Someone comes to you and says, “You can still do MRRing, but you have to switch era’s drastically. If you’re a steam fan, you need to move to diesels, and vice versa. If you’re a transition era fan, you have to move to one end of the spectrum or the other.” After he gets up off of the floor from the right hook you planted on his jaw, you tell him…
( Do you go 1800’s? 1970’s? Present? 1910’s? Steam? Diesel? Electric? )
I’d tell him to go back to sleep…it’s just a bad dream.
Don Z.
Easy…I would switch from my modern CSX to a Seaboard Air Line layout circa 1966 (n-scale of course). That may be my eventual “dream layout” anyway. Jamie
easy, going from SP in the 80’s to SP in the transition era[:)]
I model 1970 to the present, now go crawl back under your rock.
Awww, you’re no fun!
Whatever is on the track is the era running.
Down at the club they still tell stories of a Big boy freight train delayed by a shay in front of it.
"The door’s right there. If you move fast it won’t hit you in the butt.
If you move a little faster, neither will my boot."
There are some decisions I reserve for myself, that are not subject to outside change, question or adverse comment. My choices of prototype and era are two of them.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Uh, I can’t say that on this forum…[:D]
All kidding aside, I have 2 layouts to do. Modern Indiana, and Transition Era (for the rest of the world, anyway) Rockies.
Under most circumstances, I would consider the person an ignoramous and a bore as it is obvious I’m modeling the best era.
Now, if I was modeling the present day prototype and whined of sorely missing cabooses, steam locomotives, minority diesel locomotive builders, more varied freight operations, a variety of passenger trains, and so on, I would probably welcome a suggestion for a more appropriate time period to model.
Mark Pierce
You mean, like take all my Jordan vehicles, steamers and Mather box cars off and replace them with 56 Chevies, Geeps and maybe a couple of TOFC’s? Like that?
It’ll take me about 10, maybe 20 minutes. You wanna, like, go down to the beer fridge and bring up a couple while you’re waiting?
If I had to switch from 1950’s, I would go for 1905. Some steel, but still alot of wood. Smaller, less cluttered steam locomotives. If ever I dual era the layout, that’s most likely going to be the second one.
Enjoy
Paul
sorry , no can do
i picked 1905 specifically because the locos and cars were shorter , and would better fit the small space i’ll have for a layout and therefor the smallish radius curves i’ll have .
i guess if i could i’d switch to On30 but keep the time frame unchanged, but that’s not really what you were asking for
ernie
(sound of round being chambered…) GET OFF MY LAND!!
WHAT?!! And get rid of all of my ARTICULATEDS because someone says I can only run SD70MAC3B’s or whatever the heck they’re called?
No way, Jose!
Tom [soapbox]
pc:
Back to the turn of the century it would go. I’d probably do the PA oil region. A few diseasels are all right (that’s what we have immune systems for) but there’s no way I’m letting powered boxcars run the show. 
I might even go real crazy and try the Midland Railway of Britain. I always did like their Singles.
Hey Tom…
Don’t look now, but all locos with swiveling trucks are, technically, articulated - whether they be Shays, Heislers, Climaxes, Beyer-Garratts, box-cab motors, GG-1s or…
Wait for it…
Those stinky things with internal combustion prime movers and either electric or hydraulic transmissions.
OTOH, the locomotives with one set of drivers firmly affixed to the boiler and firebox are SEMI-articulateds…
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with diesel-hydraulics and, on the TTT only, freelance articulated steam)
I’d just stay with the era I’m with,the 80’s from 1981-1985 on the Milwaukee Road River Line Division,from Ottumwa,Iowa to Savanna,Illinois,i have always liked the SD40-2’s and MP15AC’s that the Milwaukee Road ran.My second favorite era if I switched would be the mid to late 70’s on the Milwaukee Road.
T3:
Hmm…I always thought “articulated” WRT a diesel or electric meant the wheels were contained in frames hinged to each other that took draft and buff forces, where “trucks” are just swiveling units that contain the wheels but aren’t the main frames. OTOH, Shays are considered articulated locos, and they are just on trucks. SO it seems inconsistency rules.
I like everything from 1860 to 1970, so I could easily change.