GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

While I realize there are differences, it seems to me that late-70s-to-early-90s is a consistent enough period that I almost wouldn't call having different emphases within that period "switching eras", in the sense that a 2-8-2 on a freight is definitely a different era from a GP38-2 set on a freight. Is anyone going to complain seriously about the tank cars you'd run for late 70s vs the ones you'd run for mid 90s? And yeah, DeWitt Geeps or CF7s were present late 70s and gone by mid 90s. but nobody who isn't a jerk is going to call you on that! I'd say pull the stuff you have out, install DCC, and have at it!

EDIT: On the other hand, in light of the season, it's worth keeping in mind the know-it-all kid in Polar Express, who most certainly would point out that the post-1980 COTS stencils on certain freight cars would be utterly incorrect on any layout pretending to be late 1970s! So beware of following such a path, Chris!

Matt pretty much hit most of the points dead on. I really couldn't say it better!

I agree with you to an extent. If modeling the 1990s, 1970s cars are 100% legitimate. I've seen several Southern Railway cars, some in paint i KNOW is old (actually, saw one of these today!), I've seen Penn Central hoppers and steel coil cars nearly intact, Reading Company Gondolas, Maine Central Boxcars, and many others that I'm sure have been gone for a while. The literal fine print on the car sides can slide just a tad, they aren't super obvious.

However, I don't think you could use 1990s equipment in a 1970s environment. There would be to many inconsistencies that i suspect would detract somewhat from the layout overall.

Don't worry, I haven't developed Mandark's voice just yet! Its not that i believe model train layouts have to be perfect representations of a specific time and place (I don't, they can be whatever they want to be, like Northlandz). For me, its more about the challenge, and digging up the obscure history of some of these more mundane but forgotten things.