# What Era? How did you decide? How strict?



## Bigfoot21075 (Aug 7, 2021)

Hi Everyone,

I am getting ready to build my layout (I will start a thread on it after the table gets built) in HO. I thought I wanted to do transition era as I am limited to small stuff due to my 18" curves and that is fine. The more i research, the more I see that the early 70's era offers a lot more that I can run and are thinking about changing to that (it is easy now as I have not started building). For the most part, the buildings can be pretty much the same it just opens up more locomotives and rolling stock. I would still get a steamer or 2 for exhibition and special runs, but the bulk would be diesels and diesel electric. It seems the 70's may offer a lot more with my limited space, not to mention it is the earliest time frame I actually remember....

How did you decide or does it not matter to you?


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## Raege (Jan 7, 2022)

For me I follow the first rule of any hobby Have fun do it your way  Be as strict or loose to era operation or mix it up. For me most important is a track plan that has possibilities like switching and @ continuous run and maybe enough for multi operated sessions in years to come.
If you count rivets and want strict attention to details or play it loose with an high speed train blasting thru a 1945 era town no wrong thing if your smiling. Look forward to seeing what you do cause never saw a train running I didn’t like


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Many early diesels from the transition era were running well into the 70's, so by modeling that time frame you can run locos from both eras. You might be limited to 4 axle diesels with the 18" radius. I was able to run 50' freight cars and even 59' cylindrical hoppers on 18" radius on an old layout years ago.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Initially I planned on steam-only in the just-before-diesel time period. Roughly 1910-1940. Then the attraction of the early diesels got me. The early ALCO PA/FAs, EMD E/F cab & GP hood units, FM Trainmasters, etc. 

Then I found out that two of the class I railroads that plied the rails of the southeastern US continued to run steam after most others had gone completely diesel. IIRC, Southern retired it's last steam loco from revenue service in 1958 and N&W in 1965.

So I "adjusted" my time period to 1930-1960... roughly.  

Then there's the British/Euro stuff...


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Why limit yourself? Most brick and mortar structures span a hundred years in age, and thus by restaging with period appropriate motor vehicles and rail equipment you can flip back and forth between 1946 and 1976 ad liberty. For that matter, you can dial the clock back even further for something out of 1880; doesn't have to be Ye Olde West with saloons and cacti, diamond stacked Americans huffed all over.. Or, if you choose, nothing wrong with having an elegant steam passenger train on an excursion smack in the middle of 2022. Don't forget, Bachmann makes a splendid 1828 John Bull passenger consist for those special excursions smack in 1976. 

That's what I do with Henley. Some days I run "Steam Preservation Holidays, sometimes, I crank the clock back to 1827, or sometimes to 1908 or sometimes to 1958 or up to 1968 as the spirit moves me. A couple of examples from "Henley."





















How does one add a medieval castle into model railroading? Easy. Daily jousting re-enactments at Castle Henley. Or how about Romano-British (4th century AD)? Easy.
Archeological excavations.






The only question is, where do you want to stop?


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

That takes some explanation in my case. I like visual differences in locomotives and hate how all the new ones look so similar. But I wanted “modern.” Also important was types of rolling stock and how they weathered over time. I like cabooses too but dislike solid molded roof walks. This narrowed me down to late 1970s. It also happens to be about the time Conrail started painting things blue, which is and added bonus (not my focused RR).
I decided to go one further and focus officially on the week of Thanksgiving 1978 so that I could get clues of 3 holidays in. Lazy folks who haven’t taken down Halloween decor, Turkey Day, and some Christmas decor starting to go up already. No snow, and few leaves on the trees.
I try to avoid rolling stock with build dates after 1978. But on occasion I will weather/model things from the 1990s just for fun.

I very nearly modeled the Central Michigan RR and drew heavy inspiration from it. But also enjoy creating & setting my own rules for detail & operation. It’s primary customer was a chemical refinery. But I ended up creating a proto-freelance railway co based on the CMGN concept but in a different location & era. About the same size roster, car types, etc.
I’m not a rivet counter, but prefer correct doors on boxcars etc. I have more modern longer cars but have been gravitating towards older 1950s type cars solely for their shorter length. 2 or 3 locomotives pulling 7 cars looks silly. But 2 locomotives pulling 16 cars (is still silly) looks a bit more realistic. My max mainline tran length is 11ft due to yard limits, so the more cars I can fit the better. The company being formed in early 1970s allowed me to do some creative storytelling with how it came to be: born from the Penn Central debacle, corporate corruption, former high level employees fleeing authorities with suitcases of money. The backstory is like a crime intrigue thriller with interpol, FBI, flights to S. America, seedy motels, the works. I wanted to have fun with it. But the company was taken over with joint control of two private companies with the State having 5% oversight and mediation control between two rival co-owners.

