I just came in from the old train room a few minutes ago, and am in one of those rare moods where it seems like today was the first day I’ve ever ran my trains and really got a big thrill out of it, and no, I’m not taking a new anti-depressant… Anyways, while out there, I was thinking how much I’ve come to prefer the transitional era of the 1950s more than any other. I also prefer smaller locomotives that are no larger than a Berkshire (4-8-2) as well as F-7 diesels. I’ve also gotten to where I favor freights, and hardly ever run passenger trains anymore, but if I do it’s the Santa Fe Super Chief.
So what’s your favorite time period and locos from that period?.
My favorite era is 40s-50s American era and era II for the German steam. Ms favorite is the streamlined steam engines. I recently read up on this history of this engine and wish there could have been a speed test done but oh well.
This is the BR 19 an era II German engine, I gave pics because I cannot help myself and save you the trouble of looking:
I like big engines, little engines, streamlined passenger locos, grimy freight hogs, locos in preservation as well as regular service, locos from all countries, particularly steam locos, although other forms of traction get a good look in.
One day a Baldwin 2-8-0 will be the favourite, the next day a Gresley A4. PRR T1s, French pacifics, African Garratts, Swiss rack engines, Shays, Fireless engines…you name it!
You just have to love the rich variety left to us by the folks who (usually) designed the right machines for the job at hand.[bow]
Favorite from the 50’s? Geeps, of course - they were the very first ‘train’ I ever recall seeing. My early childhood home in SW Michigan was surrounded by the C&O, which had ~600 of those…
I’ve always been a late '50s, early '60s modeller, which was “modern era” in my youth when I started with HO trains. I continued the tradition when I unpacked the boxes all these decades later. Still gotta like those geeps and F7’s. Also, with limited size, it’s nice to have stuff that runs on 18-inch curves without looking too silly.
But, then there’s the sound and allure of steam. This started when I picked up a P2K 0-6-0, and then a BLI Hudson. So, I’ve been slowly “transitioning” back to the 1930’s. My most recent rolling stock acquisitions have come from that time, and I’m occasionally to be found down in the workroom working on a Jordan vehicle.
I will tend to model in phases depending on my mood. I really like the late 40s to mid 50s. Passenger or freight being pulled by multiple F units, geeps or a coal drag pulled by SD7-9s. Then I’ll jump to the future in the 70s and run my Chessie’s. These more modern trains are mostly very long coal drags with GP38/40s or SDs.
Don’t know if I’ll ever break that barrier into the 80s though. That means that all that beautiful Chessie stuff would have been repainted into a RR I despise, CSX…
As a timeline, I have anything from an 0-8-0 steam switch engine right up to a NS Dash 8 on my layout. Well, usually not at the same time. But like you, I find myself gravitating more and more to the 50’s or a little later, although one of my mostest favorite engines is a P2K GP-30. Or is it the little Bachmann 2-8-0 steamer. Heck, I don’t know… can’t make up my mind on eras… never could!
The transition era was about a dozen years later in Japan, and I (purely by accident!) hit right at the time when it was at its height - new equipment being put into service daily, but older equipment not yet withdrawn for disposition.
As for my favorite locomotives:
Steam: C11 class 2-6-4T, C12 class 2-6-2T, C50 class 2-6-0, C56 class 2-6-0, 9600 class 2-8-0, C50 class 2-8-2, C51 class 2-8-2, E10 class 2-10-4T. (My roster includes all except the E10.)
Diesel: DD13 class B-B, DD51 class B-2-B, (both twin-engine diesel hydraulic) and DE10 class C-B diesel-hydraulic. (Again, I roster all three. The EF10 is anachronistic - it didn’t appear in service until 1967.)
1500vdc Catenary Electric: ED14 class Bo+Bo, ED16 class 1-Bo+Bo-1, EF18 class 2-Co+Co-2, EF58 class 2-Co+Co-2, EF60 class Bo-Bo-Bo, EH10 class Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo. All except the EF58 class are box cabs, the first three pre-war hard-corner boxes, the latter two post-war rounded-edge boxes. (All are on my roster.)
