Doing the Unthinkable!!!

I've always been a die hard steam fan but with the shape of the economy amongst other things I've decided to sell my brass steamers and model present day UP and BNSF. I'm kind of a nitpicker on detail and running quality and after seeing what is being done in HO I just couldn't pass up the amazing plastic models out there now. I've spoken badly before of present day railroading but have come to realize that there is a lot of variety with all the lease cars and such. It is crazy to think that I can sell my cheapest brass loco and buy 4 superb deisels (Tower 55, Kato, Atlas, etc.) Have any of you ever just up and changed eras? I'd like to see some before and after shots if you have them. Post away!!!:tb-biggrin:

 

I'm buying and modeling the 1972 ATSF era, but there's a little devil guy on my shoulder that keeps poking at me to buy modern BNSF equipment. I think it would be cool to go railfanning, and be able to go home and model what you just saw. Maybe I can be a multi-era modeler.

 

I've sort of done this (giving up an era and going with a different plan). I, at one time, was in HO and steam only! Then I discovered that I could do fantastically long trains in the same space in N scale. :tb-biggrin:

I put the "sort of" in there, because I sold the HO scale stuff to pay for a family move, and then started from scratch in N a few years back. I won't go back to HO, unless it is a small operating diorama in my crew longe (but if anyone want's to make a 2-4-4-2 in N scale, I'll never go back!)

 

Just poking around. We have a 4-8-8-4 Cabforward already and a new Challenger coming this fall in brass, as well as Pacifics, Moguls, Mikados, Casey Jones, Ten Wheelers, and SW-1 all in brass down here in Z Scale. Seems like all you need, and think of the empire in an 11'x12' bedroom for example. At the NTS and other trainshows it is nothing to see 89-100 car trains rolling around. Our DCC layout at the NTS featured 23 Z miles of track. Getting the point? Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

:tb-shocked::tb-shocked::tb-shocked:

Wow. But hey Steve, think of how easy research is, just swing through the yard on the way to work and snap away. Well, for freight cars anyway... Assuming you've been branded as a foamer like I have.:tb-err:

 

I free-lance about 1968-1970, however I am tempted to update to about 1978 so I can run some Chessie run-through power. However, with Bachmann coming out with these impressive steam locomotives, I am tempted to back up to post-World War II. Arg!!!....decisions, decisions!

 

LOL, yeah Joe, most people at work know that I'm a foamer. I'll still keep my Challenger Imports and Glacier Park Products because I know when the kids move out and I get a bigger house I'll be right back to steam:tb-wink: For now I sure do like the looks of T55's ES44DC's and hopefully the upcoming SD70ACe. Next time you run a ES44DC open your window next to a rock cut and throttle up if you haven't already! They sound awesome!!!

 

Hmmm... I wonder if I can convince my wife into letting me have 2 layouts? Well, make that 3 so I can dabble in N scale a little also!:tb-tongue:

 

My first thought was that they reminded me of an ALCO. They do sound good. Nice and raw in 8 going through a tunnel pulling 80K or about 1,100 amps. Our first ones have desktop controls, but now we've gotten the AAR/BLE stands. I like them, but they put the bell in the wrong spot:tb-mad:

 

For 16 years, I built up a collection of Marklin stuff - quite a bit of it in fact - and built several layouts. I never thought I would leave Marklin but then I had a moment of revelation similar to yours. I sold off most of my Marklin stuff and switched over to modelling American trains on two-rail track. I have a more detailed description of my switchover here. It came down to much the same thing - for me - modern American outline plastic diesels look great, run well and are great value for the money.

 

I'm stuck in the 1970s because I don't like modern diesels, ditchlights, and freds.

 

I'm very busy with my layout and era. I think very seldom about another scale.

Wolfgang

 

my dad done the unthunkable

he soled a Alco BN C424 Atlas Silver series
i always put the R&N and thatone back to back for my grain trains
we loved that engen but we had to do it to go to ohio
he also sold a Bachmen Conrail Dash-8 and a Dash-8W that he had scince i was 1 and a half years old and he didnt tell me so i had to find out one day wile searching on ebay now that i was mad about because we used to run those evory christmas around the tree and i can still see it wen i was 2-3 when we used to spend all day and night running them around the tree and i also remember they had a good smell to them now him selling those two i was mad and also kind of sab because i can remember the good times we had with them and the first time i ever got to run a train was with the Dash-8 leading and also after you had them for awile and when you were really young you kind of get attached to somethings and just cant get rid of it

 

Well that is why I have 2 layouts under construction. Well the bare basics so, bench work is up on one and the 2nd needs some modification if not complete rebuild. I do HO for modern day and the N scale for 1955-60. But I can do earlier for the steam if I wanted to. I think that I have the best of both worlds, now I just need a bigger hobby budget so I can get rolling on laying track.

 

I sold many years worth of HO and went to G scale. I had 40 or4 so locos and tons of cars in HO, Now I have 6 G scale locos and maybe 30 cars, but I love it! I have had more fun runing the G and have realy made some advances in my modeling in G sale. I have missed the HO some what, but I feal the change was worth it.

 

When I feel like moving to a different era, I swap out the trains and automobiles, and tell Sherman to set the Wayback Machine:

 

Love that steam photo!:thumbs_up: I was just telling my wife that I can still run a Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 (261), a UP 4-8-4 (844), a UP 4-6-6-4 (3985), Santa Fe 4-8-4 (3751), and an Espee 4-8-4 (4449) all on my modern layout. Now I'll just have to pretend that the cab forward at the Sacramento museum is up and running and I can have almost everything I want all on one layout!!! Hmmm... now I need to model a classic car show to squeeze in all the vehicles I want!:tb-wacky:

 

About 12 years ago I finally got a house with a decent sized cellar and started building my dream layout, but quickly found that keeping a large fleet of mostly brass steam locos in top-class operating condition was a major task.

After much soul searching I decided, as my main interest had become operation, to pull the period forward from 1947 to 1965 ( I'd already changed it from 1935 to accommodate the large number of post-war box cars I'd accumulated before I knew any better) though I interpret my era a little loosely anyway.

I already had fair number of diesels which I used a club layout together with a number of modern era freight cars but I also found I could use about two thirds of the cars I already had as well.

Passenger cars where more of a problem as I like heavyweights, in the end, although I bought a number of lightweight cars, I decided my freelance line was anachronistically still using heavyweights for the most part - must get around to adding those A/C ducts though.

Now though, I've spit up from my former partner and lost the house with the huge cellar, I'm left with a much more modest space to work with. I thought about doing a On30 layout or an early steam era one, with those lovely open platform coaches, but eventually decided on a late 50's theme but eastern for a change - my original line was very much G & D inspired.

One thing that's had to go though is my beloved heavyweight passenger cars, to fit a decent run in the space I've got I've had to resort to 24 inch radius curves( not to mention double and in part triple decking ) My new line passengers will be serviced by my fleet of gas-electric cars plus a number of MDC and Ken Kidder Harriman cars.

Tom