Old and New


jacon12

Member
My house is near one of Norfolk and Southerns routes and I hear the mighty rumble of the late model diesels about 2 to 3 times a day. I love to hear the horns.
My layout, while still in its infancy, is loosely based in the 1950s... giving me the excuse to run steam and early diesel... but I like the late diesels too. So, I'm wondering just how many here run whatever they want on their layouts regardless of era or roadname. Do you run.. say... 1920's steamers as well as SD-70Macs? Do you stay absolutely protypical?
Jarrell
 
Good question Jarrell,

My .02,

Modeling is what YOU make of it. Although modern diesels don't look quite right running by turn of the century watertowers, Modeling should be your choice.

I love TRAINS. ALL TRAINS. I model the 60's-70's, But I run SD50's once in a while. I run E-7's that were almost all phased-out by that time frame. Why?, because I can. I'm not a nit-picker. I used to be concerned with what my models were like, compared to the 'greats'. Then I realized why I love this hobby, It's not what you make, rather it's what you make of it.


Johnny(still on meds):D
 
enjineerbill said:
Good question Jarrell,

My .02,

Modeling is what YOU make of it. Although modern diesels don't look quite right running by turn of the century watertowers, Modeling should be your choice.

I love TRAINS. ALL TRAINS. I model the 60's-70's, But I run SD50's once in a while. I run E-7's that were almost all phased-out by that time frame. Why?, because I can. I'm not a nit-picker. I used to be concerned with what my models were like, compared to the 'greats'. Then I realized why I love this hobby, It's not what you make, rather it's what you make of it.


Johnny(still on meds):D
Johnny, I know what you mean. I think I love trains, ALL trains, more than I do a particular time period. I'd like to have one of the newest NS diesels but I know it won't look particularly 'right' going around my 22" r curves.
;) I'll probably get it anyway. Heck, you wanna know what I have now? A UP Gp9i, a GM&O SD-40, a Southern E6, N&W Class A articulated and a Southern circa 1920s 0-8-0 switcher and I luv'em all!
I'll bet I have the most varied roster around!
Jarrell
 
Well Jarell, I am going to model a railroad that is near and dear to me, the old TipUp, TP&W, except my version has them still privately owned, no RailAmerica stuff, and bring them into the new Millinium (sp) they will be getting custom paint jobs matching the 70-80's scheme but they will be running new power, like SD80Mac's, MP15's, engines they never owned, but if they would have stayed independant, the economy was still on their side, I just bet they would be running those brutes :)

I do try to do proto-practices, but it is your world and you do get to call the shots. Sorry no steam here, don't have a great selection for steam in N scale, though I hear rumors of Athearn making a new steamer.
 
enjineerbill said:
Modeling is what YOU make of it. Although modern diesels don't look quite right running by turn of the century watertowers, Modeling should be your choice.

I think you can get away with some stuff like that. In S. Manitoba for instance there's a ex-CN branchline, turned shortline that still has semaphores! With Dash 9-44CW's running around on the CN mainline.

But that's out in the country, a better example would be Winnipeg itself. There's an old WWI era shortline that still has the watertower standing! (although they are using it as a base for their antenna, but that is easily sropped out in pictures). Big CP AC4400CW's and various US foreign power run literaly a few dozen feet away from it, since the line goes to the US border.

Thus as you can see, this is more reaslistic then you think!

I myself tend to stick with the 70s-90s era, don't really like the old-old pre-WW2 stuff.
 
Modern diesels in a modern era, then add some excursion steam train trips mayby even a mixed train, take some freight to the steam society's other depo? I'm gunna find a way!! LOL

The guys are right it's our layouts we do what we want.

Ken.
 
My preference is to be 'three-foot' prototypical - IOW, make my stuff look generally believable when viewed from arm's length, life's too short for me to worry about winning contests all the time. ;) [Been there done that!] Ever since my early childhood I've always loved to replicate, somehow, scenes that I've seen thru my own two eyes - up to and including the present day. Hence my interest in CSX as well as the B&O of 35 years ago.
 
I'm more into the dated theme type model railroad. It's just more interesting to me. Everyone has their own preferences though, you should run what you want, it's your railroad. Either way, we want pics. ;)
 
jacon12 said:
My layout, while still in its infancy, is loosely based in the 1950s... giving me the excuse to run steam and early diesel... but I like the late diesels too... Do you stay absolutely protypical?
Jarrell
Jarrell; If you are concerned about being "correct". Try this term, Protofreelance. This is what I'm doing. I have a "shortline", the Alabama Central, that allows me to include any loco/car I want/like, while I also model a prototype the SRR. Now in my case everything is mostly steam. But by using this concept, I can run other locos I like BUT were never seen in Alabama! Locos like SP T-28 4-6-0's, C&O H8 2-6-6-6, N&W Y3 2-8-8-2, et al.

