This has become very frustrating and confusing for me. I initially thought I wanted to model the Ontario Northland Railway which explains my user name. At an operating session last night I had the chance to play with some steam locomotives that had sound in them. These were incredible looking and one was a replica of the old steam locomotive at the CNE grounds in Toronto Ontario. I remember climbing on that as a kid. Now I want to model steam engines. I’ve been flopping back and forth on what to do. Is this normal when planning a Railway?
Of course. Was it because of the sound [and maybe all the external moving parts] that you got excited about steam?
I’d say, hold off before you go spending large amounts of money. Go to as many op sessions as you can, watch some videos of operating steam, then see how you feel about it after ~2-3 months.
As for me, I’ve flip-flopped a little myself. I grew up near the B&O in Maryland, and did most of my railfanning on that road during my teen years - so that;s what I’m modeling. But for a while, I thought the blue, gray and yellow of the CSX “Bright Future” scheme looked really cool, so I got into that soon after I returned to the hobby. Then I gradually realized that (1) I missed having cabooses on the ends of my trains, and (2) I hate having to install ditch lights. So getting my B&O fleet out of mothballs was a no-brainer for me!
ONR,
Yea, it’s normal. I started out wanting to model steam but became enamored with early diesel. Now I have both on my layout and I enjoy either one.
I just did a quick search and it appears that the ONR has a long history. The name came into being in April 1946. From 1946 thru the late 50’s is transitional era modeling at it’s best. The ONRH&TS should be a good resource for you for gleaning information about the prototype.
Tom
Your dilemma is precisely why so many of us choose not to model, per se, in the first place. We enjoy railroading first, and the various parts of it second. If you want to enjoy more than one part of it, you really have to widen your horizons and abandon/compromise on some constraints.
It is why I and others freelance or protolance, depending on what you want to accomplish. I make a layout that passes for a lot of places, or make two or three types of terrain, even seasons, and run what I want. I have two SD-75M modern locos because I could get them cheaply in warbonnet livery from the Santa Fe. Everything else ranges from 1914 - 1952 for building dates, but I range up to 1959 because the CPR, one of my roads, ran steam until then.
The hobby really should be as fun as you can make it, but the responsibility for that experience and its richness is entirely yours. I take mine seriously, so I have a whopping mish-mash of locos.
Crandell
Why can’t you do both?
Let me explain, you could have a museum/steam train rides. Or your railroad could have a business train like the UP which has steam power. That would work for a present day RR. OR you could model the transition era where your railroad was in the process of switching from steam to diesel. I have even seen modelers who have two sets of stock and set pieces for their layout and switch back and forth between time periods.
Bottom line this is fun, its your railroad, Do what makes you happy,
A frequent problem for folks, the good news is there is a way to do both. You can build a diesel era layout and have excursion trains. The steam locos could even fill in on freights, should a couple of the diesels be out of service. If you want an extensive steam collection, have a railway museum, such as Steamtown.
Have fun,
Richard
Thats what the owner of the layout I visited has. It must have at least 15 steam locomotives and a bunch of old diesel locomotives in it. I was told it was there just to give some of the trains a reason for being there since the ONR didn’t have one. Its to big for my space though, I would guess its around 5x8 feet. I took a bunch of pictures of it.
You can always have just one steamer and a couple of heavyweight coachs, you have a tourist train and a steam loco on your layout. The one that used to be in the southern part of VT went from one town to another. Didn’t turn the loco, just did a runaround and pulled the coachs with the loco backing to the starting point.
Have fun,
Richard
Why chose?
I’m running 2 eras, the Western Maryland in the 50s and the MMID in the 80’s. Same trackage, just doin a time warp.
After all, its your railroad!!
For the most part steam is my favourite. However there are many modern diesels that I really want to own. So to deal with that problem I am now planning out of sight staging. This way I will be able to run my modern diesels down the rabbit hole off the layout and go back to a better era.
I will also leave any really modern structures loose on the layout so I can just remove them.
Thats what I was told yesterday. My friends layout is fairly big, very detailed and almost museum like for the lack of a better word and its very ONR based. One guy said it is about as over the top as you can get. I know I will never reach that level and I’m going to have to compromise. I have a young son who I’m hoping is going to be a big part of this too and he likes CP locomotives, the brighter red the better. It will be my railway or I should say our railway so I can do what interests both of us.
