The 70s

The 70s were a great time to model, but there seems to be a dividing line. are we talking about early 70s or late 70s? I model 1972 and I would say it leans more to a late 60s type of feel.

-Scott

Amtrak

Amtrak starts in 1971. 

Also Pennsylvania and New York Central merge to form Penn Central from 1968 to 1976.  Then comes Conrail.

Those are the ones that come to mind for me.

Paul

'60s

I love the mix of lines, engines, and cars. Shorter cars (other than passenger) usually look better on smaller layouts, more smaller industries to serve, and even a fair amount of steam on short lines and regionals.

Just my 2 cents worth (and everyone knows how valuable that is!).

B&O in 1967

My railroad is set in 1967.  At that time, the B&O was still using first generation diesels, the Capital Limited passenger trains were in operation, and freight cars with roof walk ways were still in use.  This time was just before the Chessie rebranding (1972) when the C&O ownership permits both B&O and C&O equipment to be operated together.  

Michael

I switched from the early 70s to the early 60s....

My previous N scale railroad modeled the L&N in eastern Kentucky in the 70s. When I switched to HO I back dated to the early 60s and model the SOU in SW Virginia. I reused the same benchwork and the track plan is pretty similar. However, the generous 22” radius in N is a bit tight in HO, so one of the advantages of the 60s include shorter cars, nearly all 40’ with a handful of 50’ boxcars. All coal hoppers are shorts twins. They look better on the tighter curves. Also, passing sidings are the same actual length as the N Scale layout, of course they accommodate shorter trains, so shorter cars give me an extra car or two in the siding vs. longer cars. Same situation with shorter 4 axle locomotives, half my N scale fleet were 6 axle. 
 

another consideration is smaller industries and loose car railroading. In the early 60s the local lumber yard still received a single boxcar or two. Likewise a local coal dealer or small factory. On my N scale RR, I had 2 large industries - a roof shingle plant and a paper mill. Each stretched out about 5 feet or more. Shingle plant had 4 car spots, paper mill 9. Half of them could handle 2 or 3 cars at a time. I have no room for any such thing in HO, so small, local, loose car railroading was the way to go. 
 

I prefer the late 1970's. -

I prefer the late 1970's.

- lots of new colorful IPD box cars, many shortline names.

- 40' TOFC trailer traffic growing

- Amtrak phase 1 and some phase 2 passenger cars SDP40F's still running but giving way to F40PH's.

- Cabooses still standard.

- second generation diesel power is mainstream.

- unit coal trains becoming popular.

But I'm a Rio Grande fan, and I'm spanning 1977-1983 so I can also run the early Amtrak superliners and TOFC 45' trailers coming online 1982/83.

Mid 1960's

My small switching layout is set in an urban industrial area, circa 1965. This was when I became interested in railroads and is what I remember from childhood. I like single car freight railroading with first generation diesel switchers, 40 foot boxcars, and ice cooled reefers. These things were still around in the 70's, but larger freight cars were becoming dominant and fewer industries were using rail service.

Joe S

I model the New Haven,

1968, the last year, more loosely based Branchline through a medium sized city, serving local industries on weed covered tracks. You get urban decay, plus decrepit trackage, with fairly weathered locos and cabooses. 

Mid-60’s

Hands down. I wouldn’t go any later than 1966. That was the last year of traditional passenger service with huge volumes of mail and express, a pretty intact passenger network and no tidal wave of mergers. Lots of first generation diesels, still over a hundred Class one carriers and America’s industrial base was still the envy of the world. On a side note, I loved the music through 1966 and there were a whole lot of really cool cars being built.

I was drafted in fall of 66 and by time I got back in ‘68 Railroading was well into the era of change. Penn Central, SCL, most RPO’s gone, huge reductions in passenger service, high cube boxcars making a big appearance, newer freight power etc. I think the CGW had been obsorbed by the C&NW by that time, some of the local Baldwin’s were gone, the 0-6-0 that used to switch Koppers Coke was gone,some one-car industries were shut down.etc.

Just my thoughts. I used to model 1965 but moved it back to 1957 so I could “legally” run steam.

60's vs 70's

Cue Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans".

The 1960's were the steam railroad's last gasps of trying to compete in the post war economy. Passenger ridership was plummeting, mail contracts had been lost, car loadings were decreasing, deferred maintenance was piling up.  The government regulatory bureaucracy and rigid work rules kept the railroads from making significant changes to match the traffic changes.

In the 1970's the patients finally started to die off.  Private passenger service keeled over and Amtrak was born.  The failed merger of the NYC and PRR behemoths collapsed, also killing off the wounded smaller roads in the middle Atlantic states and upper Midwest. Much of the Midwest had its zombie roads, the Rock Island, the Milwaukee, and many others, ICG, CGW, MSTL, were struggling.

It is a very interesting era to model, I modeled the PC at one point, but it is a period of decline, contraction, decay and failure in the industry overall.  

1970 Rainbow Era Burlington Northern

I model October 1970 in Minnesota, months after the BN merger happened. Reasons why I chose this over the 1960s or the later 1970s.

*BN, GN, NP, CB&Q, and SP&S locomotives could be found throughout the system now.

*Unit renumbering and repainting had just started, so units could still be found in their original colors and numbers.

*The Empire Builder and Western Star passenger trains were running their last year in GN colors mostly.

