What Era Are You Modeling?

[WP_Railfan]

Pacific Electric Railway/SP between 1955 and 1960 in the Western District of Los Angeles.  Typical Citrus switching style ops with overheads eventually.



Joe
MTL

Joe is this in N-scale or Z-scale??

[sharriso]

Can't pass this up.  My wife and I are working on the B&O in western Maryland in the 1850s.  Not such a big challenge today with quality 1850-1860 era cars and wood-beam trucks from Panamint (Shapeways).

What was the inspiration?  Clemens Landing, Mississippi 1858:  An N-scale layout by Richard Insley.  Appeared in the October 1997 issue of Continental Modeller (Peco Publications).  Very popular at the exhibitions in England.

We have the Bachmann 4-4-0 and the Atlas/MicroAce 2-6-0.  We do need another 1850-1060 steamer.



    Shawn and Sally Harrison
    - Modeling 1850s B&O

[Chris333]

Up to 7. Full steam ahead. 

[Bsklarski]

Guilford Rail was notorious for this... pull it up and say "oops...it hasn't been approved?...Oh, not even applied for?"

So VERY, VERY true.

[LV LOU]

So VERY, VERY true.

Conrail had the franchise on that here in Eastern Pa..They would have a ROW that they'd borrow a pile of money on based on what it was supposedly worth,then rip it up and sell it for nothing,and then find out they shoulda fixed it.

[MichaelWinicki]

I think when Stagger's was approved there was so much pent up demand (for lack of a better term) for railroads to divest themselves of unprofitable trackage that they went ape-shat ripping things up.

[Kisatchie]

...for railroads to divest themselves of unprofitable trackage that they went ape-shat ripping things up.

Hmm... I would rephrase
that comment...

[LN2800]

Louisville & Nashville, 1975-1982.  Well technically mid 70's although I do fudge a bit if something comes out that I really like. I can run a lot of bridge traffic too, mostly SCL and Frisco. Some early Conrail.

[nscaleSPF2]

1956 South Central Pennsylvania.  Late steam, early diesel.  Like the unique look of Pennsy motive power, the hilly terrain, and the variety of both steam and diesel.  If it were easy to model, it wouldn't be as much fun.

Jim Hale

[PGE_Modeller]

As my signature says, Pacific Great Eastern in 1952 (specifically September) but with a few historical inaccuracies to satisfy personal whims.  The railway's GE 70 Tonners were 2 - 3 years old, the MLW RSC-3s were only a year old and the wholesale scrapping of the railway's steam locomotives (Baldwin 2-6-2s, Montreal Locomotive Works 2-8-0s, and Canadian Locomotive Company 2-8-0s,  light (51" drivers) and heavier (57" drivers - still light by US standards) Mikados) was two years in the future.  The lodge at D'Arcy (railway-built in 1915) is still there although the prototype had burned down in July 1948.  There is a BC Provincial Police presence on the layout even though the force was absorbed into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in August 1950 - my father and grandfather were both members of the BCPP!  September was chosen in order to get the early fall colours and the first of the new season's snow on the high peaks while still being "in season" for the operation of the railway's open observation cars on passenger trains.  Because Shalalth is not modelled, the twice daily except Sunday Lillooet - Shalalth auto ferry service (one or two flat cars hauled by a gas-electric) has been extended to have D'Arcy as its southern terminus.

Passenger trains (an ecclectic mix of wood (Oregon Electric) and steel (Interstate Public Service of Indiana) interurban cars, ex-Pullman sleepers, ex-Lehigh Valley coaches, dining cars converted from old coaches and former troop sleepers as postal, baggage and express cars) were generally headed by the new RSC-3s; through freights got a pair of 70 Tonners (still in the original orange and green "smiley" paint scheme); way freights were handled by the Consolidations and Mikados and the Prairies handled yard switching and barge slip duties at Squamish.  With a ruling grade of 2.2% on the Squamish Subdivision and curves as sharp as 14 degrees, helper service was the norm for through freights.  Helpers (generally 2-8-0s or the low drivered 2-8-2s) were typically not run as pushers but were cut in three cars back of the head end power because of loading restrictions on the many bridges.

All in all, a GREAT time to be modelling - although very challenging in terms of finding suitable N scale equipment offered commercially!!

Cheers,

[jpwisc]

I model the present day. I'm a child of the Dash-2 Era. I was raised on Falcon Service SD40-2s. To see these favorites in lease and yard service now is awesome for me.

[Leggy]

I'm modelling the always present (Utah Belt style).


Thanks to the work of Brian Kuhn painting this pair (and future GDRMCo power) and Jerry DeBene for hosting them here's a pic from Jerry's layout.

[cv_acr]

Algoma Central Railway in about 1982-1985.

Eventually. Right now I just have a generic 12' switching layout (https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=23726.0) not based on any particular location or railway. But I'm researching and collecting and building AC equipment for the someday layout.

And that's all when I'm not working on my railway websites or doing non-railroad stuff to take a break.

[MRLX1020]

St. Louis area in 1970-ish.  TRRA, IC, MP, N&W, GM&O, IT, and early Amtrak.  Lots of fun!

[Scottl]

I just read this thread for the first time and realized how few modern era modellers there are.  It's funny but I had great train experiences as a kid, watching CPR SD40-2 coal and sulfur trains in Banff, but I have no interest in recreating those memories in my modelling.

I started my current CN interests focused on 1990s when GP units still pulled intermodals and the GE units were just starting to appear.  Every CN loco was different in some way, which made modelling quite a challenge.  I've become increasingly interested in the modern era and my buying of rolling stock and locos reflects this- I'm pretty sure it is not modelling capitulation!    Of course, this uber-modern interest is offset by my soft spot for narrow gauge mining operations.  I have built a small collection of On30 equipment and kits, thinking perhaps someday I might build a module or diorama.