What is your favorite era?

I notice several of you mention the era you model in, or plan to model. So, what is the favorite era among the majority of us?

Do you model in the era of your youth, of the present, or of the era you wished you were around to see?

For me I have both steam and diesel in Z scale and love them both. One layout is definitely steam but my plans for my future "dream" layout will be modern diesel. Which way does the pendulum swing in this group?

Karin

My RR is the Blue Valley Short Line. It's era of operation is + or - 1955 thru 1970
something. I have some steam but mostly diesel, GP7s & GP9s, about 15 of them.
During the late '50s thru the '60s I rode the rails alot, in Europe, Australia,
Canada, and of course the U.S. I remember the last of the steam era, that sweet smell
of oily steam, in the late '40s & early '50s. It has been a wunderous ride of a life time and now I am enjoying it in Z scale.
Thanks for asking Karin.
Stojiny

I am doing the Midwest, Southern Illinois from the 50's to the 60's. I grew up In the 60's and 70's there, and was surrounded by railroads. I actually got to ride a short distance on the Illinois Central in kindergarten, It must have been just before Amtrak happened and they were still playing the song pretty heavy on the radio then. (It could have been another IC train, but that's what they told us.)
I remember also the red and white Burlington diesels, and then later everything turning green. And then this BIG boxcar with a mountain goat that was in town for years. I remember my sister leaving to go back to her Navy base on the L&N. I remember their horns shrill and loud.
Most of all I remember the smoky old Mopac engines in their shades of blue, lumbering with their coal cars through my aunt and uncle's garden, on the way to the mine my father worked at. Their horn low but just as loud. I used to hide under the bed or behind the house when they came through.
I recall also the long pretty orange and white and black ICG going though their back field, you could see them from the house.
Now to get back on target I am building the transition of steam to diesel. A time I just missed out on. If I made a layout of Southern Illinois in the 50's or even 40's, the only thing I would have to change to bring it to the 70's or early 80's would be to change the rolling stock, put different autos on the streets, and maybe a few advertisements and signs. (Those Moxie and Nehi signs were on the buildings until they were bulldozed.) In the times I grew up there nothing ever changed, but during the time I have been away, everything changed.

Steam for me. 1890 to 1940. Romantic yes, practical in todays Z world, no. Cheers, Jim CCRR:unsure:

As if this is a surprise: the Great Northern era (ending in 1970), that's the line with the "big boxcar" with the billy-goat on it, Kelley. Oh, and diesel - only because there's no steam to speak of in Z, yet. My ideal period would be the '50s and early '60s, when GN ran the Empire Builder passenger train, in the EB paint scheme (Pullman green, orange, and pinstriped in yellow). My first train ride when I was about 6 was a trip to Spokane from Seattle on the EB, so it's gotta be GN.

Mike

Howdy All,

My current layout/modules are of the UP's Evanstan sub-division of the Over-Land Main Line route, and its set from the millinium (2000) to today.I really like to go over to the little town of Echo and watch trains in my free time, and decided that this vital section of the cross country main line that resides in my now back yard (i'm not originally from Utah) would be a suitable line to model with pur club. So present day for me right now.

Now thats not to say i have a deep admiration for the Rio Grande as well, and given that Utah was once the domain of the old Grande, and further that all its western lines have been assimilated into the UP borg, all points to my also following the Grande. As for Grande era's, i like the end in the 1980's when the old girl was in the process of joining with the SP, and before the big UP merger of final aquasition of both roads in the late 80's early 90's.

So i collect both UP and Rio Grande, both as modern as i can find them.

Tony B....
Wasatch Z ClubB)

I'm starting to really get interested in Merger Eras... Mainly the BN merger, later BN/SF merger, and the Mergers related to the UP. Since our Wasatch Z club in Utah is focusing on the UP line through Echo (See Tony's post), I'm concentrating on collecting for that era with a side trip to the WP...

Mark D
Wasatch Z

Now I got you guys all beat. Little did I know last night when I went to bed early that Karin would start causing trouble again......yup, that's her name...Karin Trouble Snyder.

The era I model in? The past, present and future.

Since I have mostly scenery, (land of a thousand and one trees) and trees are timeless and out last us all, so anyone's trains can run on my modules and feel right at home.

