Well technically you still do because you are still modeling a railroad and specific cars were used for specific purposes. Its just you don’t care. The specifics are still there, you just choose to ignore or not include them. Which is 100% your choice to make. The reality is though, regardless of whether you are freeelancing or modeling a specific prototype, the prototype still exists so the specific needs still exist.
Sorry, I don’t follow where you’re going.
Its my understanding that all models developed by producers have a prototype. I think the old MDC high cube boxcar did not have a pure prototype and was a foobie in its basic dimensions, and maybe so with some passenger cars, but those are 40 year old models.
I have only stuff made since 2000, and while there may be foobs in terms of paint scheme not matching the specific details on the model, the model itself existed in real life somewhere.
So, even if I blindly bought anything off the shelf within era, I don’t see where I’d be losing any fidelity outside of the normal paint scheme not matching specific details not matching specific geographic locations of where the real car or loco ran. That stuff is basic feelancing liberty.
tony koester wrote about this in the july 2021 MR. that freelancers have the additional chore of determining destintations for their trains, the industries served by the RR and train schedule. these things are determined by a specific RR when modeled.
Tony has written about Allen McCleland’s freelanced V&O. Allen even came up with a paint scheme for his locos and rolling stock.
again this is just one aspect of modeling that not all modelers choose to follow.
Seems Tony is saying what I have been saying on here for a long time…
Some of us do both. I freelance with my ATLANTIC CENTRAL, but the ATLANTIC CENTRAL also has interchange with the C&O, B&O and WESTERN MARYLAND.
A small section of the layout represents a short section of the WESTERN MARYLAND.
Sure, those connections are fictional, and I make no attempt to squeeze the ATLANTIC CENTRAL “exactly” into real places or the existing track arrangements of those other roads.
BUT, the flavor of the operations, the scenery, the place names, reflect the history and charactor of the Mid Atlantic.
Just like Tony and Allen did with their freelanced roads (remember, Tony was a big freelancer too before his current Nickle Plate layout).
So, while I may not be trying to copy exact places (something I likely would not do even if I did not freelance) my modeling of the C&O, B&O and WESTERN MARYLAND equipment and operations is as accurate as practical and reflects the history and operations of those railroads.
Here is my take on trying to model actual places - it is a noble goal, some people pull it off pretty well, but none of us have enough space.
My modeling interests,
Just love to get lost in the illusion of a little world I’ve created on my own. More watching trains for me than operation, although I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that too, and tried to plan to allow for some reasonably realistic operation.
Since I’ve been out of the hobby for so long, and never really thought about operation as a kid, the thought of trying to plan a railroad for accurate operation is a bit daunting to me. I got some books so that I can hopefully avoid common pitfalls, and after some analysis paralysis I just pulled the trigger on an amalgamation of my hundreds of different track sketches and started building.
Hopefully the end result will be a good balance between “watching trains run” and somewhat accurate operation.
Koester and McClelland run “club style” large railroads with multiple long trains and lots of staging. That is more involved than my approach to the hobby.
I run shortline or branch line operations. The railroad itself, not just the layout, runs one train at a time. A few different trains run during the day, and multiple different trains during the week, but always just one at a time. Maybe two if things are busy.
Making up correct trains is part of ops. Dispatching different trains is part of ops. But the activity is less intense. Acquiring equipment is part of running the railroad. Reparing equipment as well.
I can take any short or branch line and mimic those operations. The freelancing part comes in terms of paint scheme, loco type, freight car type (which is determined by the industries on the line). Locations and names of towns can change. Landscape and setting as well. Add a river and a bridge, or take one away.
I can take a short line that services a grain elevator and switch it to a crushed peanut shell loader and still run covered hoppers. A canned food distributor for a plywood plant and still run box cars. Etc.
I don’t
One more important thought about modeling a specific prototype and trying to model actual places.
IF I did, I would be interested in recreating iconic scenes, the like the B&O crossing the Patomac at Harpers Ferry, the Thomas Viaduct, the wye at Point of Rocks, or the PRR bridge over the Susquehanna, or maybe an iconic passenger station.
