So after packing my stuff away last year, I'm going to put a layout together in my basement. I have decided to model the late 1950s. I have just ordered my City of Las Vegas Aerotrain and Fedex says it will be here tomorrow. My old equipment was 1890s old west stuff. Not a tremendous amount, one Blue B&O 4-4-0 1890s loco and 4 matching overton passenger cars with caboose. Also, I have about 4 buildings, like a saloon, etc. I don't know if I could make a wild west tourist town, or a ghost town (ala the Brady Bunch) or what. Or if I should just ebay that stuff and use the money for more 1950s things. Does anyone here have any cool ideas for a way to incorporate my existing stuff into the 1950s layout (approximately 1957)? Just thought I'd ask since there is so much knowledge and years of experience here, and you guys have always been great. Thanks, Scott
Try an amusement park. All you gotta do is figure a small cirlcle in your layout with the biuldings included. You may want to get one or two rides to go with it as well. Just a thought! If not make a small museum out of it on your layout. I have a lot of rolling stock and engines that are over thirty years old and I am not planning on changing them out to DCC. They were my dads stuff that I inherited. I am going to put in an area on my layout where they will be displayed in musuem fashion.
My suggestion is to have a tourist excursion steam train, have a siding somewhere on your layout for the steam train's depot and use the old buildings there.
I like it. Tourist Excursion Train. I like it alot. I had thought of something similar but was not sure if it would work. That is great. Tourist Excursion with those buildings and a gift shop/trading post etc. Parking lot with some 57 chevy's etc. Thanks guys.
You might be able to forward date some of your buildings, depending on what they are. Even on the west coast, we have some building dating back to the 1890s and earlier still in use.
The Trains I like the idea of the Excursion train.Buildings are updated all the time why not models also. Just attach Honey Do list to each building; isn't that how it's done in real life???????:mbiggrin::tb-biggrin:biggrin::thumbs_up:
Possibly make a ghost town with the old buildings if room permits or as others have said a tourist attraction.
Several folks mentioned museums and amusement parks--but they would be limited to a particular loop or area. Why not a MOVIE TRAIN. Old west buildings might be a movie set in one corner of the layout, but the train might be filmed on any part of the layout where there are not too many modern buildings. (I have equipment I plan to use as movie trains on my layout although I haven't done it yet.)
Well, I know there are a lot of old steamers lying around parks these days, but were there in the 50's? I think if you want to change eras then you should not try to keep one foot in the old one. Either store or sell the 'old' stuff and focus on the 'new' one. Just my opinion of course, and not remotely humble
Candy I think your museum piece idea is a very good one; matter fact we have one of those downtown here in a Transportation Museum. And yet I didn't think of that at the time I first read the thread.:thumbs_up:
The train in a park idea didn't really take off until the very late 1950's, and into the 1960's, as railroads retired their old steam engines and went with diseasels. So, unless the railroad you want to model is pretty much fully dieselized, Id' stay away from the train in a park theme. The Wild West idea isn't bad, but it does chew up a lot of real estate. Along with that, I can count on one hand, and still have fingers left, the number of those operations that I remember were going in the 1950's. So, if 'twere me, I'd update the buildings if possible, and either store the railroad equipment off the layout, and only run it on special occasions, or offer it up for sale.
The area you're going to be modelling (high desert) at least 'til the 1960's had a lot of towns that contained 1880-1890 era buildings. Stick in one or five buildings from the 1940's-50's and you should have the appearance of some of the towns I remember from the early 60's in northern Arizona/southern Nevada. Or, how about a ghost town although that could border on "kitchsey."
Excuse me if this was already suggested, I have not read all of the posts/replies. One thing you could do is consider the relationship of your previous era to the 1950's you wish to model. The two are say... 65 to 70 years removed. Take some of those buildings and super weather them. Make them look 60 or 70 years old. The other plausible use would be to incorporate some into additions or remodeling. Of course, that is easier said than done because I do not what specific buildings you have. But, I would bet that some of your buildings with an appropriate make-over would fit right in.
Thanks for the suggestion Kitbash. That gives me some interesting ideas. I think maybe I should snap some pics of the buildings and post them. Everyone here is so creative and helpful, I appreciate all of your comments very much. Scott
One thing to remember is that short lines usually had all the older equipment that the class ones got rid of so you can always take the equipment and make a short line out of it that interchanges with your main railroad.
Here is another idea for the old steamer... Weather it to make it appear it's been sitting on an abandoned siding for a few decades...maybe even have a tree growing out from under one side of it.
SteaminScott, How big of a town is being represented on your layout? As has been suggested already, keep the buildings and update the storefronts a little. I live in a very rural part of Minnesota and there are quite a few old buildings still in use today. In fact, most of the downtown buildings in my hometown date to the 1890s... although, they're mostly brick/masonry construction. Some of the storefronts were updated back in the 50s with glass block facades, while others were given a "modern" makeover. Then, in the late 60s-early 70s, the entire downtown area was pretty much given a facelift... with aluminum siding. (And, yes, it's as hideous as you're imagining.) So, look at what you have for buildings and think about how you could give them a Mod-50s renovation. There are a few towns nearby that also have buildings from the 1890-era that are built of wood. Next time I go for a short road trip, I'll snap some shots of them for you. Although, the idea of a small muesum isn't that bad either. And even though, the idea of putting steam locomotives in parks didn't really become widespread until the late 50s, I would think they still put old locomotives (like the 4-4-0) on display somewhere. From what I understand, the William Crooks (the first locomotive to ever operate in Minnesota) was on display at the Union Station in Minneapolis for a number of years before it was sent down to the Burlington Northern HQ in Dallas. (It currently resides under the train shed in the old Duluth, MN, Depot, which is now the Lake Superior Transportation Museum.) Although, you could also have the engine and cars sitting on a siding somewhere in a yard or on a forgotten spur looking rather derelict (heavily weathered and rusted, etc.). Just my .02... whatever that's worth to you.
I like Komachi's ideas. If it helps, I have photos from a story I did on a late 1800's era railroad district that might help. some of the exteriors are still the same as they where in the 1800's, some got remodeled in the 1950's, and one was remodeled in the 1980's. If it wasn't for 8 new buildings and a fenced off hazmat site where the roundhouse was, the district is about 60% intact from what it was in the 1950's. Most of them are mason construction, but there are a few (I think 6) buildings left that are plank on frame, mostly houses. Part of the problem with wood construction from that era was fire. That downtown had 3 or 4 major fires before they banned wood structures. Ironically, the station, and subsequent ad ons along with the hotel, where all wood. You can pretty much get away with what ever you want. If you like some of your buildings from that era, You can still use them, and like most towns that made it from the 1800's to the 1900's, you can add modern structures at will. My favorite building we visited was the fruit packing plant turned tank shop turned mall. It still has the paint on the exterior proclaiming best peaches in the world despite the fact that building hasn't seen a peach in 60 years. Josh
Here's one nobody hit on... Make the town and train into a movie set! To save space you could even prototypically cut off 3/4 of the buildings and just set them up as flats. Still use your wild west people and just add some 1950s camera crews, etc. Don't forget to include John Wayne!
