Well I just learned today that the locomotive I currently have on my model railroad is from the year 2002. Problem is, I am modeling the late 80’s. And a locomotive I am watching on e-bay at the moment is from the late 80’s. So do I update to 2002 so the new locomotive fits the time period? And if I should win the one I am watching on e-bay, how do I get away with two locomotives from two completely different time periods? Or do I just say “so what. Its my railroad and I’ll do as I please.”
Your difficulty lies in your insistence on attempting to model ‘reality,’ aka Universe 3, the Neil Armstrong universe.
I, too, have the same situation. My DE10 B-C diesel-hydraulic was new in 1967, three years later than my modeled month. In addition, I decided that I wanted to model a specific colliery, the prototype for which is located about 500 miles west-southwest of the Upper Kiso Valley. (There were no coal mines anywhere near the place I model.)
My solution? I moved my modeling to the Alfred E. Neumann universe, Universe 13. The DE10 heads up an occasional train, usually made up of super-speed cars and trailed by a (prototypically correct) lime green caboose. The colliery loads out several thousand tons a day.
What, me worry?
With a bow to Robert A. Heinlein, who originated the idea of designating parallel universes by the name of the person who put the first footprint on the Moon.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - more or less)
the dilemma is in your head, unless you’re modeling to impress model railroad friends, no one will really know. but if you decide to update to 2002, and get the other loco, you’ll be fine as many roads have older engines on the roster, just like seeing older cars etc. the other choice is if you get the older loco, model the '80’s and sell the 2002 model. mh
I agree… dont let it bother you and a lot of locos out there were originally built in the 60’s and 70’s. May not be running the main line but still out there doing yard and local deliveries.
There is a current thread dealing with just such issues as you note asking where you are on the spectrum of modelers. The great part is you can be where ever you want to be. It’s part of the joy of MRing. Your choice on what you do and how you do it.
Let the complainers eat dirt! You are happy in the end, no matter what you decide.
I’m going to take a contrary position. I’m gonna say you should either backdate the newer engine or update the era of the layout (which will cause you additional problems).
Why?
Because you asked the question in the first place. You KNOW there is an anachronism. You KNOW something is “wrong”. It will bug you (cognitive dissonance). Now if you can forget about the era mix, great, more power to you. But if it really didn’t make any difference to you, you probably wouldn’t have thought to ask the question on this forum.
I agree with the observation that the only one who will notice is you.
My railroad is built on the concept/era of just before the U.S. involvement in World War I. As a backwoods shortline, older equipment could be justified. I like the “signature appearance” of using the Lima Arc style headlights on my steam engines. It is distinctive and speaks of that “early in the century” time period. But then what am I to do when a nice model locomotive comes out with an operating headlight that is clearly of a more modern style? Do I lop off the operating one to install the Lima Arc? Do I go through the rather extensive and time-cosuming process of drilling out the cast Lima Arc style headlights to fit the bulb or LED to make it operable? Or, do I leave the headlight alone and just go with the lettering and numbering system?
I just left the operating headlights on those other models and let them run. I have never had a visitor look at my layout and say “you know, that style of headlight wasn’t introduced until 1935” (or whatever).
On the other hand, fixing a fairly solid time period or era for your layout can really help control your purchasing. Having that focus on a time period helps me from making spur-of-the-moment purchases that (a) may be regretted later, (b) become hard to explain in the “narrative”, or (c) take funds away from other things that really fit with the plan.
Having a focused location and theme will do the same thing.
Location curbs the road names and structure choices, theme curbs the car types and structure choices. The more focused they all are the easier the narrative.
I went a little overboard and picked 1900-1905 Philadelphia and Reading RR in SE Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. I’m lucky if there are a dozen era, location and theme appropriate models in production. Trips to the hobby shop are really easy.
The interesting thing I have found is that even if you are very specific on era, location and theme, if you research things well you will still find that you hav to make a huge amount of decisions, compromises and still have to use just as much artistic ability to produce a viable model railroad.
I disagree and telling people its ok is just plain bad advice. Some people believe it or not strive to be as accurate as possible. Most people do want to but for what ever reason the good enough for me mentality sets in. To the OP, decide now what your plans are for your layout. Is it something you want to just play around with, is it going to be a detailed scale model of a certain time frame or is it just something for you to practice your skills on until your dream empire can become a reality. What ever your answer is it will tell you if its ok to think its ok.
