What Era, Railroads, & Locomotives are you set on?

[Charlie B]

I haven't been able to find exact timing of the last re-tubing , but If the girl is down right now I hope it is for re-tubing of the boiler which should be due . If she gets new tubes she should hang in there at least another 15 years.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

UP's current pride and joy isn't that large - it's a 4-8-4.

PANIC please... say not that 3985, the "challenger" 4-6-6-4, is no longer running !

This was what went through my mind as well! I've seen 3985 on DVD, but I was hoping to see it in person some day.

[sailormatlac]

I’m new here, I’ll take this thread as a presentation opportunities.
Since I’ve been posting here few days ago, most people must think I’m a CPR guy, which isn’t true! ;-)

My layout is a shared venture between 3 individuals, one being a real train conductor (his advices are invaluable).

Time frame is late 1950’s, exactly September 1957. Why? Because most of the layout is designed using Insurance Maps of September 1957 (and it fits my interest). However, when operating, we stretch things a little bit to include second generation diesel engine. There’s still some early 1970’s stuff, but I’m working hard to exterminate it once for all. See this as a layout that depict the 1960’s, but with a possibility to run steam in late 50’s. This scenario helps us to run most locomotive types we like, in classic and modern paint scheme.
Railroads are Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and some National Harbour Board... and a very few left over from Quebec Railway Light & Power Company. Rolling stock is diverse, mainly focussed on grain, bulk commodities (cement, gravel, coal), wood, oil, dairies and manufactured goods. These were decided from the insurance maps telling us the name and purpose of each industry.

The layout is a condensed prototype focussing on Quebec City harbour and it’s eastern Murray Bay Subdivision. A previous layout depicted, in a faithful fashion, the harbour itself. It was interesting, but soon proved to be limited to run trains. The new reincarnation is more loosely based, but we kept the interesting points organized in a different fashion. The exact replication of the harbour was a nice idea, but making it works well would need more thinking that we did back then. Maybe... one day, this project will live again (I once started an exact scale replica of Harlem Station in NYC after seeing Shortliner's work... harbours have tremendous potential!).

Matt

[ngauger]

Sounds great Matt I always like seeing harbors on layouts

[Sumpter250]

" If sailor tales to sailor tunes, storm and adventure, heat and cold; If schooners, Islands, and maroons, and all the old romance retold, exactly in the ancient way ....................................."

The only problem with "Harbors"........they are LARGE !!! even in Z scale.
My Modules, have 5 scale acres of water, and they still look a bit crowded.

Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you.

[sailormatlac]

" If sailor tales to sailor tunes, storm and adventure, heat and cold; If schooners, Islands, and maroons, and all the old romance retold, exactly in the ancient way ....................................."

The only problem with "Harbors"........they are LARGE !!! even in Z scale.
My Modules, have 5 scale acres of water, and they still look a bit crowded.

Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you.

Ahaha! You're right... The only way to be truly prototypical is to model NYC small yards! ;-) Once made a benchwork for Harlem, taking roughly 5' x 6' estate.

Quebec City old harbour would take 60' x 32'... The grain elevator would be about 20' feet long!!! I can't imagine when you about a real large city!!!! The old layout represented the same thing in 8' x 12'!!!! We kept what we really wanted from the prototype and rebuilt it differently. It was the only answer.

Matt

Matt

[train_guy]

I am modeling the modern era(2000-2012)Diesel locomotives in a Urban/Industrial setting,basically a switching layout like Lance Manheim,but in the Mid-west (St-Louis,Missouri).How-ever it will be Free-lanced with a culmination of different areas,along with some street running.I chose diesel cause i like that era over Steam.I didn't grow up in that era,so i really don't have a facination with it.I chose the modern era because of the modern diesels and their cool lookin' paint schemes as opposed to later years where every thing was painted "Black".And the fact that there is so much more variety in rolling stock for the modern era as opposed to later era's.

I will be modelling CSX(bright future paint sceme,and also some CN.I've grown up around CSX,CN,CP,NS,Conrail,so i have a tie so to speek with these railroads.