All-time favorite: Kiso Forest Railway 0-4-2T, 762mm gauge, Baldwin built. Out of service in 1964, #1 was fired up for the last time at the railroad’s closing ceremony in 1975. (I own a 1:80 scale 10.5mm gauge model.)
My under-construction layout is designed to provide all of these locos (and the carriages and wagons they were designed to pull) a good home.
I’d have to say that my favorite time period is the late 60’s. Nice mix of first and second generation diesels, early and “modern” freight cars, and passenger trains.
Favorite locos? Well, my hands-down first choice would definitely be a nice ABBA set of Santa Fe red-and-silver warbonnet F-units. [:D] Second choice would be GP7’s and GP9’s, pre-rebuild, still with high noses.
I rode the Union Pacific 300 miles to college in the early 50’s, and that’s my favorite time period. But I also have twin-stack well cars and greyhound heavyweight passenger cars. All Union Pacific [except for a Shay on a logging branch]. But I would love to have a cab-forward, or a reason to run a Warbonnet, and my kids always loved “Billy Goat Gruff” cars. I rode the Jitney [Doodlebug] to my grandparents, so of course I have one. And the local freight was pulled by a 2-8-0, so that’s a favorite, too. And the Challenger and the “Big Blow” turbine. And…why did you have to ask?
I would say the 50s because that’s what I model. It was the transition era, and on the PRR you had both steam and intermodal trains sharing the same 4-track main. Interesting times indeed.
But I have a soft spot for my childhood years (late 70s/early 80s)… Rainbow Conrail, early Amtrak, a few lingering Penn Central beasts, plus a crumbling rail infrastructure in the Northeastern US. Certainly not the “glory days” of railroading by any stretch, but it’s what made an impression on me as a kid.
Dave, don’t react just yet, but somebody got in the way of the avatar you photographed. Looks like a nice guy, but he must not have realized what you were doing?[:D]
I model the 1947-1955 time frame because if I change I’ll have to get more engines. [xx(] I enjoy the simplicity in motion of the three diesels I have, and I run them often as switchers or on a local detail out on the road to a nearby industrial spur. The heavy mainline hauling is done by larger steamers, three of which are articulated or duplex in nature. I was never exposed to them in my youth, but they sure have gotten under my skin. The rest of my steamer team are smaller, a 2-8-2, 4-6-4, 0-6-0, and the largest non-articulated is a Pennsy J1 2-10-4.
I also like the wooden trestles that were more common 30-140 years ago, so the transiton era helps a bit with that. Mostly, though, it is the valve-gear and rods that I find so fascinating. I never seem to get tired of watching them…like sitting around a campfire and staring into the flame.
Oh, I forgot creosote…it was used much more back then. Sniff…mmmmmmmmm…!
being English I have to say British Railways 1970’s -1998 as this is when most trains were locomotive hauled instead of these four and two car units we 've got now. As I’m modelling
the Santa Fe I still dont know what loco and what car ran when and which freight livery was used? I know some but not all.
I model the Western Maryland circa 1968-72. Pre-Chessie but still relatively modern era. F units and SD-40’s working side by side.
I call this the “second transition era” where first generation diesels were beginning to be phased out and replaced with high horse power second generation.
Every once in awhile I leave my trainroom with that same feeling!
My layout is “the '50s”, and I guess this is because that was the time period when I became exposed to both real and model trains. I grew up in Chicago, and spent summers at my Grandmom’s in Anna (Ill), immediately next to the IC racetrack.
I enjoy the ATSF EMD cab & early GP units, as well as the early Alcos. Steam locos are present as well, and I enjoy all of them.
You didn’t mention rolling stock, so may I add… I enjoy trains of “boxcar red” and black cars which were pretty much the majority of cars during that time. But I also enjoy strings of various tankcars too.
My favorite - although not very realistic all together - is a train of my HO collection of brightly painted '50s boxcars. These are the same paint schemes as Lionel had on their “6464” boxcars issued in that time period.
All that being said, I also enjoy trains of most any era, scale, and location too!
