Dad's hometown of West Bend); with some GN action from Minneapolis worked in. Rocky power run-through with Hill lines pulp traffic, and maybe even ore trains. It's a work-in-progress at this time and I need to get some more historical perspective before I say anything else (though input is welcome off-list).

GN, WP...CGW..., 1 or 2 more and we may need to start calling you Steve. 

[sirenwerks]

GN, WP...CGW..., 1 or 2 more and we may need to start calling you Steve. 

Them's fightin' words!

[sirenwerks]

Jason,

Good news! I contacted Microscale about why they no longer printed set 593 in N, and they had inadvertently discontinued it, and said they will start reprinting it in the next few months.

[wcfn100]

Jason,

Good news! I contacted Microscale about why they no longer printed set 593 in N, and they had inadvertently discontinued it, and said they will start reprinting it in the next few months.

Unfortunately the 593 is a mixed bag of usefulness.  They have also revised the HO sheet so you may want to find out which one they are going to release.  If you look at the revised HO sheet on their site, you'll see the registration issue of the of the logo.

Maybe they would be willing to listen to some suggestions before the re-release.  I will drop them a line.

Jason

[wcfn100]

I contacted Micro-Scale and talked to Chris (he posts over on the A-Board). I asked if I could send in some information to maybe make a better CGW sheet this go around.

If anyone has any wants/desires with this sheet, please let me know.


Jason