[LiveSteamer]

The era I will be modeling is the 1970's. The railroad of choice is of course my top favorite Chessie System. I can include, Penn Central equipment along with Conrail which makes it even better to have a nice mix of power running the lines. Although I do like the steam era of the Pennsylvania, I like the Chessie more. I haven't started my layout yet because I am still living in an apartment building but I have been buying up rolling stock from the railroads that were around in that era and have bought a Western Maryland engine which I can use in a consist. Also I just remembered I can run N&W locomotives as I have video of the Norfolk & Western running on the Chessie System. But that it's for now.

[MountainMan]

PANIC please... say not that 3985, the "challenger" 4-6-6-4, is no longer running ! [/quote]

This was what went through my mind as well! I've seen 3985 on DVD, but I was hoping to see it in person some day.[/quote]

It wasn't the last time the State Fair run took place. Down for maintenance?

[M Sharp]

I'm modeling an era beginning with 1965 and progressing throough 1974. Every 84 sessions will represent a week in June of said year. Then I'll move to the next year. The reason for doing this is because the motive power of the prototype changed with time and I liked the old and the newer power too much to limit the time to just a few years.

I'm modeling the Erie Lackawanna, Chesapeake and Ohio, Grand Trunk Western, Monon, Norfolk and Western, Indiana Harbor Belt, Elgin Joliet and Eastern and Belt Railway of Chicago in Northwest Indiana and South Chicago.

These are the railroads I most enjoyed during my adolescent years.

[steinjr]

I'm modeling an era beginning with 1965 and progressing throough 1974. Every 84 sessions will represent a week in June of said year. Then I'll move to the next year. The reason for doing this is because the motive power of the prototype changed with time and I liked the old and the newer power too much to limit the time to just a few years.

I'm modeling the Erie Lackawanna, Chesapeake and Ohio, Grand Trunk Western, Monon, Norfolk and Western, Indiana Harbor Belt, Elgin Joliet and Eastern and Belt Railway of Chicago in Northwest Indiana and South Chicago.

These are the railroads I most enjoyed during my adolescent years.

Hi Mike --

In your only other post (from September 2011) you mentioned building two layouts - a shelf layout in your own home, and a double and triple deck affair in your brother's basement. Are they both set in the same location and era?

Have you gotten a camera yet so you could post some images and a little description of your layout in the layouts forum (http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=46) ?

Smile,
Stein

[Ralph]

The gradual passage of time and onset of new equipment is interesting. I assume eventualy you'll reset to 1965 after you reach theend of 1974?
Ralph

[M Sharp]

Yes, my brother and I are just beginning to drywall the basement in his home. That layout will represent the same area, only better I hope, and the same era. My shelf layout is more than 1/2 complete. I hope to be operating by September.

Once we reach the end of our 1974 sessions, we will start over at 1965. If we represent a week in each year, that would be 840 sessions to complete the 10 year cycle! I wonder if we'll ever complete our representation of the entire ten year span. The most enjoyable part will be bringing in new motive power and retiring others as the years go by. Also freight cars and their relative frequency will change. Passenger trains will end rather abruptly. Finally, some of the structures will change, but I'm not sure just how much of that I can get into on the larger basement layout.

Mike

[eje]

I am down with the early '70's and the nastiest neighborhood.

[RobertInOntario]

On my main 4x6' layout, the main setting is Somerset, England in June/July 1959. The railway modelled is the Somerset & Dorset line during the late British Railways steam era. I chose 1959 partly because it's the year in which I was born but also because the Somerset & Dorset Railway was arguably at a peak during the late-50s -- i.e., it was heavily used for both freight & passenger trains, with a wide variety of steam power. June/July is also one of my favourite times of year and it's easy to model the bright green scenery.

Having said all that, I also have enough rolling stock to model southern England in the 'teens, '20s and '30s, as well as rolling stock to depict the Midlands and northern England/Scotland anywhere from the '30s to the '60s. Also have North American stock as well. It just depends on what mood I'm in!