I began my first layouts (1970’s) with Steam but they never ran very well and then I joined a Club and saw the Diesels with all wheel pickup and I never looked back!
With me current Layout
I finally decided on an era of the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s which included the beginnings of Conrail in 1976 allowed me to run any diesel from most any railroad that went to form Conrail.
EL - PRR - PC - NYC - CNJ - NH - Reading and anything that was merged before Conrail.
This really gets a lot of visitors as they just can’t understand why I have so many different engines on the layout from so many other railroads and I just have to laugh!
I guess they never realized what Conrail really represented!
As a side benefit - when I see an engine on sale I can usually get it as it will almost always fit my era!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Been there, done that!!!
Railroad Museum is a way around it if you want to model “modern” times.
That’s what I’m doing & I have a spot for a 2-3 track yard to “model” it too.
Then again, it is MY railway, so seeing a D&H PA hauling a D&H passenger train followed by a CPR AC4400 will be a common site on my tracks.
If you want to see first hand, I’m in Whitby.
Gordon
You could model the transition period when both steam and early diesels where still in use together.
I’ve been flopping for over 40 years. I would really like to do steam only around WWI. I like the super steam era around 1940. Diesels are so cheap and easy to maintain. The first generation has so much variety. 2nd generation is amazing, and modern stuff is so easy to model because research involves looking out the window! How can one choose!
Hi gentlemen,
lets not forget a pratical side. Passenger coaches, modern freight cars and big engines, all one foot long in HO, need large radii (30+ ) and long turnouts (#6 or #8). Keep in mind too that a mainline will require much more tracks then a remote branchline.
The best era to chose might depend on the balance between the available space, your operational wishes and the minimum standards for the kind of equipment you want tu use. While an 18" radius is doing well for a HO branch in the 50’s with equipment no longer then 50 ft; the same radius is great in N-scale when you opt for modern 85 or 90 ft long cars.
Smile
Paul
why not do both, I like steam but not as much as diesels. like Karl my soon to be layout will be able to run both transition, and modern… and everything inbetween. [:D]
Model the era that you like most and just include the steam. If you need a justification, just say on your version money was tight and the diesels had to wait. Steam was used in some parts of the world throughout the twentieth century.
Enjoy
Paul
I just got through posting the response below, to the same question by another beginner. The thoughts seemed worth repeating:
I wonder why there is even a hint of guilt about mixing eras? Yet this does seem to be the case. Somehow; or, another, when people become interested in Model Railroading they happen upon the idea from what they read on the forums, that it is a “No-No” to mix eras. Somehow they come to this conclusion, even though they are fully aware that they are the one paying for, building and operating their Model Railroad. In essence, we are creating a fictitious world, whether we are strict prototype modelers; or, not! So, it is our right as the financier, builder and operator of our model railroads, to do as we dang well please with them.
When I started out, I came to the hobby with a deep interest in modeling steam era and liked the idea of freelancing, as I could then use any steam locomotive I desired. As I got farther into the hobby, I determined that I was very interested in the Northern Pacific Railway and joined the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association. This peaked my interest in N.P. locomotives and fostered an interest in 1st Gen. diesels, so I updated my equipment to the transition period, so I could have both steam and diesel.
As I have gone along, over time my interest has become more prototype oriented.
The above has been my case, others will have a completely different journey. Possibly you might become interested in adhering to strict prototype, possibly you will stay totally freelanced in era and equipment. The idea is to have fun; so, don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do exactly what you want to do and don’t feel guilty about doing so!
Hi!
While finding an era to model (or RR or location) can be difficult for some, for others it was never a question. My first layout in the 1950s was 1950s Santa Fe, and every layout since has been of the same time and RR. There was never a serious question otherwise.
Being 68, I was (as a kid in Chicago) up close and personal with steam locos from the CN&W and IC. So my layouts have always incorporated steam (ATSF). When I was a kid, it was modern railroading, today its reliving my childhood.
You are apparently younger, and not experienced everyday steam railroading - but its attraction has gotten to you. So now you are torn… what era to model.
My advice is to weigh the options, and to not jump one way or the other until you are fairly certain.