My eras have always been “nothing later than 1959” and I am very set about that. So my question to you is, “how set are you in the '80s era?” If you come to the realization that being legit within this era with all your locos and rolling stock, autos, etc., then I suggest you sell off the “wrong date” stuff on Ebay.
If you are not all that set in the '80s era, then as they say, “run what you brung”!
If you have open houses or invite other modelers over to run trains, some may notice. But, non-train people will notice the automobiles. Visitors to my layout know the makes and models they see on my layout better than I do, so part of my dual-era philosophy is to populate my roads appropriately, too.
Not to worry. Third and fourth generation diesels are not as well known as first generation diesels, or even steamers. There is a good chance no one will notice the anachronism. The external look of the 2002 locomotive probably isn’t all that much different from a 1985 model. Most of the changes in the 80’s to 00’s were internal, fancier control electronics, AC traction motors, stuff that doesn’t show. Research may show that your 2002 locomotive could be backdated to the 1980’s for changing a few simple external fittlings such as radio antennas or fans.
Or just run it and don’t say anything. I’d never notice, and I’d NEVER say anything even if I did notice.
If you plan on keeping your current locomotive, model 2002! If you plan on selling or mounting your current locomotive, then go for the late 80’s.
I myself, cause it’s my railroad have opted for running what I want to, have D&H PA’s running with CPR AC4400’s cause on my railway, the D&H as well as the CPR, still run passenger trains.
Modeling one specific era is cool, I like the idea, but it’s not for me. Limited to what you can run.
It’s all very ecumenical to say do what you want and it’s your RR etc etc, blah blah yada yada. I’ll buck the trend and say sure, but I think RR’s which fit and era look the best. I model late 60’s thru late 80’s so I avoid engines of recent vintage - no ditch lights for me.
You certainly could see a 1980’s and a 2000’s engine together in the 2000’s. In my area Canadian Pacific still runs trains with a couple of Soo Line GPs - sometimes with a Soo caboose as a ‘shoving platform’.
You can also do more than one timeframe. My layout is being built to rotate between several eras spanning around a 50 year period.
It really comes down to what you want for your layout. Some folks are primarily interested in the history of one railroad, so build a layout to have a place to run the equipment they’ve accumulated from that railroad - even though the equipment might cover a century of time. Some people want to model a particular time, but aren’t that interested in one particular railroad. “America in the 1950’s” might be their theme. For others, recreating a particular place in most important, and the exact time isn’t important…like modelling the old CB&Q mainline along the east bank of the Mississippi river. They might get the scenery “just right” but not care that much if they run Burlington Route, BN, or BNSF equipment.
Most of us are somewhere between the extremes of course, and emphasize one part of the time / place / prototype spectrum more or less than another part.
As mentioned above, some railroads kept older locomotives for a long time. Some examples from New England RR that I am familiar with
Bangor & Aroostook ran F3s and BL-2s from around 1950 into the 1980s
Maine Central ran GP-7s into the 1980s, I believe a few are still around under the Pan Am RR name and are about 60 years in service, also some ex-B&M GP-9s
Boston & Maine’s S-1 switchers from the 1940s were running in the late 1970s, repainted in the all blue color scheme from that timeframe. I even modeled one
ON my layout, I run early 1950s and 1980, no problem for me. I like the equiupment from both eras and do not want to give up on either.
I bought locomotives that I like. I solved the “era dilemma” by setting it in the time frame of the newest locomotives, rolling stock, etc. The older transition and early steam pieces are used for “railfanning” trips. The owner of my fictional road is a rather eccentric gentleman, who uses logging and coal mining as his sources of revenue. His affinity for older equipment led him to purchase and renovate locomotives and rolling stock from days gone by. He supports those through railfan trips. People drive hundreds, even thousands, of miles to ride on his older trains.
Trying to model a proper era can be mind boggling to say the least. Even if you model the 50’s which seems to be the most popular era, it’s hard to keep things in perspective. I recently assembled a 40’ boxcar that I thought would be accurate for my 1955 era layout, only to find the shop date for 1961 on the side. OK so that’s nit picky, and I probably won’t change it. I still have a long way to go to get my layout the way I want it, my oldest son just finally pulled all of his Chessie equipment, and all other 70’s era items off for his layout project, and I finally decided to retire my Erie triplex to a showcase, so we are heading in the right direction. If you’re going to model the 1980’s you really have two choices, sell the 2002 loco, or put it away and run it occasionally for the heck of it.
