"Dateline modelling" ... an idle distraction

[PGN]

The thread on "Hornby Dublo in N" reminded me of an idea that popped into my head when I was researching my articles on the history of British N, and that is the concept of "dateline modelling".

To build a "dateline model", you set yourself a date - 1975, say - and then you restrict yourself to building a layout in which you ONLY use models and components which would have been available to a modeller building a layout in that year.

I was always fascinated by the ingenuity of the early pioneers of N gauge, and how much mileage they managed to squeeze out of the very limited range of products that were available to them; and I reckon it might be an enjoyable challenge to try working with their limited pool of resources and seeing just how much I could achieve with them.

Anyone else up for such a challenge?

[martyn]

More or less already done that-I first started in N in 1975 or 76!

Martyn

And yes, I appreciate that's not what the thread is about 😁

[exmouthcraig]

Is it frowned upon to pick 2020 

[chrism]

Is it frowned upon to pick 2020 

I was going to suggest 2019 - might stop me spending any more 

[PGN]

I don't think  some people are quite gettign into the spirit of this thread 

[ntpntpntp]

For mid 70s I'd chose German N then.   Plenty of excellent locos and stock from Minitrix, Fleischmann, Arnold, plus well developed track systems and loads of plastic kits that had been available since the 60s.

I could run my favourite ET420 units and many of the other old models that I still run at shows now 

[martyn]

I started in 1975 (?-might have been 76) with a Minitrix 9F and Peco wagons. I'm sure some of the Peco wagons are more or less the same as still in production now.

Mark 1 Coaches were a mixture of Lima and Minitrix. Farish did 4 wheelers, but I didn't have any.

Track by Peco, though I think I used some Farish points.

Next locos were Farish J67 and Minitrix Britannias  (still got them, and they still get used).

Later locos, probably by late 1977, Minitrix Ivatt mogul and tank. First kit was a Langley 37 on a Rivarossi chassis.

So quite a bit was possible in 1975, and that's without the Peco 'Jubilee'.

Kits for buildings from SD mouldings and Peco. I think Langley may have had some kits for details by then. The Britannias were at some time detailed with Crownline replacement smoke deflectors and driving wheel balance weights.

Martyn

Forgot:

Not sure when, but by 1978 I  also had a Lima deltic and 31.

[robert shrives]

In 1975 or there abouts my dad hindered by me built a 13 foot by 2 foot benching down the side of my bedroom along with a bit under the window and back up the otherside as a foot wide plank with circle routered to take a Fleishmann  turntable.
The end result was Wick, Georgemas jn, fiddle and in  part track for a Thurso above the fiddle.  Some cardboard buildings. I even added a long branch line for the Lybster branch, viewing wick was with shed at front - never got a turntable as line was dieselised.
All Minitrix stock with headboxes filed off for 26s.  not sure about Pullmans and Warship - must have taken a wrong turn. second warship got cut in two to fit in to Dmus.... no lima coaches as they looked silly next to scale Minitrix. Even added MTK overlays to make an RBr buffet - still got it!  Wagons peco and two minitrix grey ballast wagons with BR arrows of indecision on it.   
Great fun only messed by a cousin who like to induce short circuits when I was showing layout to visiting Uncle.  Started a life long interest all casued by going to Kyle - still got pic of me  in cab of 5342 at kyle in 1973.       
So it was and is possible to recreate memories with a short date period, it really was modern image building.
Should add the Lima  clayton (V60) was really bad and while a 31 visited Wick and I did have one it was a lovely body but the chassis was barely of merchantable quality, the Deltic a joke. All lived up to prototype foibles... 
Robert     

[PGN]

Great fun only messed by a cousin who like to induce short circuits when I was showing layout to visiting Uncle. 

My brother used to like doing that by dropping a pin across the tracks. He'd then lift the pin off before I could shut the power off (H&M controller without trip switch ... ) causing sparking and pitting of the railhead ... and THEN had the temerity to ridicule the erratic running caused by the pitted rails which HE had caused!!!!!

(Still angry about that one 40 years later ... can you tell??)

[Bealman]

I don't think  some people are quite gettign into the spirit of this thread 

1975 was the year I met my wife 

[Newportnobby]

I don't think  some people are quite gettign into the spirit of this thread 

1975 was the year I met my wife 

When we all met in Blackpool I did wonder why she told me her 'Annus Horribilis' was 1975

My N gauge journey started late 70s/early 80s but, to me, the golden period for models was around 2010 when really detailed models started to emerge and I was getting a package from my favourite model emporium almost weekly

[Philip.]

Oh......that kind of Dateline modelling? 

[Bealman]

Yeah, 2010 was about the first time I woke up to the more detailed models.

[railsquid]

I'm sure I've come across at least one layout which tried this idea, though I can't for the life of me remember where.

Unfortunately I don't have the time or the space to start constructing layouts on a whim, but I reckon if I photographed my Japanese layout from the right angles, you could only see staple scenic items which have been around since the 1980s or earlier.

When I get round to it, I do fully intend to have "period" running sessions, where the period is the era the models were produced in, not the era they represent.