What Geographic Area of the Country is Most Modeled ?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I am a born and raised Chicagoan, so naturally I model the Chicago area, circa 1954.

I see other Midwestern themed layouts from time to time, but not a lot of them.

I see a lot of Eastern themed layouts, some Southern, many southwestern, few North West, almost none in Great Plains themes.

What area of the country do you model?

Which area of the country is most modeled, in your opinion?

Rich

2

I’d hazard a guess that the most modeled area is the Rocky Mountains.

Myself, I model desert so I don’t need a lot of trees.

3

I’m great plains/southern prairie here…

4

I model Southern Minnesota in the late 40’s to early 50’s. I think the most modeled area is the plywood prairie!

5

Area? [:^)]

I like to think my layout represents the west slope of the Rocky Mountains. Some sleepy little town in a valley with a small rail yard. At this point there is very little detail.

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii34/Yankeeflyer/test008a.jpg[/IMG]:550:0]

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii34/Yankeeflyer/IMG_0760.jpg[/IMG]:550:0]

Just having fun.

Lee

6

I model a specific area of the California Sierra Nevada mountains, but just from my observations, I think the East Coast and Rocky Mountain areas seem to be very heavily modeled. At least those are the ones I see showing up in model railroad magazines.

Tom

7

For me, Mid Atlantic - Maryland and Pennsylvania.

I would guess that Colorado and Mid-Atlantic are the most modeled followed by the Midwest, Northeast, and California. Northwest and Southeast seem to have the least.

Enjoy

Paul

8

I imagine it follows where the people / modelers are. There are a lot of model railroaders in the northeast so I imagine a lot of layouts are set there just because of the number of modelers. However there are a lot of modelers in the Chicago - Milwaukee area so I imagine that a lot of people (like the OP) model that area.

As far as people modeling areas they don’t necessarily live in, I’d say the Appalachian coal country has to be a huge segment. Has there ever been a “Great Model Railroads” issue without at least one Appalachian coal hauler featured?? It seems a lot of N&W steam engines around - like 3-4 different versions of the “J” engines - many more than you’d expect for such a relatively small railroad.

Similarly, some wag once guessed that more track has been laid modeling Colorado narrow gauge lines than the actual 3’ gauge track it was based on!! [:P] I know here in Minnesota it’s not uncommon for someone to model Colorado, I imagine it’s the same all over??

9

An interesting question because it is obvious even knowing what railroads are the most popular – and I would think that means UP, Santa Fe, BNSF, Pennsylvania/Conrail, etc., does not necessarily tell you what geographic area is most popular. Just by way of example, when I drive down to Galesburg Illinois each year for railroad days, it is not all that far a drive from the western terminus of a former New York Central branch line to the ex-Santa Fe main! Yet we think of the NYC as an eastern road – east coast even – and the ATSF as western – and west coast.

Similarly people think of the Illinois Central as a “southern” railroad, but it had lines in Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and other points sometimes thought of as western.

Right here in Wisconsin we had the expected Milwaukee Road, Chicago & North Western, and Soo Line, but also the Illinois Central, the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, The Burlington, the C&O (by way of carferry but they had a switcher) and the Grand Trunk Western (ditto). You could be a pretty serious C&O Modeler and base your railroad in Milwaukee WI of all places.

Based on the sometimes crazy mix of prototypes you see on some layouts, there are only a few places in the country where you could see such mixes: Chicago is a prime example, but also St Louis for some mixes, Kansas City and perhaps Cincinnati. So my hunch is based on mixed of equipment Chicago is the most modeled area even if the layout owner doesn’t know that fact.

Dave Nelson

10

The LION models passenger trains. (passengers are tasty you know). Long trains, short trains, subway trains. My layout is now 100% NYCT. As they say: “The largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.”

ROAR

11

I am currently modeling Santa Fe on the Texas coast- a kind of terrain not normally associated with Santa Fe OR Texas…

I previously modeled Santa Fe in the East Texas piney woods. Unless you are from SE Texas, probavbly not thought of when you think of Santa Fe OR Texas…

I have previously modeled generic southwestern and Rocky Mountains- both probably widely modeled.

12

Selfishly, I wish that were the case, but I rarely see a Chicago-based layout on this forum.

Any Chicago-based layout modelers out there?

