Mine is 1958-59. That allows me to run Canadian steam in it's twilight and 1st generation diesels. The real end of the steam in Canada was 1960 with a few runs in 61-62
What's your layouts time frame?
- Thread starter jeffrey-wimberl
- Start date
CNWman said:Just found the box that the F3 (or from now on the F3A as it's called) is supposed to be around the 1980's while my tank car is from the 1960's
F3A? 1980s? They were built in the 1940s and largely were gone from service by the 80s. Unless it's a commuter F-unit from around Chicago -- if even they survived that long -- I doubt the C&NW would have had any alterations or paint dating from the 80s....
As for my era, as in the footer, 1995-Present, mostly due to the cutoffs of the cars I'll be running.
WARNING: long paragrah ahead
True, but the Riverside Junction (my layout's ofical name as-of-now and totaly made up in my knowledge), A nice little grain farm community formerly served by the CNW and now the UP had posibly the only F3A CNW loco left in a shed which hadn't been opened for at least 10 years. THe loco, no. 4056, was the unofical mascot of the town, and so the nice people at UP decided to totaly fix it up while giving it's paint job a refurnishing in true CNW clours and so had it as a small switcher type train. It runs the daily tasks of interchanging cars at the elevator and droping them off on a siding just outside of town where it's close to the mainline so passing trains can drop off empty boxcars/covered hoppers while picking up loaded ones. That way everyone is happy (including the CNWHS, which in my world, has now made Riverside it's new headquarters there soley because of 4056. In short, it's my layout, I get to do what I want
kitsune said:
True, but the Riverside Junction (my layout's ofical name as-of-now and totaly made up in my knowledge), A nice little grain farm community formerly served by the CNW and now the UP had posibly the only F3A CNW loco left in a shed which hadn't been opened for at least 10 years. THe loco, no. 4056, was the unofical mascot of the town, and so the nice people at UP decided to totaly fix it up while giving it's paint job a refurnishing in true CNW clours and so had it as a small switcher type train. It runs the daily tasks of interchanging cars at the elevator and droping them off on a siding just outside of town where it's close to the mainline so passing trains can drop off empty boxcars/covered hoppers while picking up loaded ones. That way everyone is happy (including the CNWHS, which in my world, has now made Riverside it's new headquarters there soley because of 4056. In short, it's my layout, I get to do what I want
oops, that's not right. it's suposed to be 1930's. My sister said 60 at the EXACT time to override my thoughts (she's doing her math homework right now-Almost 9pm here
)
)I guess I have the broadest range. By n scale being specificly desinged for multi eras. As soon as I can find a couple of 4-4-0s with front couplers I will have 1880s-modern. The old town doubles as old west or the torist stop. The newer town will be like the down town in the town i live in with buildings around the turn of the century = - a decade. The town still had tie ups for horses until a few years ago. And for modern All the tourist trains etc are 1950 F7s, with old bud cars and some pullman
I've described mine as "British railways 1829-1959", but I have allowed a little variance at each end. 1829 for Rocket, 1959 for Evening Star.
Then there are the Canadian items ...
Then there are the Canadian items ...
Early Fall of 1996.
The RI in my universe is a regional road (simular to the IAIS and IMRL in this universe).
That way I can run AMTRAK P40s/Superliners and BN/SF as well!
The RI in my universe is a regional road (simular to the IAIS and IMRL in this universe).
That way I can run AMTRAK P40s/Superliners and BN/SF as well!
mine is modern and most of my equipment reflect's that.however i do have some equipment that has running board's still on them and i bring them out now and then and rum them with my only steamer,an ihc primere o-8-0 which run's very well.terry......
My plans are for 1953-1954 late spring/early summer. Lets me run Diesel and Steam and it's a great part of the Fabulous 50's just before Route 66's first death knell came from the beginning of the Interstate highway system that came in 1956 with the authorizing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act. The Super Chief is still in all her glory and has yet to be reduced or combined with other trains, EMD E8's are rolling and it's just a good time! 