I should have included this too. Originally planned to model 1977. But GE C30-7s were introduced in 78. So I had to decide, run my unique ones anyway in 77? Use a different loco model? Or bump to 78? Exact year was least important of those three.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

My chosen era runs into the early’70’s as well….a lot of 4 axle diesels and 40/50 ft cars, as well as Intermountain cylindrical grain hoppers....Athearn’s 6 axle SD40’s run well through 18” curves, so no worries about those....


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Oil Valley, the holiday décor is a brilliant idea. You might wish to consider having a scale Air Brazil 767 flying overhead as one of those embezzlers makes haste to flee the country.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

I landed on 1985 as the early 1980s hits a "sweet spot" for the railway I'm modelling.

They rebuilt several original GP7s in 1978-79 and sold/retired the rest by 1985.
They acquired several types of new freight equipment and "new" (secondhand) passenger equipment in the early to mid 1970s.
They acquired GP38-2s in 1981.
A particular forestry company that operated a sawmill and several logging spurs shut down around 1985.
Due to an economic downturn in the early 1980s CN and CP acquired a lot of secondhand ex-RailBox and "IPD" shortline boxcars in the early to mid 1980s.

So by setting my layout in 1985, I get to include the new GP38-2s, and the sawmill just before it closed, and the "new" secondhand boxcars from my CN and CP connections. Moving one year back would eliminate the ex-RailBox CN cars, and moving one year forward eliminates the sawmill (although would replace it with a different one, however it change the equipment mix, eliminating Algoma Central woodchip cars and replacing them with CP cars, which ran on a completely different pattern to different shippers and receivers. 

I could set anywhere between 1982-85 and not change the "home road" equipment roster, but 1985 is a cutoff for some significant equipment acquisitions on connecting roads.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

cv_acr said:


> I landed on 1985 as the early 1980s hits a "sweet spot" for the railway I'm modelling.
> 
> They rebuilt several original GP7s in 1978-79 and sold/retired the rest by 1985.
> They acquired several types of new freight equipment and "new" (secondhand) passenger equipment in the early to mid 1970s.
> ...


Out of curiosity, and border requirements, I’m curious if you have any plans to model one of Algoma’s lake boats? I don’t know the geography of your plan but I know their boats went at least to Toledo, OH, maybe to Erie, PA. Like the Algoway or Algoma Provider which looks like the Edmund Fitzgerald to my eyes.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

OilValleyRy said:


> Out of curiosity, and border requirements, I’m curious if you have any plans to model one of Algoma’s lake boats? I don’t know the geography of your plan but I know their boats went at least to Toledo, OH, maybe to Erie, PA. Like the Algoway or Algoma Provider which looks like the Edmund Fitzgerald to my eyes.


Well..... there is one harbour (Michipicoten) on the Algoma Central railway, and I will model it. The old commercial coal dock in downtown Sault Ste. Marie was long abandoned and removed and there was no longer any sort of habour facility in town other than the steel mill's ore and coal dock. I won't be modeling any of that - focusing on the northern end of the railway.

In my time period the old coal unloading bridge at Michipicoten harbour (which used to ship locomotive coal for Canadian National's northern Ontario facilities and coal for industries and communities in the north) had also long been demolished, and the former coal dock was used to bring in limestone and coke (via self-unloader ships), and materials from the dock stockpiles were shipped by rail to the ore processing plant at Wawa to be used in the sintering process there.

Photos of the harbour that include a ship at the dock usually/always show an Algoma Central ship.

So.... there is definitely an opportunity to include a lake boat there, however modeling a ship would be a huge project and I don't know if I'll ever end up doing that. Probably just be a quiet day on the dock.

