layout prototype and era

[pdlethbridge]

Well, so far we have covered size and control of you layouts. Now, what prototype to you base it on and what era?
Mine is based on the Maine Central with industries being paper, pulpwood, potatoes,milk, etc. I have a stable of steam for when I run the late 40's early 50's and diesels for the 60's through 80's era.

[Jim Banner]

My garden layout, named the "Saskatchewan Railway and Mining Company" after a railway established by an act of Parliament in 1888 but never built, is freelanced in the transition era.

My H0 layout, the "Lorraine Valley and James River Railway" named after my wife and I is set in 1961 and is a "might have been" north/south bridging road linking the CNR and CPR along the Alberta/British Columbia border.  Features CNR, CPR and LV&JRR power and rolling stock.

I am also working on a third layout as I find time.  That is the "Rock Ridge Railway," an 0_N30 set in about 1900.  Location?  Somewhere in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Three different approaches to model railroading and I love them all.

Jim 

[Guilford Guy]

Lamoille Valley, ever changing present.
Its a fictitious branch line of a real railroad that quit operations in 1994/1995, however I model it as if it was still in operation, and right now its June 23 2009 on the model railroad. The 4 industries are- Veryfine Apple Juice, Lamoille Lumber, St Johnsbury Trucking, and Ciment Quebec. Very Finge, and Ciment Quebec are both real customers on Pan Am, and the other two are entirely fictitious. The branch serves the town of Innsmouth which is a town in an H.P. Lovecraft novel.

[Yampa Bob]

Our small layout has 4 different themes, mostly present era.

1.  A point to point between Craig and Phippsburg transfer station. This consists of two AC4400s pulling 8 coal hoppers.  The prototype consists of six ACs pulling 100+ coal cars. During harvest, there are grain hoppers seen at the Craig yard. 

2.  Excursion trains with Roundhouse vintage 2-8-0 and 2-6-0 pulling sets of 34' Overtons in "Bumble Bee" colors, and J&S open excursion cars. A spur from the main loop leads to the ranch portion. 

3.  A reproduction of the "Yampa Valley Mail" that ran from Denver to Craig in the 60s. Only two cars required, a 61' RPO and 60' 10 window Harriman coach.

4.  Main line between Denver and Grand Junction, using locos we have seen, including GP35, GP40, AC4400 and SD70. 

Freight cars are those we see on the main line, plus fallen flag cars as collectibles. Scenery will be mostly a reproduction of our ranch, the only industries are grain elevators, cement plant and bulk oil storage for the Craig yard. The old depot has been idle since 1985, but we have a small depot for the ranch passengers. 

With this variety of activity, our layout will never be boring. My wife does all the switching and set-outs, I just watch them run. 

[pdlethbridge]

It looks like there are no dull days in railroad ville.

[jonathan]

If I were perfectly honest with myself, I'd have to call my layout freelance.  However, I do model some of what I see.  Haven't named it yet either... am open to suggestions.

Modern Era is the main portion of my layout. Every day I sit within 20 yards of a double-track line that is part of the Corridor passing from Maine to Florida.  So I see a lot of CSX/NS/NYC, etc.  Especially enjoy watching the Tropicana Fruit Trains pass by (haven't tried to model it yet).  I also see lots of Amtrak. 

I am modeling an "Old Towne" district, along the lines of Fredericksburg, Alexandria, Oklahoma City, or any other City that has a refurbished tourist trap area.  I enjoy the look of renovated old buildings, which works well with the model structures available these days.

My Union Station is based loosely on DC's Union Station... and I mean loosely.  The prototype is around 24 tracks wide with pantographs running everywhere.  Mine is 8 tracks wide, and I seriously doubt I will ever hang all that wire.  However, the trains do park underneath the station, and I'm building a shopping/observation area between the station and the tracks.

On the same layout I also model the transition era (40s-50s), because I love steam and the early diesels... especially B&O, they were beautiful.  So I'm attempting something that looks like switchbacks running around the low WV/PA mountains, hence small engines, small coal cars and big trees.  Those trains are headed to Ohio to deliver coal to Lake Erie for processing and shipping.

So call me a little schizophrenic,  but I like it.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Atlantic Central]

The Atlantic Central is a double track east-west section of a large Class I system set in the Mid Atlantic. The modeled portion represents several areas "roughly" between Baltimore and Cincinnati through Maryland, Virginia, West Virgina and Ohio.

The era is fall of 1953. There are interchanges with the B&O, C&O and Western Maryland that are modeled. There is also a short section of Western Maryland trackage modeled and the C&O has some trackage rights on parts of the Atlantic Central.

There is a mix of steam and diesel and the Atlantic Central is a leader in this new thing called "piggyback".

Passenger service is alive and well and the ACR runs a bus company to enhance its passenger connections in a complete "system" approach.

Passenger steam locos are all oil fired in compliance with Baltimore's smoke ordinance.

