Who Cares Anyway....!


Greg@mnrr

Section Hand
My layout falls somewhere in the era of 1960 to mid-1980's. But, I use some latitude when running trains like a stray DMIR locomotive or Wisconsin Central switcher making an appearance on the layout when I am basically a Milwaukee Road or C&NW fan. Hey, I even have some old Milwaukee Road rib side box cars on a spur near some spotless Wisconsin Central (former SOO) box cars.

On Tuesday, I ran a BNSF locomotive that pulled some vintage box cars. I mix old ore cars with newer versions. I like steam and my two steamers a 0-8-0 switchers and a 80 ton shay pull a business car on a tourist run. Cabooses rule, but I have a covered hopper with a FRED flashing away.

I admired the modeler who layout stays within a specific era for the rolling stock, buildings, signage, vehicles and other details.

But, who else breaks away from operating only specific equipment for a specific era? Does anyone really care anyway?

Thanks.

Greg
 
My layout falls somewhere in the era of 1960 to mid-1980's. But, I use some latitude when running trains like a stray DMIR locomotive or Wisconsin Central switcher making an appearance on the layout when I am basically a Milwaukee Road or C&NW fan. Hey, I even have some old Milwaukee Road rib side box cars on a spur near some spotless Wisconsin Central (former SOO) box cars.

On Tuesday, I ran a BNSF locomotive that pulled some vintage box cars. I mix old ore cars with newer versions. I like steam and my two steamers a 0-8-0 switchers and a 80 ton shay pull a business car on a tourist run. Cabooses rule, but I have a covered hopper with a FRED flashing away.

I admired the modeler who layout stays within a specific era for the rolling stock, buildings, signage, vehicles and other details.

But, who else breaks away from operating only specific equipment for a specific era? Does anyone really care anyway?

Thanks.

Greg
Era? We don't need no stinkin' eras!

I don't pay any attention to eras, geography, lines, or anything else. If it strikes my fancy, I run it.

This signature is intended to irritate people.
 
I do stay with one particular era. I really don't have much of a choice. When I was in the early planning stages of the layout, I picked the summer of 1957 to be my time. This was before I even laid the first rail. As I was gathering freight equipment and locomotives, I got nothing newer than 1957. I was even reading the box car date on the freight cars to make sure I didn't have anything out of my time period.

There are a few discrepancies that I know, but most people wouldn't. By 1957, the northern Pacific had dropped their old pine tree paint scheme for their passenger equipment in favor of the new Lowey paint scheme in 1954. I pass this off by having my railroad leasing older NP equipment that hasn't been repainted yet. (My railroad, my rules).

I have been tempted quite a few times by newer locomotives but so far have resisted.
 
I run what I enjoy running, and HOW I enjoy running them. When my critic offers to start paying for my new lusts, and for the upkeep of my road, and my power requirements, I will happily give her/him some say in my decision-making.
 
I will admit that I like modern equipment and locomotives and wouldn't mind running them on my layout, but I sure can't see spending the money that they want for some of the new locomotives I have seen. Guess I'm just cheap. I just don't want to part with the $$$ to get equipment that I wouldn't use on an every day basis.

When visiting my model railroad friends in Missouri, I have operated during their opens house a few times. They are open for two days and do something very interesting. One day they may be operating modern equipment and at the end of the day the layout under goes quite a change. All of the vehicles are changed to older vehicles. A lot of the buildings and industries on the layout have older building that were built to exactly fit the same space as modern buildings on the layout.

The next day quite a few people returned to see the older equipment roaming the tracks. Quite a change to the layout in a rather short period of time. I do have some photos that I will try to find showing the change over. Very impressive.
 
Because I really enjoy the look and feel of trolleys and interurbans, and simply can't stand the look of most modern, especially LRVs, I'm bound to a specific era. And I agree:

CABEESE RULE!
 
I mostly stick with postwar steam with some diesel 1946-56, but I also have some older models and some newer depending on if I like the model. The point here is to enjoy yourself, not inflict pain. The key is following your interest.
 
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Because I really enjoy the look and feel of trolleys and interurbans, and simply can't stand the look of most modern, especially LRVs, I'm bound to a specific era. And I agree:

CABEESE RULE!

Oh boy another traction guy! I'm mostly an SP guy but I have minors in Santa Fe and the Pacific Electric. I also have a nice collection of Bowser PCC's
 
Does anyone really care anyway
To the big over arching question, I say "Of course no one cares what others do with their toy trains."

On the other hand, the museum cares about theirs and what folks bring down to run because they are trying to be educational to the general public and so have a certain degree of responsibility to be more historically accurate. Even at that they have "special event" days when they break the 1974 Pacific Northwest Coast schema. And I am not just talking railroad special event days like Rio Grande day, Union Pacific day, Steam Day, Passenger trains, etc. I am talking really out there special days like Agricultural days with John Deer locomotives, StarWars (seems to be the public's favorite), Denver Broncos, Dinosaur, etc.

Personally, I started caring more when I started taking photos of the layout. Just looking at a layout one misses all sorts of things, but once it is frozen in a photograph one can more easily notice every single anachronism there is.
 
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In my world, a J9000 engineer looks out the front facing window of his smoke belching, iron monster and is puzzled by the concrete ties supporting the tracks ahead.
 
I have to agree with the concept that what you do on your own pike to make you happy is the best approach. I saw a video somewhere of a Thomas engine pulling a string of autoracks, looked silly but the kids in the video were really enjoying it.
Myself, I model Santa Fe flatlands. However my era range is vast, anywhere from 1978 to 1995. Most all locos have one of the two warbonnet paint scheme I have some out of range cars, a dozen ethanol tankers from 2006 and one SD40-2 painted in BNSF livery. Vehicles range from 1950's (plausible) to early 2000 model SUV's. I don't fret it. No one knows except me. It wasn't always this way. I used to buy stuff without regard to era until I decided to narrow it down to avoid unnecessary costs. I sometimes pull out a couple of 1950's era high-nose GP7's painted in the older cigar-band scheme and run them with my roofwalk boxcars and other freight cars with solid bearing trucks. I run cabooses with everything so I know that I am still pulling a complete train!!!

Willie
 
I run what I want and I want 1953 on the Northern Pacific. I have really attempted to stay era and line specific. I do have a free lanced branch line that hauls logs and Copper Ore and use locomotives that the Northern Pacific might not have had. This allows me some freedom of choice. I am in full agreement that a Model Railroader should absolutely do what they want to do! Like I like to say: Model Railroading is a hobby that I do, to have fun with!
 
For me, I picked BEFORE WWII on the N&W. Actually 1940, and I usually kept things to about 1938. I had Y3's, Y5's, 4-8-2's, 4-8-0's 2-8-0's and many craft kit cars because hardly anybody models that era. For me, getting the look was the challenge. Just think. A big 2-8-8-2 with only a little number on the side of the tender frame, and a small number centered on the cab above tiny NORFOLK&WESTERN lettering. Cabooses and passenger cars all used the "&" instead of "AND". I did have 2 Y6b's (built 1948) a J(1950) and an a (1943), but I didn't run them much on my layout, but took them around to others layouts. Even my 2 PRR Guest steamers are painted in mid 30's style.
 
I'm like Greg I have my layout where I can switch it up to modern for A while then switch it back to steam area and then switch it back to transition area what ever I feel like most at the time in the winter I usually run transition area and in the summer I run modern here's a pic of it in modern
 

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