In the early 1990s the company was re-organized and the Algoma Central Corporation sold off the rail division (which used to be the parent company) to Wisconsin Central in 1995. Algoma Central Marine remains a major shipping player across the Great Lakes.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

My club decided on the 1970s (if it operated between 1970-79 and fits our geographical area and operational scheme it's fair game) for several reasons:

it's a "transition period" between first-generation (GP9s, FP9s, FA-1s, RS-3s, etc.) and second-generation (GP35, SD40, C424, etc.) diesel power
it's also a "transition period" between Canadian Pacific's (our primary modeled road) old maroon and grey colours and the new (1969) CP Rail red scheme
new X-post 50' steel boxcars were being introduced and came in a wild variety of shortline paint schemes plus in the late 1970s. Also RailBox was new.
Burlington Northern and Conrail mergers were new. Amtrak was new but doesn't affect us (modeling northern Ontario, Canada)
lots of colourful paint schemes had been introduced in the 1960s.
also allows using older rolling stock with designs and paint schemes from the 1940s-1950s
several key structures in our modeling area were demolished during the 1970s so going newer makes a difference there
CTC was installed in our area in the late 1960s, and further changes and extensions to the CTC were made in the 1980s, so going earlier or later changes the mainline operations and configurations
industries and spurs that were in operation - if we kept up with modern day - even in the 1990s when we started researching and building our layout) many things would be very different, and a lot of interesting tracks and spurs would be torn up


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Bigfoot21075 said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am getting ready to build my layout (I will start a thread on it after the table gets built) in HO. I thought I wanted to do transition era as I am limited to small stuff due to my 18" curves and that is fine. The more i research, the more I see that the early 70's era offers a lot more that I can run and are thinking about changing to that (it is easy now as I have not started building). For the most part, the buildings can be pretty much the same it just opens up more locomotives and rolling stock. I would still get a steamer or 2 for exhibition and special runs, but the bulk would be diesels and diesel electric. It seems the 70's may offer a lot more with my limited space, not to mention it is the earliest time frame I actually remember....
> 
> How did you decide or does it not matter to you?


Unfortunately, this isn't really an area where the advice and experience of others applies. Only you can say what is right for your layout, and how close you want to stick to reality.

I model the New Haven railroad, Summer, late 1950's.... BUT! In my fictional world, hurricane damage to the Shore Line has forced a lot of traffic up the Valley line (which historically was a lightly used, mostly passenger line). The NH had given up steam by 1953, but in MY world, an increase in traffic forced them to bring a few out of retirement. Modelling the 1950's also let's me realistically use any paint scheme used by the real New Haven.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Bigfoot21075 said:


> How did you decide or does it not matter to you?


This question can only be answered by personal preference.

Decide what you like, and/or choose an era that combines a lot of elements you like. (Some examples have been given above about how eras were chosen by specific individuals or groups, but the criteria used to make the decision are individual preferences.) Be as strict (or not) as YOU prefer. Model a specific decade, year, month, or even date. Or throw it all in a blender and model no era at all, run whatever you fancy.

The "prototype police" don't actually exist and can't take you to model railroad jail. Only you can decide how you enjoy the hobby.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I build my layout thinking Summer 1955 and the buildings on it reflect that time. But I have locos and rolling stock that span the mid 1800s to 2020, so I boughts cars and trucks for the streets, billboards and such to put out, etc., to change it to set up for any time period from the Civil War (horses and buggies on the streets) tothe late 20th century.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I thought the OP was getting at how others wound up at the era they did; the thought process & determining factors we used, and adopting the process that works for others to decide for themselves. That’s just how I understood it.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Bigfoot21075 said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am getting ready to build my layout (I will start a thread on it after the table gets built) in HO. I thought I wanted to do transition era as I am limited to small stuff due to my 18" curves and that is fine. The more i research, the more I see that the early 70's era offers a lot more that I can run and are thinking about changing to that (it is easy now as I have not started building). For the most part, the buildings can be pretty much the same it just opens up more locomotives and rolling stock. I would still get a steamer or 2 for exhibition and special runs, but the bulk would be diesels and diesel electric. It seems the 70's may offer a lot more with my limited space, not to mention it is the earliest time frame I actually remember....
> 
> How did you decide or does it not matter to you?


Bigfoot;

I'm one of those weird people who model two eras. I like the 1920s simply because it was an interesting period in American history, and because the Electric locomotives on the Milwaukee Road were competing with steam. (and winning) There were no diesels in the 20s, that I know of.
On the other hand, I have a lot of beautiful Kato passenger trains pulled by diesels of the 1950s era. Hence two eras.

The main visible difference between these eras, (other than the trains themselves), are advertising signs, automobiles, and hemlines. Men's fashion didn't change all that much between those two eras. Men wore suits, ties, and hats, in both.
Women's skirts got longer & shorter, but not universally. Twenties "Flappers" wore skirts at knee level, but "respectable ladies" had hems almost down to their ankles. This fashion sort of came back in the 1950s with calf length dresses. In either case, most of the figures could serve in both time periods.