Can the same thing be done in your case? Yes! Think of yourself as the owner of a small railroad, think Oregon Pacific & Eastern, the OP&E. This railroad was steam powered through at least the mid 1970's. So there is a prototype justification. (I believe the White Pass & Yukon still kept its steam as backup power for many years after they dieselized, plus don't forget about Graham County in NC. They were shay powered at least to the mid-80's, if not later, I believe.) Take your "shortline" and have your steam/early diesels etc, provide the power for it. But also have modern diesels, as part of the "Class 1" RR that is in the area you model.

Does this mean you have to repaint your older stuff to the "shortline's" colors? Only if you want to. Its your RR. You're doing this for YOUR pleasure, not anyone else's.
 
Cjcrescent said:
Jarrell; If you are concerned about being "correct". Try this term, Protofreelance. This is what I'm doing. I have a "shortline", the Alabama Central, that allows me to include any loco/car I want/like, while I also model a prototype the SRR. Now in my case everything is mostly steam. But by using this concept, I can run other locos I like BUT were never seen in Alabama! Locos like SP T-28 4-6-0's, C&O H8 2-6-6-6, N&W Y3 2-8-8-2, et al.

Can the same thing be done in your case? Yes! Think of yourself as the owner of a small railroad, think Oregon Pacific & Eastern, the OP&E. This railroad was steam powered through at least the mid 1970's. So there is a prototype justification. (I believe the White Pass & Yukon still kept its steam as backup power for many years after they dieselized, plus don't forget about Graham County in NC. They were shay powered at least to the mid-80's, if not later, I believe.) Take your "shortline" and have your steam/early diesels etc, provide the power for it. But also have modern diesels, as part of the "Class 1" RR that is in the area you model.

Does this mean you have to repaint your older stuff to the "shortline's" colors? Only if you want to. Its your RR. You're doing this for YOUR pleasure, not anyone else's.

Carey, I like that Protofreelance stuff. It sounds right up my alley. You know it's funny. When my youngest grand daughter, age 9, was in the train room with me the other night, we had a good time just running trains and she didn't care a flip that all the locos weren't the same. True she's not a 'modeler', but neither of us cared.
Someone on one of the forums said one time, and I stole it... "I model the '50s, give or take 40 years"
Jarrell
Jarrell
 
Jarrell

I think you will find that if you have a certain way you want to run your railroad, it's a good bet that one of the "real" railroads has already done it. I know the feeling on wanting to justify in your own mind that it's "proto", a good example is I want to run my MP15 switchers R ends out, according to others I have spoken to when mating 2 switchers, most roads did it B to B ends with the F ends in front and rear or elephant style, front to back, front to back. I happened to find a proto shot of the BN using MP15's exactly the way I want to run mine, now I can sleep at night, and not worry I am breaking the rivet-counter laws and won't have my power pack taken away :)
 
Every new railroad was proto freelanced. In that the RR never existed in the first place, so it had to be built from scratch, using generally accepted procedures of the time.

I run basically two eras; the transition era, and modern. Never mix the two, unless I run a steamer in excursion service. When I switch eras, all the rolling stock gets replaced.

Most buildings stay put; they're generic and not really all that modern anyway. I do replace the vehicles with something more appropriate for the era; I don't have that many to begin with. Trucks are a bigger problem, I don't have many '50s era trucks.

Kennedy
 
My pruposed layout will be kept to modern standards, but then again, I get steam & early diesel though UP's heritage fleet. But I DO intend to get a FEW examples of older units that I love, I.E. UP turbines, SP AC5 cab forward... I think after my Tax return I'll grab my Dash8 chassis and that resin 4500HP UP turbine.

Anyways I say buy what you want!
 
Since I started modeling at about age 10, I have always had freelanced layouts. No one name, or time period, I just ran whatever looked good to me. When I started my Milwaukee Road layout I wanted it to be as true to life as I could get it, so I started studying, rolling stock, motive power, buildings, scenery everything. I have found that I'm not only building my layout but becoming a historian at the same time, I guess you can say I got caught up in it. I know this method is not for everyone, most want to get track nailed down and run trains and there is nothing wrong with that, I 've done it myself. To me it is taking my modeling and my layout to a next level if there is such a thing. Sorry to carry on so!! This post just sort of hit a button.
:cool:
 



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