The future of model railroading.

[doctorwayne]

.....but in the process and entire era of railroading has almost completely disappeared - the 1800's to the early 1900's. No cars or loco's are sold to meet this market at all, apparently under the assumption that that era is restricted to narrow gauge. I guess no one reads railroad history anymore.

You're right: some eras are under-represented, while others are over-represented.

I had to buy sets in order to obtain proper passenger and freightr cars, and the freights frankly aren't that good. Even the Cabbose folks just shrug and walks away when questioned about lack of period models. Under those circumstances, I don't hold out much hope for the future.[/b]

One of the disadvantages of modelling those under-represented eras is the lack of available models which are correct and of good quality. If you're interested in scratchbuilding or kitbashing, though, that disadvantage can be good incentive to make use of the research possibilities afforded by the internet. This can be of use for re-working either poorly-done models applicable to your era, or models from a different era which, with some alterations, may fit your needs better. While scratchbuilding locomotives is beyond the abilities of most of us, freight cars and some passenger cars aren't too complicated. Even for those which are, the more you work at something, the better you'll get, so don't rule out such options.

Wayne