# Proper Dates on your Layout



## jimben (Jun 27, 2018)

How many are careful to have proper dates of items on your layout. My layout is dated 1915. 

My advertising billboards do not have any items founded after 1915. My trolley car fits date without the overhead electric wire as gas powered trolleys were made in Australia & England from 1880s thru 1920. Of course the cars are 1914 and earlier. It would be poor to have a 1960s car on my layout.

How about you. Are you sensitive to a proper dated layout?


----------



## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

1985.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

It's like my diet. I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm not trying very hard.

My layout is generally timed to the steam to diesel transition era, but some of the vehicles and some of the trains fall outside that time range.


----------



## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

jimben said:


> My advertising billboards do not have any items founded after 1915.


what about build dates on rolling stock?


----------



## Andreash (Dec 30, 2018)

I try for 1972, but some of the rolling stock build dates say 1975...

The build date is important to me, but I like my Amtrak superliners (1980). Sometimes I get “serious”, and aim for 1972. Cars and vehicles are matched up to the era as well.

I do switch occasionally to a modern timeline, and run intermodal....it keeps things fresh.

I think the advantage to this is I become a little more careful in my purchases. I don’t buy rolling stock, but have a weakness for locomotives...cheers


----------



## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I aim for the late 1960's or the early 1970's.....but seeing as I am owner and president of my railroad.....


----------



## jimben (Jun 27, 2018)

Old_Hobo said:


> I aim for the late 1960's or the early 1970's.....but seeing as I am owner and president of my railroad.....


Being the President is good


----------



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Holding it to one year would be too tight for me. I need some leeway. Almost all of
my "equipment" is what would have been found on the rails during the 1980s. I have really only slipped once. I bought 2 UP wide cab diesels that were not made till 1993.
I wanted a couple wide cabs. I have thought about it a few times but have not lost any
sleep over it yet. I too am the president of my railroad and will just have to live with it.
I love steam engines and have many. They are run as excursions with passenger cars. No harm no foul.
Some of my steam are UP#844, UP#3985, UP#4014, Many of you will be familiar with those locomotives.


----------



## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

No rhyme or reason with my layout.


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I do and I don't . . . and yet I nearly always do.

I do: my layout is nominally set up for summer 1955. I have only locos, rolling stock, cars, trucks, buses, architecture, building window displays, billboards, phone booths, mailboxes, parking meters, etc., etc. 

I don't . . . I love to change time periods, remove all that and set up the layout for, say, 1940, or 1903. I have the locos and cars, trucks, buses, billboards and etc. etc to do anytime from 1865 to 1980. It is a lot of fun.

I nearly always do. So the layout is nearly always set up on some time, with all that "done right" or as right as i can do it. But the data varies all over a large period of history.


----------



## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Trying to stick to 1915-1930 time frame. Easy with locos & rolling stock. Not so much with structures & especially cars/trucks.


----------



## riogrande (Apr 28, 2012)

I'm keeping to a 1977 - 1983 range so I can run trains that fit within that time frame.

For example I have Vert-a-pacs and Evergreen box cars, so 1977 they were both still on the rails. 77 was the last year for Vert-a-pacs and 78 for the Evergreen.

I also have some ATSF and MILW Moloco repaints that would be perfect for 1979 so those can run on or after that date. 

Beer cars dated 1980 ...

I also have some 45' trailers and 2x45' flat cars so those would be good for 82/83.


----------



## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

Beer cars. I think we know your priorities. I stumbled (pun intended) on this site you may find interesting;

http://www.hobeercars.com/index.html

Who knew? I wonder if someone makes vodka cars?

As to my answer, not so much. I'm more inclined to date the consists than the layout itself. Being more of a passenger guy, I'd match steam locos with wood/heavyweights, and diesel electrics with newer metal cars. I'm sure there will be a freight consist as well, but my rolling stock is such a hodge podge of types and road names, it will take some work to get some consistency in it all. But it's all in the future. I'll get the house by the end of the summer, and depending on what I end up with will dictate a time schedule of building a layout.


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR (Jul 29, 2018)

I really don't care one way or another. I enjoy looking at the things you guys build, be it steam, diesel, passenger or freight.

Mine is what ever I find at a good price. I have an industrial area that is quite modern, but I love the 50's and prior passenger trains. Amtrak would fit both sides I guess, but do not have a single Amtrak locomotive or passenger car. I may change that as time goes on. 

I run a lot of BLI Paragon 2 Alco PA and B's. My favorite of all of my locomotives. Rio Grande, Santa Fe, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. Think I have a Western Pacific one, but not sure, and being on the road, can't check.

I build my rail road to what I want and things change constantly. I never want to look at it and say I am done. I feel if I shoe horn it into a specific era, it will become very boring and not very interesting to those that see it. Most cannot identify with steam engines, actually old passenger trains aren't things that today's youth have any knowledge about. I guess I still live in the past with my rail road, but not so far back that my grandson thinks it is silly. I specifically bought sound box cars of sheep, cows, and mules. He thought it was hilarious that train cars sounded like animals. Cows don't ride trains was his comment, he was 6 then, will be 9 next month. He loves the different things I build to keep his interest. So I guess that is my mission more so than being exact.

