GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I also hesitated since these are VERY modern cars, and certainly do NOT match my late 70s modeling.

That said, I had really wanted these cars since I ride them almost every time I go to New York City, and I like them alot.

This has seldom bothered me, and I don't believe it bothered John Allen -- whose modeling still has a great deal of appeal, since graffen has posted a new plan inspired by the G&D. I think John Allen had two big insights. One is that, although the era of equipment may vary, its function remains very similar over decades and now even centuries. A switcher is a switcher. A flat car is a flat car. But also, there's a lot of slop in what we see: there are plenty of Railboxes out there with 40-year-old paint. The UP stirs things up by restoring a Big Boy. Allen saw a layout as a way to experience and celebrate all this.

Its funny you mentioned railbox cars, I just saw a bunch that were so faded out that you could barely make out that "X" logo!

In any case, this is more of a budgetary question than a time period nitpick. I have to prioritize what I really want to make the best of the money I can devote to the hobby.

If I had unlimited funds, I wouldn't think twice about picking up the trains I liked, regardless of what time period or prototype they were. Using the prototype time-range as criteria for making a purchase is a good way to screen out models that aren't necessary, and lets me devote money towards other applicable projects that most further my goals.

Also, if I was modeling the modern day, and used some old stuff, that would be OK. If I'm modeling the past, visitors from the future are out of place.