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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2016 8:42:34 GMT -8
It's been a few years since I last ran this survey. A few recent threads have renewed my interest in the "when" question, so here we go... QUESTION: What 5-year period best represents your modeling era?atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/4791/poll-era-modelDue to limitations with Proboards polling, each respondent is limited to one 5-year period. If you model a longer or shorter period, just pick the "best fit" period (usually the closest to the middle of your era, but that's up to you). I'll close the survey on Tuesday 7/5/16 & post the results & analysis. |
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Post by loophog on Jun 27, 2016 9:41:15 GMT -8
I chose 85-89 but I model 90-94 also and even have some more early 80's era equipment. Late 80's would be my era of most interest though.
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Post by riogrande on Jun 27, 2016 10:44:47 GMT -8
It's hard for some of us to lock down a narrow time frame. I chose 75-79 but ideally I'd say my focus covers 75-84 which overlaps the Rio Grande Zephyr and Amtrak and 40 and 45' TOFC.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2016 11:49:39 GMT -8
It's hard for some of us to lock down a narrow time frame. I chose 75-79 but ideally I'd say my focus covers 75-84 which overlaps the Rio Grande Zephyr and Amtrak and 40 and 45' TOFC. If you model a longer period, just pick the middle-most (average, mean) 5-year period. Since the results will be aggregated, it doesn't make much of a difference. To do a more accurate survey, I'd have to ask for & analyze everyone's year-by-year answers and apply weightings. E.g., someone who models 10 year period gets one "vote", so each year is weighted 1/10 as much as someone's single-year "vote". Etc. But Proboards polling doesn't allow for that. I'm trying to keep it simple. |
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Post by riogrande on Jun 27, 2016 14:06:58 GMT -8
No worries. That's pretty much what I did.
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Post by antoniofp45 on Jun 27, 2016 15:49:00 GMT -8
I chose 1965-69. However, I actually cover 1965-74.
The mid 1960s allows me to include the NH FL9s, the end of Atlantic Coast Line and the beginning of Seaboard Coast Line. With the early 70s, I get the SDP40F's and E60CP's. (oh, and.....GMC fishbowl buses! )
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2016 16:03:07 GMT -8
I chose 75-79,but my exact time frame is 78-80 during the coal boom in the Appalachians. I model the L&N and my era also has ACI labels, Lube plates, and U-1 dots in abundance on the freight cars.
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Post by TBird1958 on Jun 27, 2016 16:59:02 GMT -8
I chose '75-'79, it's close enough.
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Post by oldmuley on Jun 27, 2016 18:31:49 GMT -8
When I first started in model railroading I intended to always model "the present". Unfortunately my railroad of interest was the Wisconsin Central and they had other plans, so I kinda got stuck in the early 1990's.
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Post by orangec on Jun 27, 2016 18:38:59 GMT -8
Early Penn Central, specifically September/October 1969 Boston & Albany. A diverse mix of first and second generation power, many still in NYC, PRR, and NH dress. Bangor & Aroostock GP's on lease, autoracks heading to and from Framingham filled with muscle cars, interchange with the B & M in Springfield, CV in Palmer all in colourful autumn scenery.
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Post by gasmith on Jun 27, 2016 18:45:46 GMT -8
About 1973-1985. Backs up Tony Koester's theory that we tend to model what was around in our teens to mid 20s.
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Post by hexomega2319 on Jun 27, 2016 20:31:41 GMT -8
1929 modeler here. The pre depression era is an awesome modeling challenge and the community is equally supportive and skilled. There are not many RTR "modelers" here and many of the equipment is built from craftsman kits. There is a ton of research involved but that's what I enjoy the most about the era.
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Post by talltim on Jun 28, 2016 3:57:42 GMT -8
Although I don't have a problem with a rough approximation, I model two distinct times, 1912 and late 80s-early 90s. Not sure an average would work...