I truly enjoy the dedication some of you have to the opposite end. But was never a train person so to speak. I take the comment rivet count as a compliment to those that do it. I just don't have that level of ability or interest in it. 

As long as you enjoy what you are doing, being the greatest or the least is just fine with me.


----------



## Guest (Apr 12, 2019)

Proper dates? Been there, done that. When I left 2 rail scale and switched to 3 rail O Gauge I also left worrying about things like prototype fidelity.


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I like the era from 1965 or so to present day for locomotives and rolling stock. Fortunately, the Germans were using steam right up until 1970 so even steam is a possibility on a modern layout.

Many of the structures on my layout would date several hundred years before that time, and the ones that don't are all immediate post-war construction so the structures fit in with whatever I choose to run.


----------



## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

I collect what I like: Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and occasionally Pennsylvania.


----------



## riogrande (Apr 28, 2012)

Stan D said:


> Beer cars. I think we know your priorities. I stumbled (pun intended) on this site you may find interesting;
> 
> http://www.hobeercars.com/index.html


Interesting site. I didn't see any Eel River or ExactRail or Moloco beer cars. Eel River first put out flat car kits representing 1977 PC&F 61' RBL beer cars. The D&RGW would haul Coors out of Golden Colorado west up the Front Range and onward. They were typically D&RGW, BN, ATSF, SP and WP painted. ExactRail produced similar PC&F 61' RBL beer cars which were manufactured starting around 1980 and also painted for BN, D&RGW, Santa Fe, WP etc.

I've also been getting hooked on Nick Molo's Moloco General American 50' RBL box cars. He provides background information on what customers they served and where. For example, many of them hauled Pabst and Miller beer. If you like I can forward Nicks emails where he discusses the products hauled, and which factories they served. Some also hauled Campbell's soups and other food commodities.

Don't know about vodka but I believe the Atlas (nee BLMA) 60 ft RBL's hauled wine out of California - Gallo for one I think.


----------



## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

From the looks of things, that site, while still up and running, hasn't been updated in 20 years, so I don't think it's the "be all, end all", authority on beer cars. I'd say it a prime example of "if there's an interest, there's a website on it" kind of thing.

I only mention vodka, as it is my Friday evening choice of beverage. And it looks like I need a refill.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

My layout is set in the summer of 1955. But I'm not a huge stickler for it. Close enough is fine by me. My layout, my rules.


----------



## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

jimben said:


> How about you. Are you sensitive to a proper dated layout?


Nope!


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

1958 for me but if I miss a little bit I'm ok with that.
All my locos are in that time frame and I think all rolling stock is as well.
Buildings for sure are good for '58.

This one definitely missed, 2005 SD70ACe but is so cool I couldn't resist.








Magic


----------



## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

I’m set in the early 50s transition era. Steam/1st generation diesel. But... one of my dioramas has three moose in a confrontation with a Stegosaurus, so you might say I “bend time” a little bit. 
I also run Thomas and related equipment. (Just for the grandkids, of course, ahem) That’s a very early time period. In other words, I don’t really adhere to it closely.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

When starting out with my present HO layout I came
across a great value in a Bachmann EZ DCC system
with two Santa Fe locos. That kinda set the 'locale',
the great Southwest. The GP 40 and FA units set
the 'time present' as the 50s and 60s. That also
was an era when railroads still ran passenger trains
and handled small shipments. Ideal for switching
operations. 

It's worked well for me but there are a couple of
'distractions', very late model semi's that were
given to me. Great models but way ahead of their time.

Don


----------



## Jaimoe (Jan 19, 2020)

I take a NJ commuter train, and there was a placard on the passenger car that said it was built in the 1960's and re-furbished in the late 90's and here I am in 2020...almost 60 after the train car was built, back working in NY and riding the same passenger cars.

I remember seeing a GG1 in the train yard going from Harrison to NY, and that beast was built in the 1930's or earlier.

So as far as being true to period, I think there is a big leeway due to how long train equipment is kept in service.


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That's one thing I like about modeling European railroads. They run equipment forever.


----------



## Tom_C (Jan 8, 2016)

My layout is roughly Victorian era, but in the US, I guess. But, it's not strict. I have crossing signals, but this year I got all wigwags, that are early 1900's, I guess... but I wanted signals, so, yeah. And, I have diesel rail-buses, so again, not strict.


----------



## daschnoz (Dec 12, 2016)

I don't really pay too much attention to "when" for the train stuff. For the layout (still in the planning phases), I plan to do present day. If I have a 1903 building next to a modern building, and a 1980-something diesel double headed with a steamer from the 1940s, you're just going to have to deal with it. Its my garage.