Cars were very different though. Ford Model T s dominated the twenties, but there were many elaborate & colorful other makes too.
The 1950s saw the emergence of big, "banana boats" (8 mpg gas guzzlers) with "jet airplane" styling, complete with tail fins.
Unfortunately, there are hardly any N-scale models of either era's cars available. So I'm carving my own out of plexiglass.

Signs were easy. On the well known "Its my layout", basis, I've decided that the long retaining walls paralleling Union Station's tracks sold advertising space. (the one time I saw the prototype walls, no advertising, just graffiti.)
The paper signs are glued to thin steel plates. There is a line of magnets on the back side of the walls. I can easily swap signs of the 1920s for those of the 1950s. 

By the way, you said "diesels, and diesel electric?"  ???
F.Y.I. 99% of all "diesel" locomotives are actually diesel-electric.
A large diesel engine, called a "prime mover" drives a generator, (or alternator on modern, "AC traction" locomotives.) which then produces electricity to drive the electric "traction motors" which, through reduction gearing, rotate the wheels to move the locomotive.

There were a few oddball diesels with straight mechanical drive, and even some with hydraulic drive, but neither caught on, or offered any real advantage over diesel electrics.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## LeopardArchModels (10 mo ago)

I model the NYC in the summer of 1933. Why? Several reasons: This was still an era of shorter freight cars, so a 7-10 car train of 30 - 40' cars becomes manageable on my midsized layout where a 10 car train of 80' cars would not. Additionally, this was a period of Hudsons, L2 Mohawks and H10 Mikados, all my favorite locomotives. Plus I can run heavyweight passenger cars which I really like. I settled on 1933 because it is the year my mom was born. 

How accurate am I? Ever since I selected the date, I've been pretty faithful to adhering to getting equipment that is 1933 or earlier. It keeps the budget under control. The exception is I ordered a J3 Hudson from Bachmann, just because it looks like it will be a great running engine. 

A part of me is interested in back dating the layout to 1900. The wooden palace passenger cars are cool and ever since going to Cass the small locomotives earned my respect.

Like others have said, figure out what you want your layout to be. 

Here's a typical freight train on the east end of the Alfred H. Smith Memorial bridge, about to cross the Hudson River.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Edited post #6 with info I forgot to add.


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## The Southern Railroad (May 22, 2021)

I have 0- Standard Gauge Prewar - 027 Post War cut off around 1950's ----- mixed years in HO as long as it fits in the theme of things I'm doing - Strictly Circus - it is endless


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

We had thought about all the different eras finding we like so many different things from all of them, plus fantasy. We finally settled on a future era, post-apocalyptic steampunk. Cool, no restrictions, just have fun.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

I am doing the 70's also...... but with a "WHAT IF", as older equipment is still used with modern equipment. I do not have any steam but if I did, it would be a nostalgia run. I have vehicles and rolling stock from the 40's to the 70's. 
What I am trying to convey is...."IT'S ALL GOOD!"


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

There are no rules, only interests and considerations. 

I run 1913 K4s from the Pennsy right up to a modern Canadian Pacific SD70ACu. In between, looking right at home, are a modern Pennsy T1 Duplex, a C&O H-8 2-6-6-6 Allegheny, an RS-3, an RS-18, a GG1 electric, and others, mostly from about 1940-1957. IOW, I run what I bloody well like to. That would be my advice.

If your main consideration is fidelity to a prototype, then you will impose upon yourself, necessarily, all sorts of conditions. You'll want to read some history, especially about the road(s) you intend to model, but also the location that your layout will represent. What year, where, and what road? Unfortunately, if it's the Frisco, say, you'll almost certainly have to accept foobies from the usual suspects, or go brass, or have the skills, time, and patience to kit-bash..

If you're not having a blast, you're not doing it right. For you.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

All of you have great railroads in my opinion, I like that era of the 30s and 50s as well. I am trying to limit my buys to the era of steam for sure when possible with as much history of Halifax here as I can manage. Having fun like many of you said is what it is all about. All of you make it an enjoyable hobby as well !


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

SF Gal said:


> I am doing the 70's also...... but with a "WHAT IF", as older equipment is still used with modern equipment. I do not have any steam but if I did, it would be a nostalgia run. I have vehicles and rolling stock from the 40's to the 70's.


Freight cars can have (interchange) service lives of up to 40-50 years. Rolling stock from the 1940s would absolutely still be in service in the 1970s.


