08-16-2009, 07:58 AM
Jack Burgess has done an excellent job of modelling the Yosemite Valley RR in August 1939. I think you can get very specific in your prototypical modelling if you set realistic limits on what you intend to model.
Trying to model the entire PRR on July 3, 1954 would be impossible, due to the scale. Trying to model almost any large railroad facility (such as a yard) in exact scale detail would likewise be tough due to space constraints. Choosing to represent a small railroad or section of one in a specific instant or period in time is not so hard, so long as you're willing to do the research and make reasonable compromises (e.g. selective compression).
You can get photos, timetables, equipment registers, waybills, all sorts of documentation to tell you what was where and when for most railroads - if you're willing to dig. Mapping a town is easy if you can find fire-insurance maps - they show the buildings and detail the industries/businesses contained therein, and show where the railroad track are. Much more detailled than topo maps.
For a common-carrier, apart from home-built rolling stock or custom-built steam locos, rolling stock is readily available. For the specific stuff, there's no reason you can't build it yourself if you're motivated enough. Same for structures.
But most people aren't that worried about the specifics. They want to run trains, not model a specific place and time. Or they want to create the impression of an area or era - not model it down to the last blade of grass. For them, the task is much easier, since the devil isn't in the exact details, but in merely recreating a mood or feel.
That's the great thing about model railroading - you can put as much or as little into it as you want... whatever makes you happy.
Trying to model the entire PRR on July 3, 1954 would be impossible, due to the scale. Trying to model almost any large railroad facility (such as a yard) in exact scale detail would likewise be tough due to space constraints. Choosing to represent a small railroad or section of one in a specific instant or period in time is not so hard, so long as you're willing to do the research and make reasonable compromises (e.g. selective compression).
You can get photos, timetables, equipment registers, waybills, all sorts of documentation to tell you what was where and when for most railroads - if you're willing to dig. Mapping a town is easy if you can find fire-insurance maps - they show the buildings and detail the industries/businesses contained therein, and show where the railroad track are. Much more detailled than topo maps.
For a common-carrier, apart from home-built rolling stock or custom-built steam locos, rolling stock is readily available. For the specific stuff, there's no reason you can't build it yourself if you're motivated enough. Same for structures.
But most people aren't that worried about the specifics. They want to run trains, not model a specific place and time. Or they want to create the impression of an area or era - not model it down to the last blade of grass. For them, the task is much easier, since the devil isn't in the exact details, but in merely recreating a mood or feel.
That's the great thing about model railroading - you can put as much or as little into it as you want... whatever makes you happy.