Images

1950s was before my time, but I would start by reaching out to railroad historical societies to see if you can start conversations with retired railroaders on what their crew lounge was like.  You may be lucky and find images.  “My guess is there was not a standard or specific look”

Also keep in mind historical accuracy may not be practical.  For example, a hard wooden chair might be historically accurate, but you will get an earful from your operators and guest with many not coming back. 

I understand the attraction to staying in period as I do Civil War living history.  However outside of interactions when the public is around, this is what can happen if you try and keep this up for long periods.

A. No conversation whatsoever 

B. Sounds unrealistic, awkward, and somewhat “stupid” after a short period. 

C. Things become less fun in short order and folks will not come back. 
 

Now, having a historically correct crew lounge is a cool idea.  It will set the mood and promote interesting conversation.  But my opinion, would not push limiting conversation and subjects to that specific era. 
 

Joe

I was a civil war reenactor too...

...and when the public was around, it was the mid-19th Century.  I would love interacting with the public.  In fact a fellow reenactor and I would do a "skit" every time someone asked if they could take a picture.  I would ask what do they mean about taking my picture, and when they try to explain I would get all afraid because when I was posted out west before the war, the "Indians" told me those devices removed your soul, so I would say to the person no no no, I don't want that thing ripping my soul out of me, and the other reenactor (my 1st Sgt) would calm me down,saying "now Lieutenant, what have I told you about listening to those Indians out west, nothing bad is going to happen, let these nice people take our photo."  Most of the time the public would get a good chuckle out of it.  

I knew of some units that were in period from the start of the event at sunrise to the time we started packing.  It didn't matter if the public was around or not.  Enlisted were not allowed to speak to officers unless they were NCO's and even then usually it was just the 1st Sgt or Sgt. Major that interacted with the officers.   To me that went way too far and wasn't fun at all.  I liked the unit I was in, we were in period when the public was around, but after hours, we were our normal selves, no one was an officer or enlisted we were all equal.

For the layout, I would like to create a time machine, but I'm not going to go around and chastise people for not being "in period". 

Ken L. 

Campaigner with Limits

I classify myself as a Union Civil War Campaigner with limits!  Stickler for historical accuracy in regards to uniform and equipment but also practical in other respects.  

The few “immerse” events I have been too either did not stay that way for long as folks could not keep it up or just not fun because no one said anything the entire weekend.  Plus, as these are non-public events, what’s the point?  So no plans to ever do another. 

Pretty much doing just living history now.  The advantage being your on the actual historic site vs. a cow pasture somewhere.

Although, because of Covid, it’s been almost a year since the uniform has been out of the closet!

”We now return you to the subject of model railroading”

Conversation Rule

Nope, not for me.

The crew lounge should be a comfortable place to the operators to relax and socialize. Big part of having large operating sessions is to hang out and catch up with your friends.

Conversation rule

Quite reasonable to try to get the layout room conversation focused.  But there needs to be a place for people to chat unrestricted.  If not the crew lounge, then where?

I Suspect...

...a "period talk only" restriction will cause the Fun Factor to plunge off bottom of the scale and very soon all you will see and hear at your op sessions will be you and the sound of crickets.

To wit:

I was on the phone with a long time model RR and railroading friend when I read your proposal and mentioned your "period correct conversation only" idea to him. His response was predicable: "No way would I ever want to play trains with such a restriction".

For comparison:

My modest "crew" of (5) guys that I rotate through my op sessions are all long-time friends. To us an op session on my Kansas City & Gulf is not only a vehicle to have fun playing trains, but to talk and catch up on our friendships while we're at it. Serves that purpose admirably. Sure, when we're running the trains, we might "get into character" and have fun with it in that manner, but we're also free to talk about other things if we feel like it.

Typically, once the trains start moving and the "work" (switching/etc) begins... the crews fall silent as they tend to their business. From that point on, most of the chatter is arranging meets/etc. Even at that, they're pretty good to use logical terminology/jargon that hearkens back to the middle of the classic era of diesel of railroading. (I model autumn of 1964) 1964 was long before the coming of over-regulation of radio communications and such.