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## Bigfoot21075 (Aug 7, 2021)

OilValleyRy said:


> I thought the OP was getting at how others wound up at the era they did; the thought process & determining factors we used, and adopting the process that works for others to decide for themselves. That’s just how I understood it.


you are CORRECT sir!!


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

At first my layout was going to be steam only, then I started looking at old diesels. Now the rule is no automobiles. My plan is to have rolling stock in three eras, 1840-1880, 1880-1920 and 1920-1960. I'll have display shelves for the two eras not on they layout. I might end up sticking a few automobiles out when the last era is running. I think I already have too many locomotives for all three eras...


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

SF Gal said:


> I am doing the 70's also...... but with a "WHAT IF", as older equipment is still used with modern equipment. I do not have any steam but if I did, it would be a nostalgia run. I have vehicles and rolling stock from the 40's to the 70's.
> What I am trying to convey is...."IT'S ALL GOOD!"


Yeah, I definitely fall somewhere between the 'anything goes' and the exact year folks. I like my 'modern' locos and rolling stock (just got into some intermodal stuff), but I've also got a lot of 'extinct' roads like NYC, PRR, NH, etc. (Most still have rapido couplers) So sometimes I run the newer stuff, and sometimes I'll grab one of my circa 70's locos (GP38, SD40) and run the old stuff. A lot of the old rolling stock from defunct roads was still around back then, so in that respect 'anything goes'. My layout is fairly neutral as far as time period, although the autos are current looking (oh well, there's no one looking over my shoulder that cares! ) and it's all good, works for me anyway!







here's a 'vintage consist (oh- oh, just ignore the well cars in the yard!)


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I tried to keep my layout 1970 to 1979. Key word is tried. I run steam as excursions. No problem there.
Then I wanted a couple wide cab diesels. These are from around 1993. Not sure how to explain them
except "my railroad, my rules" Strict 70 to 79 out the window. Good luck on what you decide. It will
probably change.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

mopac said:


> I tried to keep my layout 1970 to 1979. Key word is tried. I run steam as excursions. No problem there.
> Then I wanted a couple wide cab diesels. These are from around 1993. Not sure how to explain them
> except "my railroad, my rules" Strict 70 to 79 out the window. Good luck on what you decide. It will
> probably change.


CN had wide-nose diesels in the late 1970s (M420W, GP38-2W, SD40-2W, GP40-2L) and the UP DD40X with wide nose cabs were also contemporary. But other versions of wide-noses like on GP60M and SD70M were obviously later evolutions as these are later models.

CN really pioneered the modern "safety cab" incorporating thick plate and heavy "crash posts" into the cab design. AFAIK the DD40X and F45 (etc.) cabs didn't have these design features.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I decided on a time period from the *golden spike* to *modern day*.


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## 5kidsdad (Nov 28, 2021)

I decided to model from the 80's forward. Freelanced the subdivision of NS that still runs dark. This way I can run my 4 GP units and 3 Dash 8-40B's. I then limit my rolling stock to under 60'. I chose industries that use boxcars, tankers, hoppers and gondolas. A plus is being able to run cabooses.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I decided on a time period from the *golden spike* to *modern day*.


Words to live by....


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

5kidsdad said:


> I decided to model from the 80's forward. Freelanced the subdivision of NS that still runs dark. This way I can run my 4 GP units and 3 Dash 8-40B's. I then limit my rolling stock to under 60'. I chose industries that use boxcars, tankers, hoppers and gondolas. A plus is being able to run cabooses.


I always run a caboose with my 'vintage' consists, that's part of the fun.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Fun fact: Lake State RR here in Michigan still uses a caboose for a long reverse move they sometimes do in Flint. One of the Conductors plays Shave & a Hair Cut on the caboose whistle.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

SF Gal said:


> I am doing the 70's also...... but with a "WHAT IF", as older equipment is still used with modern equipment. I do not have any steam but if I did, it would be a nostalgia run. I have vehicles and rolling stock from the 40's to the 70's.
> What I am trying to convey is...."IT'S ALL GOOD!"


It’s perfectly ok if you run older equipment with new, as real railroads do it all the time, but it’s anachronistic if you run new equipment on a layout set in an older era where modern stuff has not been invented yet….but again, it’s your railroad, so whatever pleases you….