Sheldon

[Tylerf]

Mine is based on the Canadian Pacific Railways kicking horse pass sub all the way to the rogers pass sub. On the rogers pass part I have included a prototypical 2.1 % grade so I can replicate the rogers pusher operations. On the khp side I have both spiral tunnels, then other than that it's just a bunch of mountain scenery with no particular prototype. As for my trains, I'm not too picky as to what era too follow but I do have only modern rolling stock but as for locomotives it's mostly modern diesel power from SD 40s to  SD 70s and 80s and AC4400s all in CPR color. However if I feel I really love the look of a certain ore modern loco, then I usually go for it like my proto SD7 and a roundhouse 4-8-0 that pulls a small specialty train.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Aside from lack of space, the reason I don't have a permanent layout is because I could never settle on a protoype or era.    I just like the locomotives and rolling stock of too many widely separated eras: the eight-wheelers and open-platform passenger equipment of the 1860s-1870s, the early 20th century (when "big power" was an Atlantic  ), and yet I have a soft spot for F-unit diesels. What's a fella to do? 

Since I'm disinclined to move to a large home, I do my best to make a virtue of my situation. Thank God for EZ-Track, which makes a fine base for running trains on a track that isn't fastened down permanently. Ordinarily I change out the "scenery" a couple of times a year, so I can enjoy running all my trains without the anachronism of ladies in hoopskirts and gentlemen in stovepipe hats waiting for a 1950s streamlined passenger train. 

However, this year so far, I've been so busy downsizing my collection of rolling stock that I haven't had time--or energy when I've had the time  --to put up different scenery since I took down the Christmas scenery. Right now the track circles the table, passing through two Woodland Scenics tunnels, with no structures on the "layout" at all. 

I do, however, refer to this rotating set-up generally as the Juniata & Southern, as a way to incorporate my own initials in the road name as well as salute my native Pennsylvania.

If I did have more space, what I would probably do is have several small layouts instead of just one moderate-to-large-sized layout, so I could accommodate all my interests without being anachronistic.

[jettrainfan]

Freelance, The "Lakewood & Winterton R.R." scenery looks like the late 1800's early 1900's and some of my rolling stock fits and others are way off course to the time. So it's freelance for me.

[ATSF5700Bob]

 The Saint Louis and Santa Fe is modeled on a " what if the Santa Fe had built South as well as West from Chicago". I use all Santa Fe prototype, and run from South Yard (which is south of Downtown Saint Louis) to Springfield, Illinois. My apologies to all of the Alton,GM&N, M&O, and GM&O modelers.
     I  use three time periods and rotate the rolling stock to shelves according to the time period (although I know that the extra handling is very hard on some of the cars fine details,) no matter how careful I am.
     Time period number 1: 1950 to 1968
     Time period number 2: 1968 to 1974
     Time period number 3: 1974 to 1995

      I also have several industries where the main yard for loading/ unloading lumber and the small town for doing the same is on the same aisle so that the operator of the small town can unload at the lumber industry, walk to the main yard on the same isle with the load and physically load a different flat car with more lumber destined for the small town lumber yard. Interesting idea, isn't it?
   
   

 

[hotrainlover]

Great Union Pass.  That is what I named her.  I follow the UP, and GN during the pre-transition period.  (The merger was never changed back to two railroads, on the GUPRR).  I do have a few pieces of modern equipment, including a few engines.  These have been given as presents, and My Rails have accepted them!!

[ebtnut]

Mine is set at about 1955 with the narrow gauge being all steam (except the gas-electric) and the standard gauge mixing steam and diesel.  The S.G. is the Western Maryland, and I've stretched the time a bit since WM steam quit in the summer of 1954.  Motive power currently consists of a pair of Alco F-A's and and an RS-3 from Weaver in Fireball, plus a pair of old Atlas F-7's in Speedlettering, plus a Sunset Russian Decapod.  OTOH, my n.g. line connects at the other end with the EBT, which ran in steam until 1956 (and of course still steams today in tourist service).  I've generally tried to keep the rolling stock suitable to the era as well, with lots of 50-ton 2-bay hoppers and 40-foot box cars.  There is a big 100-ton grain hopper on the layout lettered for John Armstrong's Canadaigua Southern to commorate his contributions to the hobby.  

[sparkyjay31]

Our railroad is loosely based on the Brookline and Pepperell Branch of the former Fitchburg Railroad in the early 1920's.  This railroad has just been absorbed into the massive Boston and Maine Railroad.  Plans are to have the tracks follow the original route taken thru the towns of Brookline and Hollis, NH continuing on to Pepperell and Groton, MA.

I have a reproduction of the Fresh Pond Ice Company along with the South Brookline Depot.  I also have the Pepperell and Groton stations and freight houses.

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

I havent started building mine yet however heres the plan:

IT will be a layout using steam era trains and rolling stock, however road vehcials will be modern( was gonna use steam era but at the time no one was makin any and Busch had just came out with a Baltimore City emergancy vehial series)

Anyway it will be freelanced with areas based on real B&O Locations
there will be 4 Mainlines, Baltimore & Ohio, Maryland & Pennsyslvania, Baltimore Transit Company(street cars) and Baltimore Train Musuem

Ficitional/Private owner railroads: Pepsi Cola Company(to take cars to and from the B&O yard to the Pepsi Plant(2 locos, 4-6-0 and a 4-4-0)

Id have B&O and C&O power on the mainline.