Rich

13

I guess that makes me unusual since I don’t own hardly any rolling stock that does not fit my locale and era, let alone run it on the layout.

All my locos say ATLANTIC CENTRAL, B&O, C&O and WESTERN MARYLAND. And I don’t have any shelf queen UP Big Boys, PRR K4’s, SP Cab Forward’s, AT&SF 4-8-4’s, etc, etc.

Based on my observations, most people model what they know, so in any given region, most of the layouts will represent that area or an area not real far from where the owner lives.

Since the highest population density is still in the North East, and likely also the highest number of modelers based on the known limited information (NMRA Memberships), that is likely the most modeled area.

Sure there are “transplants” from other areas who model where they came from, or other who simply like someplace other than where they live, but based on what I see and read, they are the exception not the rule.

Among the modelers I know, Dave’s comment does not hold up either. Most of the modelers I know are very region and prototype specific in the locos/equipment they own, or at least in terms of what they generally run on their layouts. A very few are also “collectors” but typically even those guys leave the SP GS4 on the shelf and seldom run it on their B&O layouts.

In this area, the Mid Atlantic, PRR is by far the most modeled road and by extension the most modeled region. The C&O and B&O also have strong followings.

I am a freelance modeler as well as three pr

14

I model an area I know best…I just have to look around me to see it…the northeast US- specifically the NY and Pennsylvania areas.

Prototypical or not, it is what I see an can repeat in my representation of MRRing.

I have never been to southwestern desert zones for example, so I would never consider trying to represent that area, no matter how many pics I can google up.

Just my opinion and ideas.

[8-|]

15

Rich,

I would think there are two basic areas that a modeler looks at:

  • His/Her own area/region
  • Out of area(I would suspect western or eastern mountain railroading would be the choice).

Myself, I model a midwestern area in SW Wisconsin. It is only a 2-3 hour drive to explore, and I can use my Milwaukee Road/Northwestern models.

Jim

16

I agree with Jim, with two caveats:

  1. People tend to gravitate to the more vertical terrain in their area.
  2. Product availability drives choice of prototype - and thus location.

Take California. There are long stretches of near-level running in the Central Valley, but the modelers of California railroads almost always attack a mountain pass - whether Niles Canyon or Donner, or Tehachapi in between (in altitude.) And don’t forget Cajon!

For some reason the manufacturers have produced a lot of Colorado prototype narrow gauge locos. How available are the models of East Broad Top, Waynesburg and Washington, East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, or the present-day Plaster City, locomotives? Likewise, there were two foot gauge prototypes in states other than Maine - and the most produced (by the 1:1 scale builders) loco design never ran there (US Army WWI 2-6-2 trench engine.) Has anybody ever manufactured that 2-6-2 in any scale?

As for myself, I model something I know, but it’s on the far side of a wide ocean and a wider rate of exchange situation. When I lived in Japan the Air Force paid my salary and the rate of exchange was 4.5 times as good as it is now. I literally can’t afford to visit Japan today without draining my bank account. Then, too, the time I model has been overlaid with half a century of changes, not many of them improvements when looked at from a modeling standpoint. I would rather remember the beauty of the past than look at

17

I model the Northeast. lots of operating interest and great scenery potential.

Specifically, the CP interchange in St. Johnsbury, VT, in 1956.

One thing about the Northeast though, if you don’t want to model hundreds, possibly thousands of trees, then choose something else. In New England, you need foliage, and lots of it.

18

I’m not that specific as I model a freelance logging railroad somewhere in the continental US and sometime in the 20th Century. Just having fun.

Just a guess, but I suppose specific mountain ranges and Eastern US are probably the most modeled geographical regions. However, I enjoy all of the layouts with varying themes as they provide a learning experience for me whether or not I model that specific area or Railroad Line.

Wayne

19

I model the Rocky Mountains, because I’m from there.

I think people model mostly where they are from, or grew up as a child.

I would guess the NorthEast is the most popular.

20

I model New England railroads. Such as the Maine Central, Boston and Maine, Bangor and Aroostook, Vermont railway, Guilford, and a few other road names. Not real specific, anywhere from the end of steam to present day. Now time to actually re-build a layout, plans formulating as I type!

I would guess the UP is most modeled based on its history. For me I love the area, (from Mass) and the railroads.