Life is easy when I am modeling the 1885 era. In terms of rolling stock I have my choice of MDC Roundhouse, Manuta and Bachmann–the Mantua is sligthly cheesy and the Bachmann makes for great fun at the skeet range.
But lately I decided that I want to create a PRR switching layout somewhere in the 1938-1950’s range. All of a sudden I have ignorance of geometric proportions. Not only do I not know the best brands of rolling stock for that era, I couldn’t tell you if a coal hopper was my era or not let alone which 40’ box car could be seen with in ten years of those dates.
Whew! I first read that and thought some teenager showed up at your door and said “Dad?”
I think you picked a great era nd road to model. All though, it has to rank up there with one of the biggest switches I have seen some one make in the hobby. Good news, there are alot of poeple and resources to tap into for that. And Pennsy is a very popular road, so lots of companys will make rolling stuck, power, and heck… even sisgnal bridges. Heck, even your main lines, Code 100 is almost prototypical for their tracks!
That’s what you get for changing times and places. [swg]
But luckily or maybe unluckily, there are a many, many knowledgable Pennsy modelers out there. And Bowser will happily sell you all those odd Pennsy specific freight cars and cabin cars - please, don’t call them cabooses[8D]. If you’re up for a challenge, Funaro sells resin kits of many PRR specific cars as well.
Okay, you are forgiven. Wise choice, by the way. Pretty much everyone makes coal hoppers. I really like the BLI H2a style… they look good and tow well. Try Outlet Direct…sets of 6 show up there as returns or refusals now and then. I got two of them for USD$120. Atlas and Walther’s make boxcars and other stuff. It might be a few more $, but I find it most pleasant and gratifying to be able to take the item out of its container, place it on the tracks, and hook up without a second thought.
Of the dozen hoppers, only one needed a single axle tweaked.
Well Chip, there isn’t much info out there about Pennsy Hopper cars of the post war era…oh wait, there’s tons of info.
Anyway, you’re not giving up the Gilded Age layout, are you? While not my era, it is rather more interesting than the 120,000 Pennsy transition era layouts out there.
I too was sorely tempted by the “ease” at which you can find info on the PRR, but then I decided that I wanted more “modern” so went with the Reading & Northern (regional shortline) that operates old Reading & PRR track in the anthracite region.
I prefer Walthers, Athearn, Roundhouse RTR and especially Intermountain (And Atlas too) for my rolling stock.
One thing you will find is that the PRR got into everything. Maryland is full of PRR connections versus the WM, B&O etc. You could not go anywhere without tripping over a set of PRR tracks.
On the prototype looking at the Harrisburg, Rte 15 and up the river is PRR in a big way although steam is long gone.
I basically just run what I want. I’ve been known to cut a 4-4-0 in with a lashup up several SD40-2’s. Maybe it’s being transported to a railfan meet somewhere. If someone looking at the layout doesn’t like it, they know where the door is.
I want to make something perfectly clear. My main basement layout is still the Rock Ridge and Train City. I modeled the PRR and B&P at my ex-club and I miss using the first generation switchers. I have two good PRR engies, a BLI E7 and a P2K S1, that I like. Although the S1 will be the only one I get to run on the new layout. I also have a B&P GP-38 which is my favorite engine of all, and a Waltheres GP-9 and a Bachmann Specturm GP-30–all B&P.
So I’m, making a 3’ x 6’ switching layout of my town in the 50’s. IT will have folding legs and store under my layout. I’m not even sure I can get good operations, but there seems to be freight operations and several industries right down town.
Also, there are techniques I want to try on the small layout before I get crazy on the basement layout, tracklaying, custom turnouts, etc.
If I was smart I’d do modern and run my B&P stuff.
I think Chip was interested in finding out more about what one would actually have found on the PRR in the era he’s interested in. I got the impression he wanted to model the PRR, not just own a few PRR models.
No one is saying that you shouldn’t do what you want.
I really think that one can have as much or even more fun restricting oneself to an era, railroad, and locale than just running what’s on the shelf. There’s a certain challenge to doing the research and doing things right that simply running anything doesn’t offer.
The great thing about the PRR is that there’s just so much information out there, that doing said research is relatively easy. The downside, however, is that Pennsy fans tend to be very, very serious about their subject and are often unforgiving of mistakes and excessive use of the modeler’s license. I’m actually quite “liberal” when it comes to my appreciation of PRR modeling (i.e., I won’t dicker over whether your X29D has the proper brake rigging or if you mated a 210F75A tender to an I10sa that should have had a 90F82)… This will also be the only time you ever see me refer to myself as “liberal” in any way!
I have found good information about the PRR in general and not a lot about the Indiana Branch of the PRR. I was able to get some cool aerial photos of the line in 1938 and that is my best resource so far. I’ll still need to get the Sandborns to find out what was going in the town of Indiana. If I go no later than 1940, I can run the Hoodlebug for passenegers, but I’m thinking I’ll end up post war.
I’m very tempted to go super detailing on this small layout, but I have an autistic son that is murder on rolling stock. I’ll have to see how it goes with cheaper stuff. I’m thinking I only need a dozen or so cars.