I notice that many in here seem to favor the steam era. I was wondering if anybody has a modern setup. I fool around with every scale and now both era’s. (steam and diesel).
Some of you in here have some really beautiful locomotives. Especially the steam era ones. Anyway, I was merely curious if any of you favor one over the other and why?
Thanks, as always.
It’s always September 1957 on the T&LBRR. Used to be September 1956 (for a 1957 Corvette) until someone pointed out a 1958 die cast car on the layout.
Our layout is kinda gets lost in the wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff when it comes to the era, especially if you get into details like liveries. The layout itself (as far as the buildings and figures) is late 19th century. However, pretty much all our rolling stock is a 20th centruy design, with some having the flying Rio Grande lettering, which dates to as late as the 1930s or 40s at the earliest.
There is an error in my era as I run what I like. From a mogul to a jenny plus whimsical, and sometimes at the same time. Plastic bird feeder buildings (low cost and UV protection).
I try to keep the HDRR in the first half of the 20th century. Motive power is steam and two 1940 era Davenport gas mechanical locos. I find steam engines more interesting to me than diesel power, but they can be more finicky to maintain (both the full size and the electric model locos).
The ‘PAZ’ has everything, from wood burners to a Hudson and then 1st generation diesels to GP38’s.
When operations are scheduled the roster will reflect the wood burners for both passenger and freight; the same for diesel operations so Amtrak and freight operations to match.
Stacy Krausmann said:
I notice that many in here seem to favor the steam era. I was wondering if anybody has a modern setup. I fool around with every scale and now both era’s. (steam and diesel).
Some of you in here have some really beautiful locomotives. Especially the steam era ones. Anyway, I was merely curious if any of you favor one over the other and why?
Thanks, as always.
Yes, I have strong leanings towards railways between 1829 and 2014.
Seriously, I’d LIKE to target the great time of railroad expansion in North America, with locomotives like ‘Leviathan’ and so on.
However, even though AccuCraft makes a nice little Baldwin ‘American’-style model, nobody makes suitable cars…the J-S Bachmann cars are simply too modern.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
Avoid the American Civil War era and older unless you enjoy kitbashing and building everything from scratch.
Back when the first full length SBB passenger cars hit the market ('75/'76) there was some serious pruning done. Got rid of all the “close enough” stuff and went to real 1:87 rolling stock. At the same time I decided on an era - '69 to '75 - and have stuck to that ever since. Changed to HOm and a slightly different locale - a few kilometers up the Rhine valley, but the same era. Moved to IIm, up the valleys in the Grisons, but stuck to the era. There is enough research work in that - to get it right - to last me for the rest of my life.
Oh yeah, it’s an electric railway, that still has two steam engines in service and uses little Diesel switching tractors for certain jobs. What is IIm? Scale of 1:22.5 - according the the NEM-MOROP standards - running on 45mm track gauge. That gauge has a 1.2% scale error i.e. it is too wide by 0.56mm (0.022").
HJ, an error rate of 1.2%? I thought your thing was “attention to detail.”. How can you tolerate such brazen sloppiness? 
Steve Featherkile said:
HJ, an error rate of 1.2%? I thought your thing was “attention to detail.”. How can you tolerate such brazen sloppiness?
I know, it’s bloody disgusting and ridiculous, especially since “Excellent” in my reviews means 1% or less error. Sheesh!
My railroad is a hypothetical shortline railroad in today’s time frame. We do have as couple of steam engines that pull passenger cars for our excursion trains, but the work horse engines on my railroad are mostly 4 axle geeps, that were acquired from Burlington Northern and renamed for the K&E.
Ed
My first cars - 5 of each gonds, tanks, and boxcars/reefers were 1:22.5 as were two ten wheelers. This, after some American railroading research put me prior to the 1930s.
Aristo 1:29, by chance, was the next stock I bought. I have continued adding Aristo over the last seven years, sold some 1:22.5 but have kept a token 1:22.5 consist (8 cars) and a 1:22.5 MOW train which is kitbashed from 1:22.5 and shortie Aristo cars’ just for olde times sake’. 
Thus my period is usually 1950 - 1970 which fits well with RS3’s, FA-1 and a modified ten wheeler. I have not altered the RS3’s and the FA-1 livery. It is assumed they are either passing through or purchased and not yet repainted. 
The line is deemed to be more of a ‘bridge line’ than a short line: connecting, via trackage rights, the North Fork Shenandoah River and Valley to Oliver, PA. Hence the Oliver and North Fork RR (which was originally situated in Colorado - places with similar names).
My backyard looks more like the Virginia’s than the Rockies.
The only anomalies are the structures. But it was my intention to have something particularly North American in appearance. Thus a covered bridge (similar to one in Wisconsin), a grain elevator and a red barn were my choice.
The structures do cause interest for visitors, not just the trains.
Since I'm modeling the Washington Idaho & Montana Ry Co, which ran from Palouce, Wa, to Bovil, Id and now operates as the Washington & Idaho Ry Co, running from Palouse, Was to Deary, Id, I can run anything from ten wheelers and Consolidations to Dash 9s, because just about everything inbetween has operated on the railroad at one time or another.
- Stupid tablet.
1900-1940’s. 1:20.3 Everything from K-27’s to 0-4-0 tank engines. Wooden buildings, some unpainted and weathered. Wooden trestles. Mining and (soon to be logging) themes.
Its 1943…and there’s a war on…
Todd Brody said:
It’s always September 1957 on the T&LBRR. Used to be September 1956 (for a 1957 Corvette) until someone pointed out a 1958 die cast car on the layout.
Todd, you haven’t selected a date and time? Some day someone will point out that some feature or another didn’t exist until afternoon on September something
I stole an idea from Ric Golding that allows me to run any era equipment that I want: My railroad is a living museum. Set more-or less in modern times there are lots of artifacts from the steam, diesel transition and diesel second generation that can bee seen plying the rails.
My prefered time frame for a railroad, would be between the 60’s and 80’s. Course, I prefer running MU’d diesels and freight trains… That time frame gives one the oppertunity to choses numerous different locomotives to run… Steam trains can always run as extra’s, or railfan runs…