Oh, that’s right, my new layout has some scenes amazingly similar to those mentioned above…
What I would not be doing is trying to recreate BayView yard in Baltimore…
In my opinion, for good operation, model yards and terminals need to ignore actual geographic track arrangements from the prototype and be arranged for good operator access.
Sheldon
Douglas,
The shortline thing is a great concept if that is whatyou like.
I hope to make room for a totally separate waterfront ISL .
I think what most freelancers today do should really be called protolancing.
I belong to a freelance group on facebook (which I am just learning to use) and all these guys seem pretty serious about stuff being believeable.
Sheldon
With my railroad, I can and have done both. Sometimes I’ll do full blown operations and other times I just parade my trains across the layout from one staging yard to the other. It all depends on my mood. Until I complete my branchline, which is taking much longer than I expected, I can’t fully operate the layout as I planned so running trains has been what I have done more of in recent years. Even in my operating scheme, I have trains that simply pass through the modeled portion of my railroad without stopping to do any switching.
That’s my thinking.
[quote user=“ATLANTIC CENTRAL”]
gregc
tony koester wrote about this in the july 2021 MR. that freelancers have the additional chore of determining destintations for their trains, the industries served by the RR and train schedule. these things are determined by a specific RR when modeled.
Tony has written about Allen McCleland’s freelanced V&O. Allen even came up with a paint scheme for his locos and rolling stock.
again this is just one aspect of modeling that not all modelers choose to follow.
Seems Tony is saying what I have been saying on here for a long time…
Some of us do both. I freelance with my ATLANTIC CENTRAL, but the ATLANTIC CENTRAL also has interchange with the C&O, B&O and WESTERN MARYLAND.
A small section of the layout represents a short section of the WESTERN MARYLAND.
Sure, those connections are fictional, and I make no attempt to squeeze the ATLANTIC CENTRAL “exactly” into real places or the existing track arrangements of those other roads.
BUT, the flavor of the operations, the scenery, the place names, reflect the history and charactor of the Mid Atlantic.
Just like Tony and Allen did with their freelanced roads (remember, Tony was a big freelancer too before his current Nickle Plate layout).
So, while I may not be trying to copy exact places (something I likely would not do even if I did not freelance) my modeling of the C&O, B&O and WESTERN MARYLAND equipment and operations is as accurate as practical and reflec
Agreed, and I have nearly equal interest in all four. My weak area being “locomotive engineer”.
Sheldon
That was a terrible article.
Tony made the usual points he has about freelancing, and ignored those of us that really are freelancing, and having a ball doing it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with simply enjoying running your electric trains for the fun of it.
-Kevin
i’m curious how you would describe Allen McCleland’s freelanced V&O (corrected)?
i doubt any article/book could fully cover the scope of model railroading
Well, I may use an existing short/branch line or an abandoned Class I section as the basis, but it evolves so much that it’s pretty far away from the actual prototype to call it true proto lance, IMO. It ends up being more plausibile freelance than being based on an actual railroad.
There is a modeler who base’s his home Class 1 railroad on an existing Class 1 railroad, (I think it is/was the UTAH BELT) and updates the layout based upon how that chosen prototype changes. He even deletes and adds locomotives as that existing railroad updates its roster. The locations and paint scheme is totally made up, but the ops and much of the equipment mirror the chosen prototype. Thats intense protolancing, and I’m nowhere near that level of involvement.
That V&O link goes nowhere?
It takes me right to the Wikipedia article. [:^)]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginian_and_Ohio
Good Luck, Ed
I get this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginian_and_Ohiohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginian_and_Ohio
Edit - Greg fixed it - click on the one in the quote…
“Elementary, my dear Watson,” We should model what works for us. [:D]
I’ve got “the best of both worlds” with my little 28x80 inch switching layout at home that’s supposed to, eventually, be part of a U shaped shelf layout & with our small but hey it exists! club and club layout of a modular 20ft square in HO in this little county seat farm burg.
So, I can build models and switch cars at home & operate or just sit and railfan at club. Life is good. My health is not good and is really slowing down my modeling, but even so, life is good. [:D]
My comments had nothing to do with any model railroad that anyone has built. I was commenting on Tony Koester’s article in Model Railroader a few months ago.
I do not describe other people’s layouts.
-Kevin