Thoughts on eras

Started by Dorsetmike, January 11, 2018, 10:11:05 AM

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Dorsetmike

Just a thought, has any N gauge manufacturer brought out a loco which did not make it into BR livery? Having that one less livery option seems to kill any chance.

From reading this and other railway forums it would seem that the vast majority of layouts and posts in general feature BR period and later and steam is becoming a minority.

Looking at the Farish 2018 list tends to reinforce this view. I know the NGS ask for members modelling info, has this ever been published as percentages?

Cheers MIKE
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njee20

I think it's natural that the 'average' period of a model will gradually become more recent as people will model what they remember. Fewer and fewer people will have been around in the days of the big-4 etc, so it's natural that the popularity of that as an era wanes over time.

It's all way before my time, so no idea about what did/didn't make it to BR period. I'd be astounded if there's literally been nothing produced that didn't make it to BR, but I'd argue that's not because of the limitations in livery, and more because the practical reality is that most locos did make it to BR period.

Not sure what info you mean by percentages, do you mean the percentage of models released that operated in a given era? I'd argue that with the generally accepted classifications they're pretty meaningless, although I commend Hattons (among others I'm sure) on doing an 11-era scale.

Bob G

Union Mills was the first chap producing models that commonly only made it to BR early crest - and doesn't he have a policy of only producing models with early crests?

But if you want a serious answer, the Germans have produced early models, e.g. Der Adler which didn't make it into DB livery :)

Bob

emjaybee

Having been born in 1968, (yeah, I'm a youngster  :P) I have no living memory of working steam. I grew up 100yds from the west coast mainline at Bletchley, with AM10/AM12 stock and 86's & 87's.

I model steam.

I also have noticed the prevalence of new models being diesel/electric multiple units and traction in BR blue and privatised liveries. On a weekly basis I scour FleaBay and the online shops for reduced price current tooling steam locos, as I can see that in 10yrs time there's unlikely to be many, if any, new steam locos being produced. Those that are seem to be always late BR steam. My plan is to build up stocks of locos that I want so that I can have them repainted in liveries that I want (all hail @Ozymandias  :admiration:) so that should the time come when they stop producing new steam models I'll have what I need already.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be thrilled if they produce more Jubilee's but in lined LMS black, but just in case I have seven so far, some repainted, some yet to be.

Brookline build thread:

https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=50207.msg652736#msg652736

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Bob G

I have stocks of Bullied front bogies ready to be fitted to WCs, BBs and BB/WC/MN rebuilds (yes you can have one size fits all sir) :)

PostModN66

Quote from: emjaybee on January 11, 2018, 10:53:04 AM
Having been born in 1968, (yeah, I'm a youngster  :P) I have no living memory of working steam. I grew up 100yds from the west coast mainline at Bletchley, with AM10/AM12 stock and 86's & 87's..........I also have noticed the prevalence of new models being diesel/electric multiple units and traction in BR blue and privatised liveries.......

If only there were more EMUs being introduced!   Even the RevolutioN 321 is looking doubtful.   An AM10.....now that really would be something  8)

Cheers Jon  :)
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emjaybee

Brookline build thread:

https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=50207.msg652736#msg652736

Sometimes you bite the dog...

...sometimes the dog bites you!

----------------------------------------------------------

I can explain it to you...

...but I can't understand it for you.

njee20

I don't remember blue and grey, let alone steam!

The Q

#8
When I started in N just less than a year ago I must admit I was surprised at what little range of steam locos there were available. luckily I had decided to model Tiree in 1963, so what little there is, does fit.

When I lived a hundred yards or so from the WCML, in Bletchley Park (1975), the WCML had just been electrified, But I have no interest in Blue Boxes Electric or Diesel.

Even though my Layout of a Lifetime is in EM gauge, I can see with the number of rugrats :D on this forum, that at some point in the future 2mm will become more popular than the 4mm scales.


Newportnobby

I model transition era as that's what I remember and know about. Anything after that is just multi coloured worms to me. My loco fleet numbers around the 100 mark and is roughly 50/50 steam or diesel. Personally I don't notice a lack of steam options as (a) the vast majority is late crest and (b) I can run early crest as some survived into late crest era. However..........