The casual BS'n usually takes place during down times or between an operator's completion of an assignment and commencing the next one. Either way, it's not been a "problem".

In recap:

I think the "period correct only" conversation idea would be a fun-killer and you'll have a hard time filling out your crew board after a very short period of time. I also think that if the railroading on one's layout is so boring as to foster non-layout specific conversation... hm... maybe some changes in the layout/scheme may need to be considered, for "as is" it may lack the ability to "draw in" your operators and immerse them into the imaginary world you're trying to portray.

Just sayin'.

Andre

EDITED: Hopefully I clarified some thoughts.

At most our operations events

At most our operations events we do not talk trains when not running trains,  We have a lot of ex and current airline pilots in our group as well as Exmilitary and Muscle car fans.

Operations for us is about hanging out with friends etc.  having a good time etc.  if we had rules about strictly talking about that time period on this railroad etc.   people would probably stop coming to those events.

Most people except layout owner has any clue about this railroad during this time period.   

I operate on 4 different SP based railroads...All are in a different time period, state and location within that state.  

I have no clue about the steam era of SP,  No Clue about the Sugar Beet Trains in Southern CA during the 50's and 60's.  No idea about the PFE during the ice reefer era.   

But what I know well, is what the SP was like during the last few years and up to 1996,  about the moment of time I copy as I was around and spend time watching the railroads during this time period.

4 separate SP based layouts not including my own and all are completely different based on time period and location.   So you can only talk bout things specific to the time and location of that railroad on Monday after noon in july in 1967

Obviously this would be in

That would be your house or a motel room.  You wait to be called.  The yardmaster or dispatcher tells the crew caller to put a crew on duty and the crew caller notifies you when to come on duty.  You show up at the yard office/engine facilities/crew change point when its time to be on duty.

Before you are called on duty would be your house or more often than not your bedroom.  Probably not the look you want.

What you probably want is the place where crews report for duty once they are called.

That would be a yard office.

A couple wood benches, a table with a couple benches, a bathroom, maybe some lockers, general order, general bulletin books for them to read.  Maybe a coffee pot.  A clerk with a desk to give them paperwork.  The walls would be yellow with cigarette smoke.  Functional but not comfortable.  The railroad wants them out of there ASAP.

And just how in the heck are you going to expect anybody to know anything conversational about 1953 or before.  99% of your operators wouldn't have been born much less remember anything from 1953.

You either want them to say absolutely nothing or expect that rule to be broken immediately.  I certainly wouldn't follow it.

There wouldn't be a TV in yard office in 1953.  There certainly wouldn't be a CRT computer monitor.  Although there probably would be newspapers, they would technically be against the rules.

You really don't want what you want.  What you want is a lounge DECORATED like a yard office.  Wainscotting.  Industrial colors.  Bulletin boards on the wall.  Stand up table with GO book, rack with copies of time tables or documentation.

Beyond that, no.  The lounge is for guests to be comfortable.  The yard office is for employees to get ready to work.  The railroad doesn't treat employees to snacks and beverages and give them a comfy place to sit.

I use my rec room.  It has a table, chairs, fridge, a counter with some snacks and a TV I usually play railroad videos on.

The Donkey Burger Diner & Arcade

 My Crew Lounge is the "The Donkey Burger Diner & Arcade with the new casino wing and pool hall"  it also doubles as the place my family eats, Breakfast, Lunch and Diner.

But it is era correct for the late 70's and early 80's,  basically a copy of our local bowling alley (The Same Bowling Alley used for the Movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure)  and Ice Cream shop that I spent hours at growing up.  

Train Room is behind that Red Door

In the red light District of the Casino Wing,  She has the Call light lit on top of the machine I need to get a change girl over to her ASAP.

RR Vids...

Dave1905 said:

I would love to see your videos/DVD's you have a 1900s railroading.

Andre

Not to get off the original topic...