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Further, it's quite acceptable, even quite prototypical, for mixed freight manifests to include single cars and strings of cars from foreign roads. Except maybe for their coal drags over the Blue Ridge, the Norfolk & Western and the others routinely carried on with transferred cars dropped at an interchange and took the contents of those cars to their rightful owners. Even on those 4000 ton coal drags, it was often the case that during heavy commitments to customers the roads leased hoppers and other cars from other roads who had extras to lease out for some extra revenue.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Old_Hobo said:


> It’s perfectly ok if you run older equipment with new, as real railroads do it all the time, but it’s anachronistic if you run new equipment on a layout set in an older era where modern stuff has not been invented yet….but again, it’s your railroad, so whatever pleases you….


Up to a point (if you're trying to be really accurate).

Older models get retired or sold, and old paint schemes get repainted and phased out. And freight cars have a upper limit to their (interchange) service lives (40 years for cars built before July 1974, 50 years for cars newer than July 1974, with some types of cars (mostly autorack flatcars) approved for 65 years "extended service") - but all kinds of old equipment can kick around in maintenance of way service. And of course different groups of freight cars can be retired or sold off as well. So depending on how accurate you're trying to be, certain older equipment doesn't exist after certain dates, so it can still be anachronistic. This takes a lot more research to figure out though.

Like I said though a freight car can have a 40-50 year service life, so things can kick around for a long time.


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

cv_acr said:


> Up to a point (if you're trying to be really accurate).
> 
> Older models get retired or sold, and old paint schemes get repainted and phased out. And freight cars have a upper limit to their (interchange) service lives (40 years for cars built before July 1974, 50 years for cars newer than July 1974, with some types of cars (mostly autorack flatcars) approved for 65 years "extended service") - but all kinds of old equipment can kick around in maintenance of way service. And of course different groups of freight cars can be retired or sold off as well. So depending on how accurate you're trying to be, certain older equipment doesn't exist after certain dates, so it can still be anachronistic. This takes a lot more research to figure out though.
> 
> Like I said though a freight car can have a 40-50 year service life, so things can kick around for a long time.


I'm not OCD about exact dates, but I do like to run new stuff on some consists, and older stuff on others, usually with fairly compatible motive power. I actually did remove the walkways from a few older boxcars so they could run on the more 'modern' trains.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that….it’s your railway, and if it makes you happy, that’s all that matters!


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

BTW, for people that ARE serious about hitting certain date targets, here are a few notes on different changes that can really mark a particular time period. Especially makes a big difference before and after the 1970s.









Dating via the Details: Freight Car Stencils and Labels


Ah. Historical accuracy. The interest of serious prototype modelers and bane of existence for period film makers. Modelers attempting to set their railroad in a particular time frame know that ther...



vanderheide.ca












Dating via the Details: Wheels, Running Boards and Ladders


In a previous post, we looked at data, stencils and lettering that can update or firmly root a car's appearance to a 1970s or newer time frame. Here we'll look at some of the concurrent physical ch...



vanderheide.ca












Dating via the Details: General Car Design


Here we must necessarily deal with generalities rather than specifics, but even if you're not too particular about making sure every car is totally appropriate for a specific year, you can help cre...



vanderheide.ca





(Sometimes I make posts like this on my blog to gather notes like this up just for my own future reference, and figure the reference might be useful for others as well.)

Some other sources of key dates:


dates




mergers


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## 5kidsdad (Nov 28, 2021)

I was just buying whatever caught my eye color wise. But then I got a little strict about rolling stock. Since I didn't see many roof walks on cars in the 80's, I decided to set that rule. I tried removing roof walks from what I had. But even filling the holes, I knew it was wrong to me. So those became paint, weathering and kitbashing trial pieces. I try to keep things "legit" as possible but reading build data on N scale cars can be challenging at times. And that's without having to need glasses yet...but they're coming soon.


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

5kidsdad said:


> I was just buying whatever caught my eye color wise. But then I got a little strict about rolling stock. Since I didn't see many roof walks on cars in the 80's, I decided to set that rule. I tried removing roof walks from what I had. But even filling the holes, I knew it was wrong to me. So those became paint, weathering and kitbashing trial pieces. I try to keep things "legit" as possible but reading build data on N scale cars can be challenging at times. And that's without having to need glasses yet...but they're coming soon.


I wouldn't worry too much about the fine print on N scale stuff.... just sayin...


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

DODX (Department of Defense) has a number of cabooses they use, including several custom armored ones. There’s a brand new one as of this year.

article & photos here


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## 5kidsdad (Nov 28, 2021)

Oomowmow said:


> I wouldn't worry too much about the fine print on N scale stuff.... just sayin...


I try not to worry about the fine print. Car numbers are more important so I don't duplicate them.


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