I guess my couple of structures are era apparent, but we'll just pretend the builders were ahead of their time..heh heh heh.

See, that way I can play with anyone and not get the rivet counters all up in arms. And if they do, "please, put your arms down.....I'm working down wind from you"

I am certainly not very accurate with my modeling, but I guess I'd have to say I lean toward the modern as I have no wood sheath covered box cars in my roster.

Trouble's other half,
Loren

I am getting a small collection of Era 3 German models together. I like steam , so III won't be stricly adhered to ; it's really making use of what ever is avalible.

Hi Loren, That's double trouble. I only have three box cars that are not woodies! Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

Mike, If I still lived in OR/WA I would be right with you with GN. I think my Grandfather retired as a conductor for them. Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

I'm into West German Era 3, which is from the late 1940s to about 1970. That was a time when steam, diesel and electric locos all ran together, so I can please myself what I run with what. And that includes nominally freight locos hauling passenger trains and vice versa.

Having stated my period preference I should add that I don't stick strictly to it. My fleet includes some Era 2 (early 1920s to 1945) "survivors" and some "prototypes" from Era 4 (1970 to reunification). The latter includes an ICE 1 set - they weren't introduced until very late in Era 4, so go report me to the Authenticity Police

Well...

Although I do have three Ep3-5 sets, and a range of coaches and wagons, my very favourite era is Epoch 1 (Landerbahn era, 1845-1921) with Epoch 2 (DRG/DDR era) running a close second. Sadly, it is not easy to get station covered platforms for these two epochs so I am stuck with modern structures. But it's the trains that count really, isn't it, and the early ones have so much more character than today's sleek aceptic products. (Ducks to avoid brick bats.)

All the best,
Chris.

Socalz44 wrote:

Hi Loren, That's double trouble. I only have three box cars that are not woodies! Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

Hah! I am more faithful to my era. I have 90 metal cars to one woody. The only reason I run the woody is because its a Aztec track cleaning car.

Whaleman, Funny. Actually my two metal boxcars and the cattlecar have dates on the before 1940. Anyway, more important. Does the Aztec Cleaning Car work? Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

Jim, it helps, but I dont think you can get away from not cleaning the track.

Myself I'm into modern era (since the beginning of the 90's until now): although I began with F7s as these were the only available motive power, my fleet now consists of SD70s, SD40-2s, Tunnel Motors, Dash9s, a lone F45, GP35s, GP38-2s, plus a lone GP9 for branchline operation, and finally a lone GS4 steamer, a lone PA1 and a lone E8 for railfan train running operation.

About my freightcars, I sold all my 40' boxcars, my 39' tankcars as well as my journal box truck equipped/roofwalk equipped 50' boxcars, in order to purchase modern stuff (well cars, modern 50' boxcars/no roofwalk-Roller bearing equipped, modern tankcars and hoppers, waiting for 3-level autoracks, etc...).

Happy new year to all,

Dom

I model the Northwest circa the 1950s in N scale, so SP&S, GN and NP are represented. I grew up not far from the SP&S mainline in the Gorge and also saw the Empire Builder daily on its way to Spokane and back. In Z, I model more modern so I have BN and BNSF. But I also like the passenger trains of the 1950s, so GN is represented. My layout will be generic enough so I think I can run most trains without glaring inconsistencies. And even if there are, I will declare it a Twilight Zone day and press on.

John

I agree John, Twilight Zone would be a good analogy, being that there is a mix of 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and modern era running gear out there but, if you look at an area where there is a mix of Class 1 and short lines you'll see exactly what is available for Z now. Granted the SD-40-2 would completely bridge the gap along with the GP-30's that are coming. Even though boxcars are going the way of the dodo, being that intermodel well cars took over, there are still some lines using all manner of the boxcars and flat cars. The only thing missing is the modern Amtrak fleet, with the exception of the AZL commuter and California sets, I make this my notion for P42DC with Amtrak and VIA colors and an Acela set.

Dampflok, not all German stations had covered platforms. A lot of these stations were just buildings..you could kitbash something like the Kibri houses (Ruhrstasse for instance) Just add big doors front and back. A lot of these buildings are still up. find a font with Fraktur and just print a sign with the name of the bahnhof. I am still trying to figure out a lot of stuff with the German railroads, but being over here I can help wherever I can.