What Era, Railroads, & Locomotives are you set on?

[tetters]

Do you have a time frame where you're set, time of year?

Are Steam, Diesel, Electric or all/some of both?

What are your railroads and what's the rolling stock consist of for deliveries/industries?

Is it Freelance or Compressed Prototype or even exact scale replica?

Primarily Diesel, although I just bought my first Steam Engine awhile back, so I will eventually dabble with some steam locos. I like the Consolidation class locos. I am not really into monster or bigger engines steam or diesel. I've always been a fan of the underdog I guess. I instantly thought for some reason(s) I cannot explain that high nose GP7's were the coolest things ever since sliced bread. I've also often heard Consolidations referred to as the Geeps of their time, which is probably why I began to have a fondness for them as well. Not to small, not too big, they are the Goldilocks engine for me...just right.

My Rail Road is primarily Canadian Pacific. However, I have thought about grabbing up some Canadian National Geeps and swapping out road names for some variety every once and a while.

My layout is Freelanced, based with some emphasis on prototypical buildings, structures, and a thirst for learning about some RR history. I usually find something that interests me and then ask myself, "Can I reasonable justify its existence on my layout?". If the answer is yes, then I hold on to what ever plans or info or pictures I have until I'm ready to go ahead. Incidentally I say, "yes" often which means I've acquired quite a collection of stuff. Undoubtedly when the time comes, I imagine I'll probably start thinning the herd a bit here.

That's pretty much it.

[MasonJar]

My Rail Road is primarily Canadian Pacific. However, I have thought about grabbing up some Canadian National Geeps and swapping out road names for some variety every once and a while.

...

I usually find something that interests me and then ask myself, "Can I reasonable justify its existence on my layout?". If the answer is yes, then I hold on to what ever plans or info or pictures I have until I'm ready to go ahead. Incidentally I say, "yes" often which means I've acquired quite a collection of stuff.

I once heard a local modeller describe this condition as:

"I'm not unfocussed, I'm eclectic!"


Andrew

[tetters]

I'll have to remember that quote.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Now I am also a fan Of the Northeast Corridor and like Commuter trains from Metro North, MBTA, NJT, and LIRR along with Amtrak, AEM-7's are one of my favorite locos as I have a sweet spot for 7000hp electrics, LOL.

I'm with you on that one, I wish the stuff were more readily available and easier to afford. I've had to jump through hoops to get half the equipment i have, and now the pressure is on for more Arrow III EMUs from IHP. Island Model Works just doesn't appear to be working out.

On a positive note, i keep hearing that the Atlas AEM7/ALP44 may get re-issued in the near future. Normally i wouldn't believe such rumors, but i saw a few email messages from Atlas people that said there was a good chance they'll produce them in 2011.

Now my only problem for the layout is getting the proper CR locos as the Boston Line was primarily GE territory along with Cab signals so foreign power was rare on trains. If someone made C32-8's, C30-7a's, and C39-8's then that would help out a lot. Local's used mainly B23-7 pairs with a GP15 tossed in here and there and SD80Mac's were common on the line to. Now even though I plan on a prototype location I will run anything I have from Steam locos to oddball trains that never ran on the line and even some European stuff I have.

Well, the C32-8s are available from Rail power products,, but they take a little work. That said, other than getting the nice Smokey Valley handrails, there are enough GOOD detail parts that you can put together a reasonable model. I think the only thing i needed to change on my shell was the hand brakes on the nose, and i also used the Details Associates photo etched grills. Those two modifications do a lot to correct the look of the engine.

I remember reading that Conrail C30-7As were problematic to model, but i haven't looked so deeply into that.

The C39-8 only requires that a 8-tall door hood section get spliced into the area of the 6 tall doors on the C32-8. I think the C39-8 shared the same frame with the C40-8, so i would think that other than splicing the shell with a larger section, it wouldn't be too tricky.

[MGWSY]

Now I am also a fan Of the Northeast Corridor and like Commuter trains from Metro North, MBTA, NJT, and LIRR along with Amtrak, AEM-7's are one of my favorite locos as I have a sweet spot for 7000hp electrics, LOL.