...later on, once the railroad construction begins early next year (as there are several steps, including upgrading the septic system that need to be done in 2021 before construction of the new building addition is started) I was going to ask "where the line" should be drawn.  At first, I was going to be more draconian than not.  But then realized, what I enjoy most of Op Sessions is not only creating a "time machine" but the social aspects of it.  There are a few, and most likely in the entire world less than 3 dozen, model railroaders who not only "get into" period, but they only converse if the situation allowed for it.  Here's an example of what I am saying.  These few modelers during an op session, especially if there are no radios, when they are the Engineer in the Cab of a Locomotive, unless you are a Fireman or Brakeman IN the Cab with him, when the locomotive is moving, they will not acknowledge you whatsoever.   And even when the locomotive is stopped, he will only speak to those who he would have if this was 1:1 railroad.  Now THAT, to me would be no fun. 

And though I want to be flexible, and make sure everyone has fun, it's important that those coming to run the railroad do so with a semi-serious mindset.  True, if someone messes up, no one really dies from an accident.  That said, if people don't take some time to be sure they are still familiar with, for instance the basic rules of TT&TO, then everyone else's fun can be impacted.  Trying to find where that "line" is, where everyone has fun, it's not a tense atmosphere, while still maintaining a 'minimal' level of (for lack of a better term) professionalism is going to be difficult.  

I may go back and attempt to incorporate a 1950's era Yard Office and a Modern (i.e. 2021) Lounge.  I will have to take some time to consider all of this.  Thanks all for your feedback.

Ken L.

Crew lounge?

Depends on where they were to show up. The SP local crew at Santa Cruz in the late 1950's drove to the parking lot next to the small yard and sat in their cars till time to get to work. The large Watsonville yard had a crew locker room and a few small offices to report to depending on where they were to work that day.. As long as you shut up and didn't speak til spoken to they seemed to tolerate kids on the property  in those days, so my recollection is lots of cigarette smoke,khakis,overalls,felt hats, and pre work conversation  like a room full of uncles talking mostly about things i didn't understand :> ) ......DaveB

Videos

They are video of the Reading and some specifically on the W&N, but not in 1900.

Mark I Video -  READING COMPANY SCRAPBOOKS Vols. 1 & 2 - DVD | eBayVIGNETTES of the Reading Company Volume 1 DVD (train-video.com)

Although there are films/videos on line of 1900 railroading, mostly Edison films.  As I have acquired era appropriate rules books, I have noticed things in the Edison films that make more sense now.

For example at 1:45 there is a track gang working on the main (they appear to be tamping).  Two guys start waving their hankerchiefs at the approaching train.  That shows two things, the gangs worked "under traffic", that is they did their work so that the track wasn't unsafe and when the train showed up they just got out of the way, let the train by, then went back to work.  The white things weren't "hankerchiefs", they were flags, because in that era, a white signal meant "clear".  Clear was literally the color of the lens in a proceed signal, clear or white.  So they were waving white flags to tell the train the track was safe and it could proceed.  In the erly days, white was "clear", green was caution and red was stop.  It wasn't until the 1910 or so era that "green" was promoted from caution to clear and yellow was added for caution.

Dave...

Just messing with you,

I know of the Edison films, however, I'm not sure just how much of that film has been digitized and how long a compilation of the content would be.

Andre

I wonder...

So you want to implement the "home away from home" for railroad crews?

Sounds like you need the dayroom (or equivalent) from the local YMCA... You'd be limited to a 12" TV... and that might be limited to I Love Lucy.

I have no idea if they would have fed the railroaders there too. 

Things a layout owner cares about

I've noticed that generally, a layout owner is going to care about many things that nobody on the crews will.

People show up for an op session come to run trains. Generally speaking, they don't care what's in the cars or all the other details the layout owner does.

My layout takes place in 1943. I have very small crews in op sessions, but I cannot expect any of them to know about, love or even care about the 1940s as I do.