Peace.
Coyote
Peace.
Coyote
The GP 7's and 9's I'll be using are from the late 40's and 50's. It's not to say that I won't be able to place older or newer equipment on the layout after time either. I think that one reason why I'm leaning towards that time frame. You can justify having a bit of everything except the really modern stuff. Some steam and some later deisels. Besides, I think having an SD90 pulling yard duty on a switching layout would just look big and silly.hamr
Many of you have read my story before, but for those who haven't:
My free-lance Picture Gorge and Western started off in the 1870s as an Oregon line running from the coast (original terminus was Tillamook Bay) eastward. It interchanged with what would become the SP in the Willamette Valley, and then headed East through the Cascades. After passing through the Cascades, the John Day River would be used as the route through most of Eastern Oregon (hence the Picture Gorge name). The plan was to eventually extend through the Rockies and tie into another railroad for a transcontinental.
The modeling plan was to model the section from Tillamook Bay through the coastal mountains to the interchange in the Willamette Valley. When I started my plan in the 1970s, my plan was to back the clock 100 years, and then let it advance year for year, planning to finish around 1925. Problem was that family and career left too little time and $$ to make the plan work. Also, I hadn't done enough research to understand what the differences were between 1875 and 1900 and 1925 and so on. By 1982, with the arrival of children, my model railroading activities had changed to 3 rail O with the kids, and the dream went dormant.
The dream started seriously reviving in 2003, but I realized I would never have the time to do even build the layout I had planned, much less continuously move it forward in time. And I probably don't have 50 more years of model railroading left in me. Finally, living in military housing led me to plan a small shelf layout, an expanded version of the famous Gum Stump & Snowshoe.
I also got the narrow gauge bug. I changed the planned shelf layout to HOn3 instead of standard gauge. I came perilously close to going to the dark side with On30, but the inability to fit the desired structures on the 18" x 96" shelf kept me in 1/87th scale. To ensure I wouldn't change my mind, I picked up 3 HOn3 locos and some car kits, and track and coupler gauges.
The prototype for my HOn3 free-lance line was a coastal logging line that became a common carrier by extending to an interchange with the standard gauge Picture Gorge and Western. The port would be a dog-hole lumbering port.
Setting the era was a matter of trying to best fit various data points in history. I wanted the dog-hole port to be served by sail, not steam. That set the latest point at about 1900. Also, profitable common carrier narrow gauge lines were rapidly being standard-gauged in the early 1900s (NPC as an example). I did not want to use link-and-pin couplers; knuckle couplers were just being implemented on the smaller lines in the 1890s. I like geared engines; these were generally invented and first produced in the late 1880s. Oregon coastal fir logging didn't really get started until about 1900; Northern California redwood logging had dominated earlier. The 1890s saw considerable downturns in the economy, especially in the West. The withdrawal of an government-supported price for silver caused the collapse of silver mining. The Plains farmers were in trouble, and a lot of railroads nation-wide went bankrupt during the 1890s. Until I have done further research of the economic impacts of these events on coastal Oregon, I decided to avoid this period. The best plausible fit for all these historical points came out to 1900.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
My free-lance Picture Gorge and Western started off in the 1870s as an Oregon line running from the coast (original terminus was Tillamook Bay) eastward. It interchanged with what would become the SP in the Willamette Valley, and then headed East through the Cascades. After passing through the Cascades, the John Day River would be used as the route through most of Eastern Oregon (hence the Picture Gorge name). The plan was to eventually extend through the Rockies and tie into another railroad for a transcontinental.
The modeling plan was to model the section from Tillamook Bay through the coastal mountains to the interchange in the Willamette Valley. When I started my plan in the 1970s, my plan was to back the clock 100 years, and then let it advance year for year, planning to finish around 1925. Problem was that family and career left too little time and $$ to make the plan work. Also, I hadn't done enough research to understand what the differences were between 1875 and 1900 and 1925 and so on. By 1982, with the arrival of children, my model railroading activities had changed to 3 rail O with the kids, and the dream went dormant.
