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My still under construction layout was to be set in a decade that ran from 1945 to 1955.  I figured I could have steam days and diesel days depending on how I felt. Thus I have lots of late steam era locomotives and early diesel era locos. Not to say I had no locomotives and cars from other eras....just the 40-50's dominated the roster and set the look of my layout.

But for some reason I started watching some videos of Penn Central, Chessie System, Espee and other 1970's era railroads. Then I watched a 'Last years of the Rock Island' a railroad I never had any interest in before. It made me realize the huge variety the 1970's provided in road names and paint schemes......and just the number of railroads that were still running compared to today. The Rock Island video caused me to buy this.......

 

RIE8

And now I want more 70's era trains. And it has me re-thinking the look of my layout. Before most autos on the layout were going to be 1955 and earlier....most late 40's.  Now I'm looking at all the stuff available if I move into the 70's.....the decade I went to high school and started serious rail fan activities BTW.

 

SO....anyone else change the era of their layout??? Or how about a layout that is switchable between eras?? (swap cars and a few structures, signs etc) Is anyone here modeling the 1970's exclusively?? PICS? Thanks!!!!

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  • RIE8
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For my HO layout I favor early 1970's joint SP-BN operation like we see in parts of Oregon. You could still see some SP&S, GN, NP and CB&Q power on the then-new BN, plus the new BN paint scheme. And there was still an occasional "black widow" unit on the SP. It was great to have a real-life prototype situation with the variety of loco color schemes.

 

I also got to see the last of Rock Island operations in Kansas City in early 1980. Rock Island had a variety of interesting paint schemes on their locos. And there in the 1970's mid-west you can logically add various other road names if you want some additional variety with a prototype excuse.

 

On my 3-rail O-gauge I've gone with more of a toy-train atmosphere, lots of semi-scale "Lionel Lines" items. 

 

Rock Island-30

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  • Rock Island-30
Last edited by Ace

I am building my layout so that i can change eras between steam and transition by swapping automobiles. I have three basic sets of cars - 30's through WWII, late 40's through early 50's, and mid 50's through mid 60's. The basic architecture of buildings really didn't change much in that 30-year time frame, so swapping out cars is enough to set the scene. I also have some European cars if I want to change the scene to fit my ETS tinplate and MTH Euro equipment (Orient Express and Swiss Crocodile). Sorry I can't provide any photos - I'm not far enough along yet to have any scenery or very much in the way of buildings. I have little personal interest in the 70's, although I do have some Milwaukee Road locomotives and rolling stock from that period. I was in Africa and Latin America for most of that time frame, so I have no personal connection to 70's railroading (except for the African Garratts and the Copper Canyon scenic train in Mexico). 

 

I think you could set up your layout so that a change of autos, plus a few billboards and signs, would set a backdrop for any time frame from late steam through the 70's. You can evoke a certain era without necessarily having to have every detail perfect. The first impression is what counts.

My New England-based layout-in-progress toggles between the late '50s, when I can run my lightning-striped Railking RS3, and the early '70s. I really like the mix of first- and second-generation power, and the continued presence of 40-foot freight cars in all the traditional road names, plus new schemes like CP Rail. Plus no one in New England had yet heard of Guilford Transportation Industries.

Thanks guys......

I think I may loosen up my time frame some. I know guys from my HO scale days that model a year, month, day and time!!! I may not need to pin down a time that much. Anything 70's ish will be made to be removed easy if I want to take photos of steam or have a 40's session! I'm not selling off the steam....but maybe moving my collecting to more 70's themed equipment!

In terms of the train equipment on the layout, era does not matter to me. Most visitors to the layout would not have a clue to the era anyway. For vehicles, I personally like the 50s that in my opinion had the most innovative design in the history of the auto industry.

 

So to mix and match trains and era, not issue for me.

Got my Rock Island E-8 pair today. SUPER nice units. Seller says they are custom painted and if they are a great job....no decal halo or silvering. Nice paint...clean lines. Does any one know if Weaver did these units in Rock Island paint???

Just more reason to 'Love the 70's!'........

 

RIE8a

Stilla little dusty....but on the way to the bench now for a cleaning and check-up.....

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  • RIE8a

I was a kid in the 1970s in monroe nc.I can tell you what I saw .SEABOARD COAST LINE rr gp 9 and 7s some times there would be 6 or 7 locomotives pulling a train.Heck they still had the old 40 ft boxcars for maintance.And the names I saw such as the MKT,SF,L&N,MP UP,GN,NYC,DT&I,CG,ACL,SOU,CN,WP,SP,IC,FRISCO,COTTONBELT,SAL.I even saw some gon that was wood with steel bracing.A few years later bigger locomotives started showing up.The sd45 and the ges pulling long trains.You could still the gp9s on long trains.But seeing 7 of them pulling a long train was over.You would see 3 or 4 pulling a good size train.I look back at that now and wish I had a camera.The pictures I could have takin.That a nice ri locomotive you have there.I have a cousin ho has a ho and racetrack that cross over each other.He still has it he let me take a look at it.Looked as if he resently got it not a speck of dirt on it.GE locomotive rockisland harp looking lettering with red back ground.

I lived in Charlotte NC all during the 1970's. I loved the SRR tuxedo locomotives. They were still running some F units at times. And yes....I too would see a wooden car now and then. Tons of 40 ft box cars in many then current and fallen flag railroads. It is a cool time period.  It had MUCH more variety and mixture of era's than we see today. 

 

I'd railfan in Monroe and Hamlet often.....Neat area too...

Last edited by AMCDave

I more or less am in the same camp as Southwest Hiawatha. I model the Milwaukee Road mid 50's to early 60's. I grew up in this time period and as PassengerTrainCollector said, that period had some of the neatest automobiles. It also allows me to used 1st generation diesels that IMHO had a little more going for them in looks.

Originally Posted by MilwRdPaul:

I more or less am in the same camp as Southwest Hiawatha. I model the Milwaukee Road mid 50's to early 60's. I grew up in this time period and as PassengerTrainCollector said, that period had some of the neatest automobiles. It also allows me to used 1st generation diesels that IMHO had a little more going for them in looks.

And thus why this hobby is so cool.....50 guys and 50 different POV......some folks like different eras, some have layouts with no scenery others highly detailed scenery, Others prefer passenger trains....others have none! I have no issue with 50's era.....and I'm not bailing on it.....I just may make my layout able to flop era to era.

I have steam from the 1920's thru the super steam era and I like the modern era from the 1990's on. 

 

I run all steam for awhile then run all modern diesel. My scenery can be used for both so it's no big deal for me. 

 

Plus I have freight cars for each era, sometimes I leave the cars as is if I don't feel like changing them.

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