I've done re-enacting and living history for that era for more than half my life (and Revolutionary War and Civil War from the age of 5 until my late 20s), but I would never dream of insisting crews act like they're in the 40s.

The mere idea is silly. I can think of no better word. 

Heck, in living history, I think it's silly. I remember going to a multi-era living history event where everyone did their own timeframe displays. One guy insisted in acting it was like the early 1800s to everyone he talked with. It was obvious the public was getting fed up with this shtick ("I was issued this musket" got a lot of eye rolling, hands thrown up and public walking away). I walked up and he started it with me, so I went the other direction and talked like it was really the 40s and he was the one who didn't get what year it was.

You should have seen the look on his face. A few spectators starting laughing.

People come to those events as they do for op sessions: to have fun and talk with friends they hadn't seen in a while (as well as making new friends). Having them interact only in the context of your layout's timeframe, as others have pointed out, is a sure recipe for being alone the next time you make a crew call.

Right before the pandemic had everyone (correctly) running scared, I'd put out a crew call for an Army op session, where only my military locomotives would run and the crew would be an Army crew for the concept of the op session. Sadly, I'd timed it against a large op session and nobody signed on. But if it'd come to pass, I wouldn't have made them show up in WW2 uniforms (though I could have easily) and interact as if they were in the Army in WW2.

My layout room has mostly stuff on the walls that are related to the RR I model or the timeframe in which it takes place. It does set a mood, which is a good thing for any layout or crew room, but just leave it at that.

OP, Nothing worse than a

OP, Nothing worse than a power and control freak lol   Model railroading is a form of recreation and relaxation,  not going to school where the Nuns are hanging over you with a yardstick waiting for the wrong word to be said ! You start inforcing rules against 1st amendment and your crews will be really small.  Just sayin. 

I like it...

I think a period-correct crew lounge would be pretty awesome.  To have it appear as if you've stepped back in time to the era of the layout would be very cool.  I like how you're thinking.  The conversation thing won't work, but the concept in general is neat.  

Randy

It's all in the invitation

If I was invited to an op session and had the "era conversation only" rule sprung on me, I might think it was fun, or silly, or a neat idea, or whatever.  Either way, I'd take it into account when deciding on future invitations.

On the other hand, if it were clearly spelled out in the invitation, I could make that decision ahead of time.  Some might think it's a great idea, others would pass.  But, they wouldn't be surprised.

I think putting it into the invitation would be the way to go.  That way, if everyone is suddenly busy that night you got the answer from the people you care to operate with.  On the other hand, if there is a story on the local news about second hand shops suddenly experiencing a run on 1950's era clothes, you can figure it was a pretty good idea. 

gs

Model train tech of 1953?

The 1953 conversation rule would mean no discussion of DCC or LEDs etc right?  you could build the layout with 1953 contemporary techniques and products if you wanted to fully commit to this concept
Jeff

Period construction materials...

Only the finest in sawdust and coffee grounds!

Perion lounge....

Randy's lounge will have 8 track tapes, leisure suits, and bell bottoms....Eeeeekkk!

For a lounge, check out what

For a lounge, check out what this guy has planned:

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/286546.aspx

Man, that black and white checker board floor hurts my eyes!   

I don't see bell bottoms in that photo.  Not even flairs.  I had a lot of flairs as a teen, but I pretty much missed the bell bottom jeans era.  I think I had one pair near the end - brand call bear bottom IIRC.  Yes, they made them for guys too.

Now remember that video game called Leasure Suite Larry?

As for train lounge area's, it something that a lot of hobbyists may not be able to afford.  Only in my most recent home there is a section of our basement I decided to donate to my wife as the layout could not easily make use of it.  She is going to put a TV, day bed, coffee bar etc. after I get most of the wood working done, hopefully this spring.  Thats the are way back beyond the layout - it's a 10x11 foot room where the basement walkout doors are up to the back yard.

Crew lounge...

Whaddaya mean "Eeeeekkk!" ?  

It's gonna be groovy man. 

You forgot CB radios, velvet black light posters, and my beer can collection.   

Randy