ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.
This is just a thought on what's modern I'm in the hutchison ks switch yard and got 2 gp 50 sitting beside me that been switch to rco controll and across the way a S 5 switch engine that the sand pit uses to move cars out to the siding so just just because its no in the modern age does not mean its not used
Depends on the railroad if you're thinking "what's still in use for my time period". MRL for instance has just sold some of it's SD9's off to another shortline. Or you could be like Pelle Soeberg (UP today) who, when UP withdraws locos from it's roster, he also removes them from his layout.
This is just a thought on what's modern I'm in the hutchison ks switch yard and got 2 gp 50 sitting beside me that been switch to rco controll and across the way a S 5 switch engine that the sand pit uses to move cars out to the siding so just just because its no in the modern age does not mean its not used
I hate it when I post a response and it doesn't show up.
Try again....
1. Yes, era is determine by the newest piece of equipment running around not the oldest. If not according to the UP's 844 or the Frisco 1520 we would still be in the Super Steam Era.
2. I didn't know APAC had an old Alco running around. One of my houses is 40 miles west of there. Now I'll have to go and take pictures. At least from your description I presume you were standing at approximately Halstead Street and Carey Boulevard.
3. Do you know much about Hutchinson railroad history. Amazingly enough I do not. I know it is were the Santa Fe main line branches to the north to go up through Great Bend - a route which the Grand Canyon took. I know the Mopac was the 2nd big player, but what I don't know is if there was a third? I've always thought there was too much track for only 2 railroads.
I would assign the descriptor of modern to the latest model or technique/method and its apparent or widely known antecedent. In other words, the last two 'generations' of one of those. So, even though the SD70 class of locomotives is now getting a bit seedy, you can't really say that about the SD70MAC or the ACE...not without a lot of strident argument. So, I would call that entire class modern. Even the SD45, while now over 50 years old, has had a recent and substantial revival with upgrades that are being purchased by the Class Ones. There are so many of both types, old and new, in service that they surely deserve the appellation 'modern'. As proof, they didn't exist at the end of main line steam service in 1959. Who could argue that the post-steam era isn't modern? What else is there on rails?
Iron horseman i was inside the yard be the 10 switch on the lead about a 50 yards east of halstead st i drive taxi for the railroad and those railroads you got the up which was the rock and also the mop. the other track is currently bnsf it was the santa fa and there is a shortline that runs in hutch i think it k and o no sure on that though
Joint acount though i can conplane that much she puts up with me. even when i do thing that can hurt me a lot like stand on a 2 by 4 wall and remove a stainglass picture 2 months after i got my pacemaker
I will strongly disagree with that one. To me the SD45 is easy and definitely a 2nd generation diesel with the 645 prime mover. On the other hand, I haven't decided where the line should be drawn for the 3rd generation diesels, nor the modern ones ... with the 710 or the AC drives plant or ???.
Who could argue that the post-steam era isn't modern?
I can easily do that. The differences in the first diesel-electrics to roam the rails and those that are out there now are staggering. Just like there is not a single steam era but four. I would say no one could argue that the John Bull and Dewitt Clinton could be put into the same "era" as a superheated DM&RI 2-8-8-4, and the N&W 611.
The real problem is that the "modern era" is constantly changing while the historical eras become fixed with certain technological landmarks.
Didn't Charlie Chaplin make a movie set in the '20's or early 30's called "Modern Times"? I guess it's all relative really. If we look at it from the perspective of AD2014, then anything after the turn of the century could be classed as modern, anything before as "olden time's". (I definitely drive an olden times car)
G'day , Up until fairly recently for our local railway In Tasmania , Australia ...anything less than 10 years old was modern..Now the've just spent 68 million dollars on 17 brand new EMD based... locomotives and..are replacing 900 rolling stock...That's modern perhaps....but I know what you mean..I'd say the modern era..would probably be since the replacements of the SD40-SD 60...very late 1980s to early 1990s onwards...Since the Dash 8s/9s..SD70s etc etc..onwards...That'd be my guess...I hope so anyway because that's the era I'm trying to model...Cheers Rod...
The two big players in Hutchinson were the Santa Fe and the Rock Island. The Santa Fe ran East to West through town, with a decent size yard at the Eastside of town the original mainline went through Great Bend and connected back at through Stafford. The modern passenger main was then moved south 30 miles and the old line moved to branchline status. The crew district is between Newton and Dodge City.
The Rock Island came through the south side of town takes a hard turn to the north and heads due north towards McPherson. The crew district was from This line was purchased by the Cotton Belt at the time of the bankruptcy and ran up until the merger of the UP in 1996. The crew district is between Herrington and Pratt.
The third line through town was the Missouri Pacific that came from the south, crossed the RI/SSW on the soutside of town, turned due west, then turned due North crossing the Santa Fe. The line then ran parallel to YA junction where they got on the Santa Fe line that traveled to Sterling KS where they turned due north running to Geneseo where they got to the MOP mainline.
The BNSF operates the old Santa Fe maniline, the UP operates the Cotton Rock mainline and the K&O operate the old MOP mainline to Wichita and the Santa Fe/ Mop branches towards western Kansas. There is also the Hutchinson Northern that was switching one of the salt plants and worked a decent size car repair facility.
I spent from 2006 to 2012 in Hutchinson, drop me a line if you have any other questions.
The Santa Fe ran East to West through town, with a decent size yard at the Eastside of town the original mainline went through Great Bend and connected back at through Stafford.
Ah yes, the north branch of the northern main. It connected back at Kinsley. One of the named passenger trains continued on that route after the more southerly cut off was completed. Off the top of my head I don't know if it was the California Limited or the Grand Canyon which continued service to Great Bend.
But this does explain the county seat mission style station in Great Bend. A normal branch in a town of this size would never have gotten such a grand station.
I spent from 2006 to 2012 in Hutchinson, drop me a line if you have any other questions.
I will undoubtedly do that, as one of my residences is now just 40 miles to the west. Before your note I was thinking the 3rd player might have been the Frisco not Rock Island. So I did some research and traced the Frisco line through from Wichita to Ellsworth. Talk about a line that goes nowhere..... All I can figure is that they were after the Kansas & Pacific connection.
Thanks Greg for info on Hutch i run up there a couple of times a week for bnsf don't get manly the yard and the gas plants in south Hutch. up by the up stageing yard.
G'day all...Great topic ....I'll muddy the waters once again... One of our big mining companies BHP Billiton...run AC6000s, other GE locos and numerous EMD SD70ACe's also but can you believe they still run several of what I consider one of the greatest US locomotives of all time , the venerable SD40-2....I was watching some You Tubes on the BHP Billiton stuff the other day , shot by a great rail videographer Rod Williams , and on several of his vids, shot between 2011 to fairly current this year, the SD40-2s feature a fair bit...and still running with the latest US prime movers...so does this classify this 50 plus y.o. loco as modern...I'd say so.... Cheers Rod...
