model train shows

Season’s greeting to all and hope for the best in 2010. I have a question about model train shows, or at least, the displays/layouts. I noticed alot of people/groups have beautiful layouts with remarkable scenery, well-crafted and weathered buildings with tons of animation, and shiny and expensive locos and rolling stock, BUT, run steam, early diesels, and modern diesels - all on the same lines. It’s like a time paradox - why? Can’t they pick ONE time era and run that? Is it 1903 or 2003? What gives?

I’ll give you a perfect example of what gives. My RR is owned by an elderly gentleman who grew up riding the rails when steam was king. As such, he has a great affinity for them. So, as time went on, he began buying old steam era power and rolling stock, and from time to time, he has them freshened up and brought out for railfanning trips; ala the Union Pacific, when they make trips from their shops in Wyoming to various places.

I’m to new to give a real good answer but maybe the members aren’t all running the same era. Each member puts in their part. (era)

There was a recent thread here about clubs, and one of the complaints was that some clubs were being dictatorial regarding what was and was not allowed to be run on the railroad.

In order to keep peace in Mr. Rodger’s neighborhood, it is likely that all the members with all their different interests are being given the opportunity to run their trains of choice.

Yeh, that and the other posts makes sense, now that I read it. I suppose I’m just not thinking outside the box. Thanks everyone.

It really doesn’t bother me at all, as I enjoy seeing all types of motive power and rolling stock. It’s also a way of club members to proudly display their work and interests. A lot of folks at train shows these days seem to be families, so the ladies and kids probably would prefer to see a mix.

As to the explaination in Medina1128’s reply, that is a description of the Ohio Central Railroad until taken over by Genesee & Wyoming recently. The gentleman who owned the railroad collects and restores steam engines. They were known to show up hauling freight as well as excursions from time to time. His steam engines were not part of the sale by the way. He is presently constructing a roundhouse for his engines.

Tom

It all goes back to rule number 1, its your railroad, run what ya want. Many guys like the modern engines along with older and even steam. Some pick an era and stick to it. Just whatever the owner wants to model.

A very simple reason: people have multiple interests. So someone might be have a pair of UP Dash 9s pulling a consist of “State of Maine” boxcars, with Thomas the Tank Engine as a helper.

You have to remember that these display layouts at train shows are modular and most–not all but most --are privately owned; as such the attitude is “I contributed my module–I expect to be able to run my trains!” As such it does seem like a hodge-podge and you are very likely to encounter 1930s teakettles meeting 21st Century growlers along the double track mainline.

There are clubs that are exclusively modular and sometimes they operate only in a display environment but if the club that displays at these train shows maintains a permanent layout that layout could well be theme-oriented. I belonged to one of these type clubs in Massachusetts back in the sixties–the theme being New England railroading and shortly before I joined in early-'65 all motive power/cabin cars operated on the layout had to carry the marques of a New England railroad. I got by with my Onion Specific GP30s because run-through power was becoming more common in that era. Never-the-less the club devoted one operating session per month to steam exclusively–New England theme of course–and another exclusively diesel theme session–which was not restricted to New England marques. Other sessions were unrestricted. Shortly after PCS orders forced my relocation to the Philippines in late-'65 they relaxed their restrictions and all operating sessions became unrestricted affairs . . . . . . . . . . except for open houses which were New England transition era restricted affairs.

My club does that all the time. Why? Because we can, lol. Seriously though the reason we do is because not everyone in my club is interested in the same era. It’s no fun going to a show and not being able to run something that you own to show it off. We regularly run around 4 separate trains, F units pulling freight, newer passenger trains like my GO Transit train or my ONR Polar Bear Express, a present day freight and even a CATERPILAR train. I’ve been known to even run a steam loco or two at the odd show and I’ve been promising that one of my Turbo Trains are going to appear on the layout at least once. Just like my club not everyone that comes to the shows is interested in the same era so we like to give a little bit of everything to the patrons that come. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. If we were so anal about everything being correct I don’t think the fun would be there anymore. We could pick one era but then members would have to go out and purchase things to run on our layout that they would never run at home.

BEST statement of the thread, IMHO.

The club I belong to (and was one of the founders) has been operating a modular layout for the past 25 years at the local show we run and at other shows in the area. We’ve always “run what ya brung”, mixing trains with no concern with eras. Our individual modules are mostly self standing scenes, with very little scenery matching between them. I run a three truck Shay back and forth on the tracks on my own modules while new double stack trains and older way freights rumble by on the two main lines.

And you know what? Not once in our 25 years of operating have we ever had any comments or complaints that we had our eras mixed up! We’re displaying parts of our hobby, getting to run the equipment we have bought and/or worked on, and all visitors seem to really appreciate what we are doing. Visitors stare at some the the scenes we’ve created, hold their children up to see better, and take photos all during our public shows.

And we’re having fun doing it!

That’s why I’m in this hobby.

Enjoy

Paul

It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not my layout/club.

Mark