My rolling stock for the most part is late 80’s early 90’s stuff. I model the Ontario Northland but I have locomotives from every Canadian railroad and from early steam to present day stuff. Right now I have a 1954 paint scheme CN passenger train, a present day GO train, a ONR Polar Bear Express and a VIA Turbo train sitting in my passenger station. If people come over I stick to one era and one railroad but when I’m by myself I run what ever I feel like.
I still buy what I like, but drifting more toward 1950 to 1970. I like F and E’s and 1970 Muscle Cars. I still have a few modern engines, but selling them off.
Hmmm…
How closely do I stick to my modeling ‘era’ (September, 1964) and my prototype road name (Nihon Kokutetsu?) Simply stated, with one exception (a DE10 diesel-hydraulic that sees rare but critical service) ALL of the rolling stock ‘lettered’ for my prototype was on the rails in revenue service during that period. I have the personally-recorded list of car and locomotive numbers, and an official list of JNR equipment, to prove it. Of course, the JNR was a government-owned National monopoly (Japan National Railways) so sticking to prototype is about as difficult as getting wet in a rainstorm.
On the other hand, my private coal-hauler, the Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo (translates as Wealth River Valley Iron Road) is the home of a motley collection of superannuated teakettles, currently runs a 2-6-6-2T (never existed in Japan) and has coal hoppers that are wild feats of imagineering unlike anything ever seen anywhere outside my layout space. Rumor has it that, upon the receipt of an ‘on backorder’ Round Tuit, a couple of teakettle frames will be transmogrified into a Golwe. (The story is that the new (as of 1960) Chief Engineer is a squirrily gaijin who has been helping the new owner to modernize the previously marginal property to properly exploit a new, very rich coal seam. Since this cat is married to the boss’s daughter…)
And then there is the heritage fleet - a quartet of assorted 4-8-4s, a 2-10-4, a GG-1 and a choice selection of cars bearing the heralds and reporting marks of clubs I once belonged to. Currently residing in boxes, the plan is to put them on display in a glass case in the workshop when I add shelves to that particular wall. They never (well, hardly ever) turn an over-gauge, under-scale wheel on my 1:80 scale 1067mm (prototype) gauge empire. The probability of additions to that miniscule roster is
I like small shays and any rod-driven steam engine with slide valves - they operated on lower boiler pressure and are less powerful, so the trains are shorter/slower and make my layout seem bigger. Besides, they look like an espresso machine with wheels (wife says they are cute). 36’ freight cars look darned good on my 22" radius curves and they go well with the espresso machine steamers.
This slide valve passion keeps me grounded on the 1880-1930+ era. I don’t feel that I have to be too specific about the actual year, but my layout has automobiles from the 1920-1936 time frame (I like old cars, too), so that narrows me a little further.
I know that piston valve locomotives were becoming common in the early 20th century, so my slide valve engines are vintage even for my era. I explain that it’s a short line that bought most equipment second hand.
Many of my figures are dressed more like 1968 than 1935, but I don’t sweat the small stuff; besides, that blonde with the short skirt has such great legs that she’d have gotten away with her abreviated dress even when you could stop in at the Ford dealer and look at a factory fresh Deuce.
I love freelancing - I was never one for strict discipline in a hobby. This is for fun.
Another thing I left out of my era is the whole segregation thing - in my little world, that just didn’t happen. Likewise, the Depression.
As a quick comment to the OP, you know Doyle McCormack has a habit of repainting that 4449 every so often and at one time that included white wall tires. So, you have two options. You can either simply claim that in your world, it still has white walls…OR wait a little bit, because some day, it will probably have them again.
My fictional Heartland Division of the CB&Q is intended to be a composite of the Burlington Route and its subsidiaries, C&S and FW&D during 1962.
GN and NP have running rights.
Santa Fe and other western railroads run occasionally on “detours” assuming trains were diverted in emergency situations.
From time to time I will change the 1962 to 1940’s or 1950’s.
For operations, I have “operating sessions” to simulate realistic railroad transportation. Otherwise, I have “running sessions” featuring trains from various railroads. As the layout construction continues, I am doing more operating sessions than running sessions.
Also, as the layout construction continues, the railroad is developing its own character or “personality”.
It is a model railroading tradition to have a two-railroad layout…
1st => Free-Lancing => Conemaugh Road & Traction is a short-line interurban railroad with PCC and box motor (the traction), and the opportunity for some steam and diesel (the road).
2nd => Proto-Lancing => CR&T is surrounded by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The PRR had steam, diesel, and electric.
3rd => Circa 1956 => Timeframe when traction was still viable, and within two years of the Pennsy going all-diesel.
Not really. The theme is a freelanced shortline, operating 1995 to present. What changes about the theme of the layout is the amount of industries along the line that receive rail service. Structures are (will all finally be) built to allow up to ten industries to be served, which would require newer, more modern diesels like gp38-2’s. On the other hand, the layout could be run with having most of those industries abandoned over the years, which then results in operations and equipment becoming less robust, say gp-7’s or even alco s-2’s.
