HI
I am relatively new to the American railroading
I like the ATSF Santa Fe and i would like to model prototopically the early 1960s [1960-1964] as much as possible
Therefore i would like to ask some questions in order to get some help about my project
I have the following locomotive in my roster
GP 7 zebra stripes
GP 7 blue/yellow pre-1972
H 12-44 zebra stripes
H10-44 blue/yellow pre-1972
RS-1 zebra stripes
GP-30 blue/yellow pre-1972
Can one have a prototopical mixtures of the above mentioned motive power running with together with zebra stripes and pre-1972 blue/yellow paint scheme [including the GPs7s] in the early 1960s [1960-1964] ?
Can the following boxcars also be prototopical for the same time period ?
aethern 70161 aethern 74901 ship and travel santa fe al the way logo
thanks very much in advance for the support
stefano
Yes a mix of zebra stripes and blue and yellow was very common in the early 1960s. And the mix of those particular diesels is also fine.
I also believe the boxcars are good for your era.
I think they are Fe-26 boxcars. Which would give them an original build year of 1945. The large circle herald and that style of Ship & Travel font would have started showing up in 1959. So they appear right for your era.
However the first one, Athearn 70161, has an ACI tag. I’m not sure exactly when the Santa Fe started using these. Definitely in the 1970s, but maybe not yet in the early 1960s. The other boxcar, Athearn 74901, lacks ACI tags so it would be perfect for your era.
Here are photos of the cars you mention in case another Santa Fe modeler more familiar with this time period can add some info on them:
70161
74901
stefano,
I would ask this on the Prototype information for the modeler forum. You’ll get a more direct answer there.
Tom
Stefano, my West Virginian grandmother and my Sicilian mother-in-law would kick my butt if I didn’t extend a warm welcome to the forums and American railroading! As someone else said, you might find answers over in the prototype forum. You might also want to check out the Yahoo! AT&SF group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATSF. I have just recently become interested in the Santa Fe, myself and have found lots of information over there.
Did you model something else before becoming interested in American railroads?
Hi there
Thanks very very much for your reply ,infos.and pics much appreciated help
stefano
Hi Mac
thanks for your reply
Sicilian mothers in low can be convincing I have an interest for the ATSF because i think it very representative of American railroading. Also i love American railroading because its the essence of railroading in general.I have in the past modelled German-Swiss-Austrian railways and also some Italian but i very much became fashinated with the history and pioneering of the American railroad
ciao stefano
Hi sw chief
Strangely enough my athearn boxcars 70161 dont have the ACI tags
The only difference with the athearn 74901 is in the yellow notices on the door that says
‘trainloading service when empty send back to ATSF agent ry in Barstow California’
Does it means this boxcars as suitable for use on my lay-out representing the SantaFe in the early 1960s.?
thanks very much for your reply
stefano
Hi Stefano,
Yes, without the ACI tag the boxcar should be fine for your era.
However I have not been able to confirm nor deny if ACI tags were in use in the early 1960s. So it is possible the boxcar would be okay even if it had ACI tags like the photo Athearn provides online.
However the first one, Athearn 70161, has an ACI tag. I’m not sure exactly when the Santa Fe started using these. Definitely in the 1970s, but maybe not yet in the early 1960s. The other boxcar, Athearn 74901, lacks ACI tags so it would be perfect for your era.
Neither of the the cars mentioned has an ACI tag on it, so either car would be appropriate for the OP’s early 60’s layout.
Experiments with ACI began in the LATE 1960’s. ACI was implemented in the early 70’s and elimiinated in the late 1970’s due to problems with accuracy. (dirt does make optical scanning methods problematic).
Here’s a quick history: http://www.aeitag.com/aeirailhis.html
Andre
Hi!
I model the ATSF pre 1960 (generic '50s actually), and have a combo of steamers, warbonnet Fs and PAs, blue/yellow Fs, and zebra striped GP 7/9s, switchers, etc.
The era you are modeling (early '60s) is one I recall quite well. You can have all the blue/yellow and warbonnet Fs you want, and also the zebra and blue/yellow GPs. Of course steam was long gone by then.
The boxcars you mentioned were also quite common, as was most all freight cars with a build date of the 40s and 50s. Actually, a good “rule of thumb” is to pick an end date to your layout - say 12/64 - and only have rolling stock on your layout with build (or rebuild/pain) dates earlier than that.
One of the neat things about modeling the Santa Fe is the varied scenery in which it ran. From the congested city environment of Chicago, thru the prairies of Illinois, hills of the central US, pine and mountains of New Mexico, deserts of Arizona, and the ocean side environments of California.
ENJOY !!!
Hi guys
thank you very much indeed for your guidance and support with my project and for the much appreciated information on the ATSF boxcars and practices
regards
stefano