*The GN and other roads of the era had very colorful freight cars.

*Grain hoppers and grain boxcars were found side by side.

*Most GN depots remained trackside before many were sold off and relocated.

*The 1970s saw a lot of grain elevator complexes built out with additional storage bins, something I didn't want. 

*Iced reefers remained along with icing facilities for a few more years.

*Livestock cars still ran their last few years, at a profit!

It was a pretty bad time for the industry, but it is a great time to model!

Anyone for UP GTELs?

I'm a Union Pacific fan as well as Santa Fe. If I were to model Union Pacific and had to choose between 1960s vs the 1970s, I would settle on the 1960s so I could model their Streamliner passenger services, but more important than that - those amazing giant Gas-Turbines. Sadly, the GTELs were all retired by 1970. So 1970s definitely would out for me so I could run at least one of the beasts.

A related question,

Is anyone aware of an available consolidated list of RR merger/collapse dates?  I'm looking for some form of 2D sheet that would show, across the years, when which RR names were in existence?  It would be useful when selecting models for 'overhead traffic' to know what RRs were actually running in the modeled era.  For this post thread, it might show dates for a multitude of RR changes which would affect what roads you might want to model.

Blair

60's

Erie Lackawanna West End Late Summer 1964.  Passenger service was still on the timetable. Many original motive power Erie and DL&W paint schemes still riding the rails as well as the merger EL black and yellow freight scheme. The ubiquitous gray / maroon / yellow scheme was also coming into play in '64, so plenty of variation to model. The PRR and NYC presence was everywhere.  The Wabash and Nickle Plate were a scant few months from being absorbed into the N&W (interchange traffic) and the West End was primarily ALCO motive power.  The EL's first new order of GP35's and U25B's wouldn't take place until that fall.  So, "smoke 'em if you got 'em..!"  

Mid 70s

I was modeling about the 1971 era, for many of the reasons Sean Murphy mentioned above.  Even though most of us "hated" Amtrak, those "rainbow" passenger trains, where you could see east coast cars mixed into, say, the Empire Builder, was just sort of cool.

But...  I really like vehicles, and when a 1976 AMC Pacer came on the market a few years ago (diecast, Fresh Cherries, I think), I just had to have one.  Truly one of the ugliest cars ever built.  But cool, too.  So my era sort of moved to the mid-70s so I could have it on my layout.  Maybe a dumb reason to select a year to model, but it works for me….

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA

Dave Husman

Dave, all railroading after the 1950s is depressing to me!

Jim

Late 1970's

Don’t pick the era first, pick what you like to model

 "The scarlet and gray scheme

Hi Joe, Which units got  the bloody nose scheme in 1955? The first ones I recall using it were the new GP9 low nose about 1958? ......DaveB 

@Joe

Going from memory

I was going from memory ... when I checked you are correct, it was 1958. I have updated my comments to now say 1958.

Sorry Joe, can’t see it.

I don’t think there’s any fixed formula for selecting a layout era, certainly not in the order suggested. It leaves out other very important factors. Such as sentimental attachments. A lot of us like to model the railroading we were exposed to in our younger years, when we first fell in love with trains and railroads. Others like both steam and diesel locomotives, which limits layout era to the period pretty much to 1930’s-1950’s. Operations can be highly influential in era if you really enjoy TT&TO or CTC. Or it might just be that a prototype is just very attractive, like the Santa Fe, Great Northern or B&O.

I can see where choice of prototype can be a factor if you’re inclined to emerging shortlines which didn’t exist back in the classic era or a railroad that’s now abandoned , operated a service that’s now gone or operated equipment you really like, or post or pre- merger. On the other hand if you’re a B&O  fan, for example, that covers the period 1828 until the Chessie System congealed, not much help in selecting an era. Region has the same limitations . Donner’s Pass has been a railroad site since the late 1860’s and eras scan over a century. I believe choice of region can be very related to personal affinity, just as choice of era and prototype are.

I guess I’d argue that it’s a blend of many factors, poured into the mix in no fixed order. Era, region, prototype (if any), sentiment, eye appeal, era, operations, motive power all have varying weight to each modeler and no two are just alike. Too many intangibles.  Or at least I think so.

Barry P

"I guess I’d argue that it’s

along with those I think one's layout space should be a big factor in choosing what to model. Despite what one might prefer the reality is some things are more suited to a smaller space than others are. Compressing a short line or end of branch line scene can be easier than compressing something like Cajon pass or the 4 track Pennsy mainline....DaveB

I had no prototype preference

My requirements were steam locomotives, truss rod cars, short line with regularly scheduled trains and passenger trains (no mixed trains), and S scale.   I had no prototype preference.

As it turned out the Ma&Pa met all the requirements including steam locomotive kits in S for 3 of the Ma&Pa locomotives (since discontinued, but I have all 3). Era picked was early 1950's because passenger service on the Ma&Pa ended in 1954, steam lasted until 1956, and there is a lot of rolling stock for that era. 

If not for the Ma&Pa being such a good fit I would have free lanced later in the 50's.  As it is I will be using 2 EBT #6 0-6-0 switchers with slope back tenders for my Ma&Pa because they are close enough to Ma&Pa's steam locomotive switchers for me and they were available (in kits also now discontinued, but I managed to get 2 of them).

Paul