For the past couple of years, I’ve had it in my mind that I’d eventually choose a location, time period and prototype railroads to model after doing more research. About a year ago, I narrowed down my options to the Northeastern US or Pacific Northwest, during the steam or transition eras. I thought I’d take longer to decide, but when I look back at my intermittent research over the past two years, I realize I’ve only really been interested in the railroads of southwestern Pennsylvania in the 1930s through the 1950s, particularly the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, so I think I’m going to consider it a settled matter now. Those roads have always been favorites of mine, and I grew up in that region, decades later.
The location will certainly be southwestern Pennsylvania, likely including Pittsburgh, and the main railroad modeled will be the B&O. If possible, I’d also like to incorporate a PRR line, and certainly the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad’s line through Pittsburgh, since the B&O’s named trains used the P&LE’s station in Pittsburgh.
Some existing models I’d like to use have narrowed down the previously-mentioned 30 year span to just ten. The period can’t be any earlier than 1937, because that was the first year the B&O used the blue and gray color scheme on their passenger trains, and I’d like to model the heavyweights in that color scheme. My dad’s B&O heavyweight Capitol Limited set is in that scheme, and I plan to purchase more of that style for additional named trains of that era. The period has to go through at least 1948, because that was the first year Pittsburgh Railways Company began using the model of PCC streetcar I purchased last winter. To round off the range to an even decade, I’m going with 1938-1948 for now. Ten years still seems a bit long a stretch to model, but I might be able to narrow it down further by making the starting point later, depending on how long the B&O used heavyweights in the blue/gray scheme under steam power, which is another of my requirements. I’d like to use some early diesel power, which is also possible for that time period on the B&O.
Now that I’ve chosen a region and decade, I can start thinking about how long of a stretch of B&O main line I’d like to model, and which towns I’d like to model in between. Decisions in this area will be somewhat limited by not knowing what size or shape space I’ll have for the layout, but I can at least form some general ideas so that I’m more prepared when I do know what the space will be like. For now, I’ve been considering going as far northwest as New Castle, PA, and as far southeast as Connellsville, PA, or perhaps to Sandpatch Tunnel near Meyersdale, PA (up to 150 miles). Because of my requirement to incorporate my new “Brighton Road” PCC streetcar, I’ll have to include Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhood or downtown, which were served by that route.