----------



## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

It might be fair to say that a majority of those who do choose a time or era for their RR will simply call it 'early RRing'(civil war), 'pre-dieselization', 'transition period', or, 'contemporary'. Giving it a strict year would be a toughie as you're confining yourself to having to do very hard tedious research of each engine, car, and structures' time of manifestation.
Here's even another consideration, though: All eras have a 'blending time' at each end, each era transitioning to the next. This means you can have a later or earlier representation of railroading poking its nose into your time, anyway; that is, unless your RR was built in Jan,1915 and went belly up in Dec. 1915 !! :laugh: 
So, if your RR remained in business for decades it would be quite ok to have, say, a 1945, or a 1901 engine, car, or structure represented anyway...
Whatever you do it's your dream, your concept, and you're the RR's CEO. I am in no way whatsoever, calling you out.
I'm merely pointing out that by giving it a single year of 1915, in the end isn't so viable. Or, putting it another way, whether it's the year of 1899 thru 1943 it can still be the same railroad, only we're seeing it in its present state during 1915. :smokin:


----------



## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Actually, a 1903 building next to a modern building is totally acceptable....we have a number of those instances in my city today.....


----------



## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Old_Hobo said:


> Actually, a 1903 building next to a modern building is totally acceptable....we have a number of those instances in my city today.....


Who doesn't ?


----------



## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Maybe a city which didn't exist until 1904.....? :laugh:


----------



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

i run 1890 [ or so] .. the era is a bit loose, lol


----------



## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Jaimoe said:


> I take a NJ commuter train, and there was a placard on the passenger car that said it was built in the 1960's and re-furbished in the late 90's and here I am in 2020...almost 60 after the train car was built, back working in NY and riding the same passenger cars.
> 
> I remember seeing a GG1 in the train yard going from Harrison to NY, and that beast was built in the 1930's or earlier.
> 
> So as far as being true to period, I think there is a big leeway due to how long train equipment is kept in service.


Yes, equipment can last a long time.

There are service life rules for freight cars that restrict cars from interchange service after 40 years for cars built before July 1974 and 50 years for cars built after July 1974... but there can be specific waivers (a number of TTX autorack service flatcars have been approved for 65 year extended service status, these are marked with a large "R1" decal) and the key word is "interchange" service - if used in captive service within one railroad, or covered by a specific agreement between two railroads involved with the traffic older cars can still be used, and maintenance equipment is usually much older retired freight equipment that's been re-purposed.

Passenger cars can stick around a bit longer; your example is cars built in the 1960s, VIA Rail in Canada still operates some older stainless steel cars from the 1950s (though they've been refurbished a few times) plus more modern cars from the early 1980s and they are currently having a large number of brand new cars being built.

CN even still has some old rebuilt GP9s soldiering on in yard service at 65+ years of age; these are starting to be retired when they have mechanical failures and replaced with leased GP38-2s however.


The trick of course that requires some research if you truly want to be accurate to a specific era, is equipment that may have been built in say 1970, sold to another RR in 1980, or gone through several different paint schemes over different years.

So a model of a boxcar might represent a car built for railroad A in 1970, but with a paint job that wasn't introduced until 1985, but in 1990 the entire series was sold to railroad B, which means the model is "accurate" only for the 5-year period 1985-1990. This may not matter to most, but may matter to some, and is also tricky because some research is required.

Even if a car is never sold secondhand, and retains it's original paint scheme its entire life, there are some details that can added or changed that mark a different era - such as removing roofwalks (1966+), KarTrak ACI (automatic car identification) coloured bar-code labels (1967-1977), U-1 wheel inspection dots (1978), COTS "Consolidated" stencils (aka "lube plates" - different styles introduced 1972, 1974, 1982), "spreadsheet" style qualification tables on tank cars (~2000+), modern yellow reflective striping (2005+), etc.

I pulled some dating information on some of these details together in a couple of posts on my blog as a quick reference:
http://vanderheide.ca/blog/2017/09/29/dating-via-the-details/

http://vanderheide.ca/blog/2018/03/16/dating-via-the-details-2/

Paint schemes and consistent application of small details like that can really pull the era of a layout together (if you have one). And of course if you can do a convincing weathering job that can also visually distinquish newer and older (e.g. if you model sometime in the 1970s decade, the 1970s paint schemes will be fresh and clean, and the 1940s-1950s paint schemes will be a bit more grungy with 20-30 years of service).


----------



## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

My goal is a line off the D&RG around the turn of the century, but running dual gauge (HO/HOn3) as the line transitions to standard gauge. As such, most of theequipment on my line is expected to be second-hand and probably built somewhere around 1860-1890. The steamers I had originally thought I would run are now at least 20-30 years too new for my time period and stand out sorely against my newer acquisitions. I'm by no means an expert on any of this, but in some cases the different styles of equipment do stand out even to my untrained eye.

Because of my time period and era, it actually does give a constraint on the age of buildings since there's not likely to be anything over 50 years old (if that) in the area. Still plenty of time to include dilapidated structures though, and I even have a plan for 1-2 horseless carriages in my 'modernized' city (turns out there's a model kit of the exact buggy that the high-wheeler auto I have in mind was built from).

I guess my point is that even in a model where you're trying to stick to a limited time period, you're still going to have the opportunity to include much older items. You might be able to say you're modeling a specific decade, but it's hard to be more precise than that.


----------