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Post by riogrande on Jun 28, 2016 4:20:47 GMT -8
About 1973-1985. Backs up Tony Koester's theory that we tend to model what was around in our teens to mid 20s. That pretty much fits me to a T; I was a teen starting in 1972 (age 13) and mid 20s by 1984 (age 25) and that really is my core favorite RR time frame. As it happens cabooses were still running regularly on mainline trains through 1984 and a little longer and it also covers Rio Grande Zephyr and Amtrak California Zephyr. It covers 40' pig trailer operations as well as early 45' pig trailer operations. Really 1972 - 1984 was a transition era of sorts and judging from the poll, it's at the epicenter of train operations in the poll given here. This forum may not be truly representative of model railroaders out there since I do see a number of steam/diesel transition fans on other forums but it does seem indicative of a shift in hobbyists. |
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Post by talltim on Jun 28, 2016 6:41:14 GMT -8
Well I was a teen in the late 80s-early 90s, so that fits the theory. However I've never been to the US, so I definately don't remember it!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 6:54:06 GMT -8
About 1973-1985. Backs up Tony Koester's theory that we tend to model what was around in our teens to mid 20s. That theory pre-dates Tony Koester's writings. Many people have noticed it over the years. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 7:01:03 GMT -8
When I first started in model railroading I intended to always model "the present". Unfortunately my railroad of interest was the Wisconsin Central and they had other plans, so I kinda got stuck in the early 1990's. I think that's pretty common. People new to model railroading model what's around them, form an attachment with that era, and stick with as they age. Nostalgia. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 7:11:08 GMT -8
Although I don't have a problem with a rough approximation, I model two distinct times, 1912 and late 80s-early 90s. Not sure an average would work... In your case an average still works in the broadest sense- determining the mean of the entire set of responses. But looking as smaller periods it doesn't work. Not too many people models distinct eras, far less than the number that model distinct geographic areas. |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Jun 28, 2016 7:46:02 GMT -8
I like the 1960's to the Bicentennial. I really like the Bicentennial equipment. I was born at the start of the 1960 decade, so I don't remember a lot, but I remember some. Its kind of strange, but when I see photos from the 60's even from other parts of the country, other than where I lived which was in the Saint Louis area, it jogs the memory. Maybe it is like Yogi Berra said so famously, "It's like deja vu all over again".
Some parts of the 1960 to 76 time frame I'd like to believe never happened is:
1. The death of railroad passenger service
2. Amtrak - though I've warmed somewhat to early Amtrak.
3. Conrail - so much was lost like the Erie Lackawanna into Chicago and through Indiana. But I'm mellowing to early CR
4. The end of the Penn Central - see Conrail above. The PC has a hot mess, but an interesting mess in hindsight.
5. Burlington Northern - I like the BN especially the early BN, but I'm a die hard Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Burlington Route and Spokane, Portland and Seattle fan. Those roads are my core area of interest, with a healthy side order of the Milwaukee Road, Chicago and Northwestern, Duluth Missabe & Iron Range and Soo Line. If it ran in Minnesota, I'm interested....period.
6. Regional Transportation Authority or RTA as we know it here in the Chicago area. Wonderful rainbow of color and equipment in the pre-RTA era. Replaced with powder blue and one of the most boring paint schemes on a passenger car of light gray with a brown and orange band. Replacing stage coach yellow and green.
7. All the track that was abandoned in the era.
8. All the depots which were torn down along with interlocking towers.
I think I'm done.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2016 8:27:44 GMT -8
I like the 1960's to the Bicentennial. I really like the Bicentennial equipment. I was born at the start of the 1960 decade, so I don't remember a lot, but I remember some. Its kind of strange, but when I see photos from the 60's even from other parts of the country, other than where I lived which was in the Saint Louis area, it jogs the memory. Maybe it is like Yogi Berra said so famously, "It's like deja vu all over again". Some parts of the 1960 to 76 time frame I'd like to believe never happened is: ... 5. Burlington Northern - I like the BN especially the early BN, but I'm a die hard Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Burlington Route and Spokane, Portland and Seattle fan. Those roads are my core area of interest, with a healthy side order of the Milwaukee Road, Chicago and Northwestern, Duluth Missabe & Iron Range and Soo Line. If it ran in Minnesota, I'm interested....period. ... I think I'm done. The period between the formation of BN (3/2/70) and a few years into Amtrak, say 1973 (formed 5/1/71) is very tempting, especially in the Portland OR area where ex-SP&S Alcos and many F units roamed. Add SP, UP, and the new MILW access to Portland as a condition of the BN merger, including to SP's Brooklyn yard. Must. Resist. |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Jun 28, 2016 9:27:17 GMT -8
I voted for 1955-1960 because that's about the last high point of the NH with McGinnis' "New Image" arriving in 1955 and the road's bankruptcy in 1961. However, I have a lot of NH steam and several pieces of pre-war NH electric locos, too. In truth, I model the NH, which means anything from the earliest predecessor (1826) to 1/1/69 at 12:01AM.
I would never model my teen years to my mid-20's, which would be 1988 to 1995 (and I commuted daily by train into college for two of those years). All I saw back then were F40PH's in Amtrak (w/ Amtubes) and MBTA (with Horizon cars), and Conrail B23-7's (w/o cabooses). That's it. That's all there was. How incredibly boring. It was a busy railroad, but it was monotonous. Day after day, hour after hour...the same three locos in the same three paint schemes over and over and over again. How incredibly dull.
