Prototype modeling - how far can you take it?

[nachoman]

While I sometimes find Tony Koester's columns a bit pretentious, the Allegheny Midland *is* a perfect example of what I am trying to do. For all intents and purposes it was the Nickel Plate - the lettering on the tenders was the biggest difference. The column when he described his conversion to becoming a prototype modeler and actually modeling the Nickel Plate itself, perfectly illustrated of the difference between proto-freelancing and prototype modeling.

As with most things, there is a continuous range between the two. At one end is strict freelancing - where one simply builds an interesting track plan and populates the layout with the rolling stock and buildings that he or she likes - with little regard to locale or era. Or, it could be someone who makes a fictional railroad in a fictional town and having a general era (Sodor may be the most perfect example ) On the other end of the range is the strict prototype modeler - who is always striving to make his or her layout an accurate representation of a particular day and place. This may go so far as to even pay attention to the color hats the engineers wore . The huge area in-between can be someone whose layout is simply AT&SF in New Mexico during the transition era, a fictional branch of a real railroad, or a fictional railroad that strives to be an accurate representation of a real railroad except for the lettering on the rolling stock.

A freelance layout does not have any particular adherence to anything in the real world;
A proto-lance layout attempts to adhere to certain aspects of something in the real world but deliberately avoids other details;
A prototype layout attempts to recreate exactly a place and time in the real world, with concessions (concessions being different than deliberate omissions).

The best part about this hobby is that there is no shame in whichever direction a modeler chooses - I have seen excellent examples of all layout types .