To answer your specific question, no, the era and road doesn’t change. But the theme has some nuances that change to allow a variety of rolling stock and first generation (some second too) diesels to run, based upon what type of operating session I want to have at the moment. There are sometimes reasons to lease NS, CSX, or ex-UP gp’s when the railroad is running in its “highly profitable” theme.
However, I will be buying a steam locomotive just to run it as a display when I’m working at the bench, simply because they look cool. Likely a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0. I’ll default to the “tourist dinner train” cop-out to give me an excuse to have it.
I model the Western Pacific. That gives me a lot of options. The WP shared trackage with the Southern Pacific in Nevada. The WP interchanged with the D&RGW in Salt Lake City and also ran some D&RGW locomotives from time to time. The Union Pacific was a visitor to WP trackage. In the East Bay area of San Francisco they had trackage rights with the AT&SF. At Bieber in Northern California they handed off to the Burlington Northern and all those railroads over time such as the GN, NP, SP&S and probably one I’m forgetting. So I have great latitude from which to chose from.
Not so sure that I would say “most”. I know very few who were ever able to stick to one railroad or theme.
In my case, I’m modeling certain scenes of the Southwest, and I have been using engines that were at least occasionally seen there (excepting the Y6B’s).
Since I like Sonoran Desert, and it extended much farther into Mexico, that’s what I’m working on…there’s just some unique plants I need to get.
John
My short line is owned by an eccentric who grew up riding trains, so besides the main revenue generators (coal mining and lumber), he collected complete trains from different eras. Diesel to haul coal and lumber, steam and transitional diesels for railfanning trips.
If it’s a Canadian road, I’ll run it. Anything from steam to early diesel to modern - but not all at the same time. I’m lucky to have enough that I can run CN or CP in each of these eras. While I respect those who confine their activities to a specific time period, my will is weak - if it’s a beautiful model, it can find a home here ; ) Cheers.
No.
Don’t be such a chatterbox! [:D]
LOL
I thought that was a complete answer. I don’t stick to my chosen era or road name.
When my wife or grandchildren say “Can we get that?” I have a tendency to say “Oh, sure.”.
Originally planned to be Erie, Lackawanna and Delaware and Hudson, the three railroads that served my home town when I was growing up, it now also has a PRR K-4 Pacific, an Amtrak F-40PH, Two Atlantic Coast Line GP-38s, New York City R-17 and R-22 subway trains, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Hogwart’s Express.
So, as I stated, the answer is: “No, I don’t”.
John(UP 4-12-2) wrote*…Quote*: Not so sure that I would say “most”…>Since I like Sonoran Desert, and it extended much farther into Mexico, that’s what I’m working on…there’s just some unique plants I need to get.
…John
Hello… I see what you are referring to so allow me to rephrase my commment - IMHO, I believe the ‘majority’ of Model Railroaders who run on or operate a layout, are committed to or at least suggest a prototype railroad they are interested in. That doesn’t necessarily suggest that that modeler couldn’t run ‘other’ or roads or era of railroad equipment on his/her layout. I’d guess that a majority do it to some degree.
To the OP - There are also many modelers that free-lance a fictional road that has an entire history created around it giving it a reason of existance and a ‘flavor’ of its own. Some famous ones you may recall are the V&O, Ohio Southern and the Cat Mountain & Santa Fe. They never really existed but are still based on a prototype operation that influenced its creation.
This type of modeling does allow for a lot of latitude becuase you are not adhering to one set of operations, type of equipment, etc.
If you want to run or operate or just own - different road types, you don’t have to create a fictional road to justify having or running them…if you like a particular model that doesn’t fit in with the particular railroad you are chiefly following as a basis, then run it!
You can see by some of the other posts here, that you can almost justify any reason why, for instance - a PRR or NKP steam engine would be seen running on a modern, concrete tie UP mainline in the middle of the wildes of Wyoming,Texas or Utah - using my own layout and railroad favorites as an example.
The main thing is for you - to have fun and enjoy what you are doing - i
Right on the money (pun intended). I have expanded my era slightly by one year to be able to use some other rolling stock and vehicles that I like. I will get some foreign road locos for transfer runs but they will be in the right era and limited.
Ricky
Kind of. I stuck to the same road, but the era has changed.
I originally was doing 1970-1980. Then I switched to 1975-1985. Now it’s 1977-1987. The switches were from when I picked up a piece of rolling stock that fell out of the range. A coal hopper caused the first change, and an SSW FMC box and an LMX Dash 8-39B triggered the second one.
I absolutly positivly stick to my limitations of the Santa Fe in the Central Valley between 1946 and 1969 like a Post-It note on fabric. Probably half of my motive power never ran in the Valley, I have enough cars and engines for a full train from the yellowbonnet late 70’s, and again for the mid or late 80’s. Then there is the sampling DRGW standard guage power, and the early 60’s Japanese equipment. I won’t even mention the Colorado narrow guage, SN, IER, and 2 logging/mining roads. At least the PE stuff was disposed of years ago, and I have found a good home for the pile of eastern coal hoppers. At least the current purchases TRY to stick to the era.
Phil
In HO I stick fairly close to my C&HV with some CR locomotives however,in N Scale I fear I have become a operating collector in my old age seeing I have C&HV,NS,CSX,Southern and Santa Fe.[sigh]