I've already said if someone were to release RTR EM1/EM2 electrics in my lifetime I'd be building a layout just for them, and I guess the same might happen for AL electrics and AM10 units as I grew up with them and travelled extensively on/behind them.

Quote from: The Q on January 11, 2018, 12:08:41 PM

When I lived a hundred yards or so from the WCML, in Bletchley Park (1975), the WCML had just been electrified, But I have no interest in Blue Boxes Electric or Diesel.


The WCML had long been electrified by 1975 (I lived in Wolverton and then Northampton for many years).....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line

About 3 or 4 years ago I did conduct a poll asking for people's age and what era they modelled. If I recall most of us fell into the 60s age range and modelled transition era, but that was only from memory and also from the responses to the poll.
Maybe another one would be interesting.

Chris Morris

To turn the question around, can anyone name a loco that didn't make it to BR times that would be popular across a wide spectrum of modellers? I think all loco classes designed by the big four made it into BR ownership so we are talking locos built by pre-grouping companies. Many of the better pre-grouping classes made it to BR days (just about). I find it hard to think of a loco class with a wide enough appeal to make a return on investment. Maybe a Midland spinner or class 156 2-4-0 with tender drive? Union Mills have already got a suitable tender (I think). Although neither of these made it into BR livery one of each is preserved so perhaps they don't count.
Working doesn't seem to be the perfect thing for me so I'll continue to play.
Steve Marriott / Ronnie Lane

The Q

Quote from: newportnobby on January 11, 2018, 01:02:12 PM

Quote from: The Q on January 11, 2018, 12:08:41 PM

When I lived a hundred yards or so from the WCML, in Bletchley Park (1975), the WCML had just been electrified, But I have no interest in Blue Boxes Electric or Diesel.


The WCML had long been electrified by 1975 (I lived in Wolverton and then Northampton for many years).....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line


from that page...
. In March 1970 the government approved electrification between Weaver Junction (where the route to Liverpool diverges) and Glasgow, and this was completed on 6 May 1974.[7][19]
About a year isn't a long time in the WCML electrification being completed . I was travelling from Bletchley to Scotland regularly at the time..

The OP was refering to Pre Nationalisation loco's not being made for N gauge, so you (and me) are lucky in that  respect.

My proposed class for one which in Normal Use didn't make it through to BR Days, would be the GWR City Class (withdrawn 1931), as the Preserved City of Truro still makes a showing.

njee20

Well to be fair to Nobby London to Liverpool was electrified by 1966, as you lived at Bletchley his statement is perfectly valid. That's like saying "I live by the ECML at Newark, but it's not electrified yet", meaning the bit to Aberdeen!

Quote from: Chris Morris on January 11, 2018, 01:21:26 PM

To turn the question around, can anyone name a loco that didn't make it to BR times that would be popular across a wide spectrum of modellers? I think all loco classes designed by the big four made it into BR ownership so we are talking locos built by pre-grouping companies. Many of the better pre-grouping classes made it to BR days (just about). I find it hard to think of a loco class with a wide enough appeal to make a return on investment. Maybe a Midland spinner or class 156 2-4-0 with tender drive? Union Mills have already got a suitable tender (I think). Although neither of these made it into BR livery one of each is preserved so perhaps they don't count.

Yes, that was my point - the pool of locos to have been entirely scrapped pre-BR is small. The number that would have significant commercial appeal is even smaller, so I think it's unfair to question whether manufacturers purposely avoid pre-BR models.

railsquid

I'm by no means an expert on steam of any kind but one thing that did surprise me when digging through Wikipedia is just how many classes of pre-grouping locomotives, some dating from the (very) late 19th century, made it through to early BR days.

As far as modelling eras go, by the time I popped out TOPS was coming in and all the kettles were in Barry, I was originally intending to stick to BR blue/sectorisation, which I'm familiar with (bit worrying to hear that's no longer "modern era" mind you) but researching my layout location brought up a whole lot of beguiling transition-era colour footage and I keep acquiring steamers.

javlinfaw7

A number of locomotives including a Caledonian single and a Highland Jones goods and a Great North of Scotland Railway 'F' Class were all active in Scotland on rail tours from 1958 to mid sixties , but none of these would have enough support for manufacture

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