The dream started seriously reviving in 2003, but I realized I would never have the time to do even build the layout I had planned, much less continuously move it forward in time. And I probably don't have 50 more years of model railroading left in me. Finally, living in military housing led me to plan a small shelf layout, an expanded version of the famous Gum Stump & Snowshoe.
I also got the narrow gauge bug. I changed the planned shelf layout to HOn3 instead of standard gauge. I came perilously close to going to the dark side with On30, but the inability to fit the desired structures on the 18" x 96" shelf kept me in 1/87th scale. To ensure I wouldn't change my mind, I picked up 3 HOn3 locos and some car kits, and track and coupler gauges.
The prototype for my HOn3 free-lance line was a coastal logging line that became a common carrier by extending to an interchange with the standard gauge Picture Gorge and Western. The port would be a dog-hole lumbering port.
Setting the era was a matter of trying to best fit various data points in history. I wanted the dog-hole port to be served by sail, not steam. That set the latest point at about 1900. Also, profitable common carrier narrow gauge lines were rapidly being standard-gauged in the early 1900s (NPC as an example). I did not want to use link-and-pin couplers; knuckle couplers were just being implemented on the smaller lines in the 1890s. I like geared engines; these were generally invented and first produced in the late 1880s. Oregon coastal fir logging didn't really get started until about 1900; Northern California redwood logging had dominated earlier. The 1890s saw considerable downturns in the economy, especially in the West. The withdrawal of an government-supported price for silver caused the collapse of silver mining. The Plains farmers were in trouble, and a lot of railroads nation-wide went bankrupt during the 1890s. Until I have done further research of the economic impacts of these events on coastal Oregon, I decided to avoid this period. The best plausible fit for all these historical points came out to 1900.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
My current layout is 1940's, but getting updated to 1962. Since it is a privately held shortline, I can still run my 2-6-6-2T and 4-6-2 commuter engine and can also run F units, Alco switchers and Geep 7's. Though it was my parents time as teenagers so I wasn't even considered yet, '62 with the street rodder craze (I LOVE American Graffiti) seemed like a fun era and I figure I could still model steam in its VERY last days working a short line and getting ready to convert soley to diesels. I was originally considering 1955 for this, but 1962 is IT. FINAL. NOT CHANGING MY MIND AGAIN!
The new double deck monster still in the planning stages for the new garage will be modern era, but a freelanced road as well. Though it will be modern, SD40-2's and SD40T-2's will still dominate the roster. I just REALLY like them.
The new double deck monster still in the planning stages for the new garage will be modern era, but a freelanced road as well. Though it will be modern, SD40-2's and SD40T-2's will still dominate the roster. I just REALLY like them.
CCT70 said:My current layout is 1940's, but getting updated to 1962. Since it is a privately held shortline, I can still run my 2-6-6-2T and 4-6-2 commuter engine and can also run F units, Alco switchers and Geep 7's. Though it was my parents time as teenagers so I wasn't even considered yet, '62 with the street rodder craze (I LOVE American Graffiti) seemed like a fun era and I figure I could still model steam in its VERY last days working a short line and getting ready to convert soley to diesels. I was originally considering 1955 for this, but 1962 is IT. FINAL. NOT CHANGING MY MIND AGAIN!
The new double deck monster still in the planning stages for the new garage will be modern era, but a freelanced road as well. Though it will be modern, SD40-2's and SD40T-2's will still dominate the roster. I just REALLY like them.
Don't let RR man find this post!
