Poll: Which time period do you model?

Mine is the late steam to early diesel era also. Originally is was going to be all steam and then I picked up the MTH Norfolk Southern F-3 ABA set and had to expand my thinking a bit. Then came the C & O F-3 ABA's and finally I was given a proto 1 Southern Pacific ABA E8....so my era went from the 40's into the late 50's.

Rick

I'm in Postwar, 1950-60.

Milwaukee Road summer of 53. Steam, diesel, electric. Don

I selected the last category. Not only can't I select and stick with a period, I can't even stick to a country. I have stuff from 19th to 21st century, US, British, European, Australian, standard and narrow gauge, tinplate, trollies, streets. I guess I prefer steam, but love new and old diesel and electrics as well.

before 1900 ...

Dave, this is all you need. 

You just need an App! 

Modern steam locomotives between 1940 thru 1950s and modern sd70 and dash8.I wished I had taken pictures when I was a kid.I saw scl gp9 and7 40ft boxcar turned to track mantance away trains.Outside braced wooden gons mixed in 50ft box cars later on bigger locomotives started showing up the sd45,sd40and ge locomotives.The one thing that has stuck with me.Is the caboose which was orange not red.And had seaboard coast line in black letters.Some times I run what I like.

i selected 1950 as the year showing on my layout.  I was 15 at the time, remembered the steam including the streamlined steam and the first generation of diesels were around.  All the automobiles and trucks are 1950 or earlier and signs, people's clothing, etc. I try to keep to that era.  It's a bit of a challenge but it has been a fun project to try to maintain that 1950 standard.

Paul Fischer

model 1970 to 1980's 

I voted 1980 - 2000 because it was closest to my reality. A 20 year range is a little too narrow, I need another 10 years on either end. Let's call it the "Amtrak Era".

Mid 60's to mid 70's on the big layout.  Also have some prewar tinplate and some European that come out on special occasions, and a small postwar American Flyer layout.  Need more space!

Whatever tickles my fancy from the early 1900's to today. Since the club layout seems to float around the transition era and some areas don't change much, modern equipment is still at home.

If/when I get my personal layout built, I'll try to make sure that nothing's too old or too modern -- at least without some plausable back-story. Case in point, there are some buildings along the remnants of the Redlands Loop in San Bernardino, County that are over 100 years old (the route started in 1898 and was pretty much done in the 1970's).

Like many of you I model from the 40's to 1959.  Love the steam era and the transition to diesel.  Cars are all 1959 or earlier - like Nicole if I like something I'll include it on the layout!  

Great poll Lee!

I also straddle two of the choices: late 1940s - early 1960s.

.....

Dennis 

1935-60.

That's exactly my target range too.

I'll admit I do not have the discipline to model any certain timeframe or area of the country.  I just like so many kinds of trains, I'm guided by whatever I like and buy in the catalogs.

I have no problem running the Acela next to a Big Boy or a GG1 next to SD70ACE on the layout.  It's all fun! 

Ditto for me. No Diesels past 2nd generation. I know there are some beauties out there but helps me keep a handle on my budget.

I started doing late 20th century since my kids running trains that they can see today.  Now, we change the layout for a certain period of time for about 1/3 of the year.  Last fall we were running in the era of late steam early diesel.  This winter we switched to modern from 1990 to today.  We will run this until mid-spring.  I like switching things around since it gives more variety to the layout.

It is interesting that this poll has been posted for TWO DAYS now, and not one single person has "VOTED", yet yhere are now two pages of "posts". That leads me to believe that NONE of the choices are worth voting for?

Myself, I model the early thru mid 1950s time period, and I didn't find a way to vote for THAT.

????  When I look at the first page, it shows that 139 people have voted so far. You do have to vote before you can see the results. 

I'm not sure what you are looking at.  There are 139 votes so far, with the largest category being those who do not have a time period, and otherwise the 40s and 50s dominating completely.  If I recall correctly,y ou don't see the results unless you vote.  Did you?

Apparently that is the case, Lee. No, I did not vote, because there is no category for my modeling period.

1950's to the present

Well, like a few people I like some of everything. Strasburg RR to early and late diesels so I guess eclectic (for lack of a better word that describes a mix of a lot of different time periods) is what I'm up to. Thanks Terry

Sorry I left your time period out.  What period/year do you model exactly - we may be similar?  You say early 50s - I model 1952-1955 specifically and just voted for the category that falls in . . .

1968 to 1976

Tom

1940's to late '50's.  I prefer steam, but also like most 1st generation diesels. 

1952 was the first year that diesels in operation outnumbered steam.  If I picked a particular year to model, it would be 1954 because the FM trainmasters and GP-9 (I think) were introduced, and steam was still pretty widespread.  But by 1955-57 it was getting hard to find steam (the exception of course being N & W which almost fully converted to diesel in one year - 1959.

For model autos, I wont go beyond 1957.

          paul m.

 Now, (for me) +

anything I can get my hands on...Alleghenies, Challengers, a Pacific, etc. maybe they'll be an excursion of restored steam on the layouts?? The grand kids prefer big steam. What am I to do??

I just wanted many diesels pulling long trains. Never show them the catalogs!! Papa why don't you have any Pennsy?? Where's your T1?? I like the Hiawatha!!!

 Sheesh! How do I answer??

I have a fascination with 1930 – 1955 era steam locomotives, electric locomotives and trolley cars. When I first saw the Lionel Scrap Yard, I had to have it because it fits the theme of my railroad perfectly.

Abundant and low cost domestic coal has doomed the diesel locomotives on the railroad. Especially concerning to the railroad's management are the price volatility of fuel oil and the government's reluctance to support cracking to mine domestic crude oil.

Until new steam engines become available, the railroad is trading first generation diesels for steamers that are on display in various parks across the US and Canada. Before entering mainline service, the park steamers will undergo a thorough re-manufacturing with technology upgrading to negate parts and material obsolescence,  and conformance to the latest safety standards.   

Capitalizing on the US Navy's nuclear ship power plant technologies, the railroad's engineering department is developing a cost effective nuclear heat to produce dry superheated steam for its new locomotives. The new locomotives on-order incorporates high strength to weight ratio titanium and carbon fiber structures, and state-of-the-art computer controls.

Plans for total electrification were discarded because the railroad cannot afford the land acreage necessary for the millions of windmills and photo cells the government will impose.