I'm with you on that one, I wish the stuff were more readily available and easier to afford. I've had to jump through hoops to get half the equipment i have, and now the pressure is on for more Arrow III EMUs from IHP. Island Model Works just doesn't appear to be working out.

On a positive note, i keep hearing that the Atlas AEM7/ALP44 may get re-issued in the near future. Normally i wouldn't believe such rumors, but i saw a few email messages from Atlas people that said there was a good chance they'll produce them in 2011.

Now my only problem for the layout is getting the proper CR locos as the Boston Line was primarily GE territory along with Cab signals so foreign power was rare on trains. If someone made C32-8's, C30-7a's, and C39-8's then that would help out a lot. Local's used mainly B23-7 pairs with a GP15 tossed in here and there and SD80Mac's were common on the line to. Now even though I plan on a prototype location I will run anything I have from Steam locos to oddball trains that never ran on the line and even some European stuff I have.

Well, the C32-8s are available from Rail power products,, but they take a little work. That said, other than getting the nice Smokey Valley handrails, there are enough GOOD detail parts that you can put together a reasonable model. I think the only thing i needed to change on my shell was the hand brakes on the nose, and i also used the Details Associates photo etched grills. Those two modifications do a lot to correct the look of the engine.

I remember reading that Conrail C30-7As were problematic to model, but i haven't looked so deeply into that.

The C39-8 only requires that a 8-tall door hood section get spliced into the area of the 6 tall doors on the C32-8. I think the C39-8 shared the same frame with the C40-8, so i would think that other than splicing the shell with a larger section, it wouldn't be too tricky.

Well I plan to make 4 C32-8's in the future as I am gathering parts slowly and have 4 of the Overland frames. Also plan on making 2 C36-7's for now using 2 BLI C30-7 units I got real cheap. As for the C30-7a, LOL The rear section on a C30-7 is about all that is correct everything between the cab and rear radiator section has to get redone, rear end and nose has to get redone to. At least I have enough of the Overland Marker Light Castings to make a bunch of units. I think that I might try and make a master C30-7 shell to fit an Atlas or Broadway C30-7 chassis and cast a bunch of them as I know I can use at least 6 - 8 sets and they ran in 4 unit sets usually so thats 24 - 32 units right there.

As for commuter equipment, there is another story as I have plenty of the Walthers comet cars for several 6 car trains and I would love to see some Metro North M2/M6 cars. All I have for locos at this point is a NJT Alp44 and CDOT FL9. Along with 7 Amtrak AEM-7's. Now if someone would make a accurate Amfleet, LOL.

[iis612]

I model the Pere Marquette Ry set in Flint, MI.

Do you have a time frame where you're set, time of year?
1941-1947

Are Steam, Diesel, Electric or all/some of both?
I have 2 berkshires, 1 consolidation, 1 pacific, 1 mikado, 1 GE 44 tonner, and an ALCO S1. Because the PM is owned by C&O there is a large chance of seeing some C&O steam, as well future motive power, such as an E7 AA consist, a BL2, and more steam.

What are your railroads and what's the rolling stock consist of for deliveries/industries?
Pere Marquette, and some GTW. During my time period most of the local industries switched gears to wartime production. I use flats, gondolas, 40 and 50' box cars, reefers, hoppers, and covered hoppers.
PM interchanges with GTW. I service Hamady Bros Meats, General Motors, a PM freight house, a grain elevator, fuel distributor/coal dealer, a team track, a scrap dealer, GERN, and 2 passenger stations.

Is it Freelance or Compressed Prototype or even exact scale replica?
Compressed prototype, with some freelanced elements thrown in

[MountainMan]

I'm a fan of the circa-1900 or so stuff.

[joefryfry]

Modern era coal railroading, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Thinking that a larger layout in a different house will lead to transition era modeling. The coal railroading is somewhat boring.

[MountainMan]

Modern era coal railroading, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Thinking that a larger layout in a different house will lead to transition era modeling. The coal railroading is somewhat boring.

Can you add an industry or two and diversify?

