Hi folks. I find myself contemplating a switch from Western Maryland in the 50s to Erie in the 40s, for a few reasons. While I love Western Maryland, I also have always adored the Erie. I have since being given a Kadee (I believe it was, years ago!) Erie boxcar with black ends, silver roof and all, and being attracted to the fact Erie's freight fleet during the steam era was a lot more interesting than most. The fact Erie ran no shortage of large steam locomotives (and those models actually exist of!) is another part, as is the fact Erie is closer to home for me, being from Northeast Ohio, than any of the West Virginia coal roads. How about you folks? Ever switch prototypes? Did you keep your old cars and locos, or what?
On the diesel side, you'd also gain PAs, Es and probably others. If you have WM FAs and RSs, you can repaint or acquire new shells. I can't say that I've ever changed prototypes, as my road is a post-CR freelance anthracite regional and I run just about everything that served the area. Perhaps you could mix both Erie and WM, creating your own Connellsville <=> Youngstown connecting railroad , a-la P&LE.
I get it, in the last 2 years, I changed roads, location and era on the same layout. I went from modeling the Southern Pacific in Arizona during the 1980's to the Pacific Electric in 1950's Los Angeles county. It is amazing how easy it is to do this with buildings and different ground cover
Yes. Have done the same. A couple of times. But never quite completely got rid of everything. And glad of it...!
Thanks guys. I likely will feature the Erie (or NYC, though that one almost seems too "big.") as they're closer to home and more familiar, as well as in Erie's case, just having a really neat array of locos and freight cars. I am originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, where NYC, PRR, and Nickel Plate all had trackage, and in NYC's case, an important roundhouse, yard, coal docks, loads of industries... oh, and one of the deadliest railroad accidents in history, along with TWO (count em) H10 boiler explosions. I just would have NO idea how to even begin to capture that in the space I have. I mean, a coal dock and Hullets and an ore boat could literally be my entire layout, and still not do even one of the Ashtabula docks justice. An Erie themed layout loosely based on Northern PA/the southern tier of NY is doable, I think. Plus, I adore that Erie overpass in Jamestown =D I assume that Erie had lots of interchange with the NYC?
