Sliding era

Joe, your method of using a sliding era always 30 years before now is an interesting one, but one thing intrigues me. For a certain loco type that was present on the SP for only a part of the 1980s, say the latter half, does that mean that those locos vegetate in a box for several years each decade until their time comes? Wouldn't do them a whole lot of good would it? What's your solution?

Tony in Victoria, Australia

Sliding eras

My prototype had no really visible scenic changes for over 40 years. Trains changed as lineside industries came and went but the facilities remained for years after the industry died. The motive power changed a little over 20 years as steam engines were retired into the 40's and diesel was late coming. Some steam running into the late 50's early 60's. So it would be easy for me to "hide" the modern power (in staging) and run a 40's steam train to an industry that died out 10 years earlier and vice/versa without sacrificing scenic realism. My railroad will represent  the early 40's to the early 60's so I can run some really great diesel action that came later.

Running what you want ...

... when you want to run it, is really the best of both worlds ...  

Era's

I model the New Haven from the mid-50's to the end of the NH in Dec. 1968. Yet I have all the passenger motors from EP-1s (1907) thru the EP-5s (1955) and freight motors, EF-1s (1912) thru the EF-4s (1963). I run them all! I also have NH steam which is totally out of my era. I enjoy running them all. If I have an op session and back date it to run steam, I don't remove the 50s era vehicles. I only do that if I'm going to take a photo where vehicles might be present. 

I agree with "Dave O."

I might add that I have power from other RR's too such as Cab-Forwards and GN power. Do they look "weird" under NH catenary? Sure they do. I enjoy running them. . .that's why I have them; no shelf queens here. Would I take a shot of an AC-4 under the wires, no!

Reversable Backdrop/Structures

Hi All,

If your layout is only viewed from the front, your buildings can have a "old" brick/stone/wood side and the opposite side can be "modern" sheet metal/concrete.

Mount them on a symmetrical base so they can be rotated 180 degrees and leave extra length for any lighting wires you use. 

This also makes them easy to remove from the layout and take to the workbench for detail work.

Interesting concept, Joe. And

Interesting concept, Joe. And I understand it is what appeals to you. In my case freelancing a might have been but wasn't allows me a good bit of lee way regarding what ran and where. In my case Steam will be gone from all but the modeled division and the remnants of a once extensive steam roster will be finishing out their days waiting for the next order of SD 24s to replace them.

I will be fairly close to a date, modeling the early fall of 1959. Trees will still have leaves but folks are preparing for winter. In the sliding time period I would need to not just update rolling stock, but vehicles as well. I find the time warp aspects of say 1952, with 1957 chevys and 85 foot trailer train cars, or 1958 hopper cars very jarring. So much so that it spoils the scene for me.

If something happens to be around a bit longer than normal  it is not nearly as bothersome to me as something that was not yet in service. I understand some folks are quite comfortable with those things and that is fine, I am not being judgmental, it just spoils the scene for me. If I miss something like that but don't know it it does not bother me, ignorance is bliss.

I also think the sliding time scale, to be successful, would also depend on the area modeled. For example a mainline running through a sparsely populated forested right of way would lend itself rather well to the concept you have described as who can tell if the trees are too new or old? On the other hand it might be difficult to deal with in an urban environment that will have lots of signs and vehicles. Some eras just have very dramatic changes and a couple of years can be very significant.

I think you have a very interesting concept that a great many modelers will be able to easily adopt, and enjoy as it will not produce any big jumps in their decade. But if someone is say doing 1956 through 1966 the difference would be huge. Just for a couple of things we would go from steam to the 2nd generation of diesels and be looking at SD45s and 89 foot flats, nearly all the equipment would be changed from the two extremes.

Interesting ideas Joe.

Rob in Texas

Era Modelling

Joe,

Many thanks for the musings over what era or year we model.  I am an English guy and model British Railways in the mid 50s but I do allow some creep in the years I model so my locos and rolling stock ar from as early as 1951 and as late as 1964 (yes  - I know that is not mid 50s!)  I also model a ficticious location and this in 4mm scale on 16.5 mm track.  A friend of mine models the Southern Railway in UK on June 18, 1938, and he models a specific location too (Redhill - a junction station).  Furthermore he models in P4 (I think Proto87 equivalent there in the US).

The point I want to make is that although he and I are at opposite ends of the scale/ratio divide we both like and appreciate what the other is doing and strange as it might sound he doesn't mind watching an American diesel or steam loco thundering round my railway at the head of obviously British rolling stock!  He accepts that the Chief Mechanical Engineer (me) likes mixing his stock.

At the end of the day we are all trying to produce something WE are happy with and that (to be blunt) that we will play with.  If it makes us happy then what does it matter what a "rivet counter" says?  Remember though that I drool at the standard of such models which tend to be produced in quantities of 10s, and my friend appreciates that I am trying to produce a representation of a railway with about 1200 wagons (yes one thousand two hundred wagons) mainly built from plastic and some brass kits.

Model and enjoy.  Cheers, Terry Moore.

P S I have finally started laying track and have got that curved scissors in place and operating.

Resin Casting Wagons

Hi Terry,

Have you considered using rubber molds and casting resin to build your 1200 wagons?

Then your only commercial parts would be the wheels, couplers and grab irons.

I've used it in N scale for automobiles, trucks(lorries) and covered hopper cars.