So I go back to the NH, where one could find a 3-loco consist using three different locos from three different manufacturers. Where I could find sleepers, diners, parlors, observations, combines, RPO's, and baggage cars on passenger trains. Where freight trains ran mile long trains up and down the mainline all day long, and not just one local freight like Conrail did.
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Post by Chet on Jun 28, 2016 9:36:39 GMT -8
Late summer of 1957
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Post by Brakie on Jun 28, 2016 13:46:56 GMT -8
I model 77/78. I also model 85/86 and 94/95 whenever the bug bites but,mostly 77/78.
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Post by jacobpaul81 on Jun 28, 2016 16:35:08 GMT -8
When I first started in model railroading I intended to always model "the present". Unfortunately my railroad of interest was the Wisconsin Central and they had other plans, so I kinda got stuck in the early 1990's. I think that's pretty common. People new to model railroading model what's around them, form an attachment with that era, and stick with as they age. Nostalgia. This is interesting. I grew up in a railroad family - spent a great deal of time at several depots while I was a kid - yet, I have no interest in the period when I grew up. I personally tend to favor the late 60s - early 70s before I was born - or even earlier - the late steam era. |
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Post by fr8kar on Jun 28, 2016 18:52:35 GMT -8
I've acquired an interest in the railroads and times at the various places I've lived over the years, but nothing can really compete with the railroads of Fort Worth during the coal boom of the 70s and 80s. That's where I grew up and what I saw in my elementary and middle school years. By the time I got to high school and college I had moved away and when I came back it just wasn't the same. So, it's the 80s for me.
I have found it interesting over the years that the local oldies radio station and the classic rock radio station have slowly evolved as the years have passed. One local hobby shop always had the oldies station on and the owner would whistle and hum along with the hits of the 50s. When I shopped there in my 20s I started to hear the Beach Boys and other 60s staples. And so it went until I heard Journey and ZZ Top on the oldies station and Soundgarden and Nirvana on the classic rock station. As the playlist changes so does the popularity of things like modeling era. It won't be long before I'm an oldie and the most popular era is the post-Staggers rainbow that was the 80s.
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Post by lvrr325 on Jun 29, 2016 5:53:04 GMT -8
I started out modeling "modern" era which has since become 20 years old. But with all the products out today that didn't exist then I've shifted to a fairly small window of 1972-1976, focusing on the Lehigh Valley after the CNJ pulled out of Pennsylvania and most of the locomotives were standardized to some form of red with yellow stripe.
That said I'm going to keep most of my newer stuff around so I can run that once in a while too, even if it ends up C628s pulling a stack train.
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Post by riogrande on Jun 29, 2016 7:31:47 GMT -8
Certainly there are going to be examples of people who do not fit the teens through mid-20's profile; although that might explain a sizable percentage and the logic behind it. Since I traveled a good bit, that is why I depart somewhat from the profile too, but it was still trains I was exposed to during that window (age 13-25) that influenced my 2 favorite railroads. SP was where I grew up and lived in my teens and early 20's but I traveled to and thru Utah and Colorado in my 20's so D&RGW; plus my love of the mountain scenery and desert scenery.
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Post by autocoach on Jun 30, 2016 9:02:47 GMT -8
Before 1955 when Railroads were not soulless conglomerate beasts riddled with diesel fumes.
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Post by SD40-2 on Jun 30, 2016 15:46:42 GMT -8
For whatever it's worth, I'm 20 years old, and I'm not a massive fan of today's railroading scene... It tends to feel rather homogenized...
I plan on doing the period of 1990-1995, because I can enjoy a wide variety of equipment that way. I can have searchlight signals, and rebuilt first generation power, plenty of EMD Dash 2 locomotives, GE Dash 7s and 8s, C44-9s, and SD7x locomotives, all around the same time period, on a selection of major railroads.
The Primary Railroad will be the Santa Fe, due to the vast variety of power they had in the 1990s, and Freight and Superfleet Warbonnet, both very nice paint schemes.
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Post by mrsocal on Jul 3, 2016 14:19:53 GMT -8
I am glad to see the era that is winning as this was my hay day in railroading being it was my youth growing up in the Cajon Pass just about every weekend with my dad when railroading equipment was good and mixed freight were the train of the day. This being said, I have not voted as you did not include an entry for "All of the above" this is where I would click on with the mouse. I do not have a layout but I do model from the 1890s to current in locos, rolling stock, buildings and equipment. I build and sell to support my modeling needs and habit, in that I try to keep my passion self sustaining or I'd be broke.
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