That sounds like a good approach. I wish you luck with it.CCT70 said:My current layout is 1940's, but getting updated to 1962. Since it is a privately held shortline, I can still run my 2-6-6-2T and 4-6-2 commuter engine and can also run F units, Alco switchers and Geep 7's. Though it was my parents time as teenagers so I wasn't even considered yet, '62 with the street rodder craze (I LOVE American Graffiti) seemed like a fun era and I figure I could still model steam in its VERY last days working a short line and getting ready to convert soley to diesels. I was originally considering 1955 for this, but 1962 is IT. FINAL. NOT CHANGING MY MIND AGAIN!
I have two primary interests:
Summer/Fall 1884 on the DSP&PRR and Spring/Summer 1948 on the NKP.
I love the all wooden freight and passenger cars of the 19th century. I also greatly enjoy some of the interesting, and colorful motive power...not to mention the fact that a Mason Bogie would have trouble pulling a 5 car train through the mountains...plenty of potential for short trains and double headers. Late 1884 allows for Cooke Moguls, Balwin consolidations, Mason Bogies, and cupola-less way cars while retaining the wonder paint scheme that dissappeared in 1885.
For 1948 on the Nickel Plate...that's the time period in which the consolidations & R class ten wheelers were still on the roster (R's were scrapped by 1949). Additionally important....no mars lights on the berks (and hudson 170), and the Hudson had been rebuilt with elephant ears by that point.
Summer/Fall 1884 on the DSP&PRR and Spring/Summer 1948 on the NKP.
I love the all wooden freight and passenger cars of the 19th century. I also greatly enjoy some of the interesting, and colorful motive power...not to mention the fact that a Mason Bogie would have trouble pulling a 5 car train through the mountains...plenty of potential for short trains and double headers. Late 1884 allows for Cooke Moguls, Balwin consolidations, Mason Bogies, and cupola-less way cars while retaining the wonder paint scheme that dissappeared in 1885.
For 1948 on the Nickel Plate...that's the time period in which the consolidations & R class ten wheelers were still on the roster (R's were scrapped by 1949). Additionally important....no mars lights on the berks (and hudson 170), and the Hudson had been rebuilt with elephant ears by that point.
Hugh!, I thought I responded to this. Anyway, I model the New Haven RR in the 1948-1954 era. There was such a variety of paint schemes and engines that I couldn't resist. As most steam on the New Haven was gone by 1952. I had to incorporate steam into my operations as I already have quite a few New Haven brass and plastic models. I love first generation ALCO and the New Haven was a big ALCO user. I can also use a lot of different style freight cars including rebuilt wood cars, outside braced wood cars, steel cars and such. There is quite a variety now a days so I can really take advantage of it now. I like what Accurail is doing. They have nice wood cars in plastic. So that's what era I model.
Present day, if the D&RGW had been the surviving railroad instead of UP. My present location is the East Denver Belt. Although, the minister of the interior has allocated sufficient space for a larger layout that will model the La Veta Pass route of the old D&RGW. I am undecided about the operator. The SLVRR has a collection of cast offs from other railroads and some interesting passenger operations. I have decals for their passenger locomotives. So, I tend to lean toward the SLVRR. But, it will be hard for me to give up my black and KC orange. In any case, the Le Veta Pass will be a modern day railroad.
I would say that mine would have to be the transition period between steam and diesel. Ther were a lot of early 1900's loco's still being used in the 1970's and 80's in Australia on my local branch line and I am designing my layout with that in mind. I have been sourcing a lot of photo's and information from that era to aid me with my layout. The problem is that the era that I have chosen would have to be the most expencive timeframe to chose from here.
One problem that I am having is that I am unable to find any heavy opencut mining machinery from that era. i may just have to substitute some modern day models in the layout. I cant however find a D9 bull dozer I can only find a D11 which didn't come out until the early 90's :curse: . Oh well just keep looking.
One problem that I am having is that I am unable to find any heavy opencut mining machinery from that era. i may just have to substitute some modern day models in the layout. I cant however find a D9 bull dozer I can only find a D11 which didn't come out until the early 90's :curse: . Oh well just keep looking.