[Schraddel]

My modeled era: The late 1940's with some extensions to the early 1950's.
My modeled area: A mythical and fictional Cleveland/OH
My modeled theme: The ET&N, a fictional RR called East Terminal & Newburgh RR

In reality you found in the early 1940's on the rails in and around Cleveland/OH:
NYC
PRR
NKP
B&O
W&LE
P&LE
ERIE
CSL , Cleveland Short Lines, a subsidary og the NYC
N&SS , Newburgh & South Shore, a class 1 carrier although of only 7 miles of mainline
RT , a steel mill RR
CV , also as above

My fictional ET&N consists out of the N&SS, the B&O line through the Cuyahoga Valley, and the RV. I bend the real history for my purposes and it is as crooked as the Cuyahoga River. It is an dangerous theme too. You can go big, very big. For e.g. the typical Great Laker from the turn of the century was about 500 feet long. In H0 such an ore boat will be so around 70 inches long (175cm). And 1940's lakers were bigger too. Steel mills can became huge, in needed space and needed $$$ (€€€). So i thought, this is the background, the ET&N is a wealthy enterprise because of serving steel industries, coal and ore traffic is its backbone. But there are still the normal business which kept an big city alive. Those small industries besides serving the city demands.

And here at this point i to begun starting modelling by creating an industrial area named Flats 1. Warehouses, small manufacturers, the backside of an sintering plant and a tube dealer will be modeled. I started with some modules recycled from an earlier european project. It will be an switching layout with further planned extensions in the future.

Motive power for switching duties:
several 0-6-0's
4-6-0 ; ideed an anacronism, but she survived here
2-10-0
SW1
NW2
EMC Doodlebug for passenger service.

And there are some semi off topics:
2-8-2
2-10-2
2-6-6-2 , yes the prototype photo of the W&LE 2-6-6-2 was taken in Cleveland/OH.
When further extensions of the layout became reality, as staging yards and loops, these engines will be used as motive power for running through trains.

There are some off topic power too. Just for collecting and enjoyment.

Greetings Lutz

[Brakie]

Like all things in model railroading.

Since my last reply I am thinking about back dating my layout to the late 50s/early 60 and going with Southern Ry.While there is nothing wrong with the era I chose-and Southern will work just as easily in 78-80-I would like some locomotives that wasn't around in 78-80...I also have a thing about yellow PFE reefers.Maybe a steam locomotive as well?

[joefryfry]

Modern era coal railroading, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Thinking that a larger layout in a different house will lead to transition era modeling. The coal railroading is somewhat boring.

Can you add an industry or two and diversify?

Sure. Not sure if I would want to model the transition era over the modern era, so there's always room for change.

[train_guy]

My Future layout will be a room size(not yet determined).My era is late 1990's diesal era.Location...Hmmm,haven't really decided yet(most likely Ohio,Indiana,Michigan),but it will be "Industrial switching" with aspects of urban city,street running,etc.I decided to go freelance,which will include my own 2 Athearn genesis GP15-1's as my switching power,which will be decorated in my own custom painted scheme.I was going to go with CSX,but then i would have to go with light gray ballast on my track work,which i don't like(I like brown or black)Also i have always been attracted to diesel loco's with silver painted trucks and fuel tanks)i.e UP's Heritage paint schemes,so my GP15's will have the same silver painted trucks and fuel tanks.

Buildings will consist mainly of automotive parts suppliers,stamping plants,and a Transloading facility.Rolling stock will consist of mainly 50'&60"Hi-cube boxcars,Gondolas,Tankcars,Hoppers.Will be running a NCE Powercab DCC system,with multiple jacks.Switches will consist of #5 & #6 Peco Code 83 or 100,haven't deided yet,and will be controled with manual switches.And that's all i know so far.

[SP1]

I can't limit myself to a specific era or location. I really tried it, but it doesn't work. It only leads to abandon the current layout and starting a new one and so forth. I also found out that I have no real interest in operation, repetitve switching and such. My actual approach to build a layout may sound ridiculous to you because it is just a big loop made for (model-)railfanning rather than for operation. It is made up from segments/modules that show totally different locations and eras, subdivided by viewblockers. Its the only way I found to bring the steel industry, the lumber industry, the intermodal business, towns and harbours and rural scenes onto one single layout.

[Brakie]

Jens:I can't limit myself to a specific era or location.
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Some times I wish I could do that then I could enjoy both 50/60 era cars and modern cars..