container cars in steam era

[worldrailboy]

I'm sure that if I posted the sixth photo or so from this blog page to a forum made up of just american modelers alone they would probably had been scratching their head asking just whats going on [because they've never had anything like this pre-diesels as far as I know]

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/br1020er/23057408.html

got to like japan varieties here don't we??

[westfalen]

Of course US steam didn't last in regular main line service until 1975 either. Modeling the transition era in Japan allows you a much longer time frame.

[bikkuri bahn]

Another interesting facet of the transition era was many times the phase out of steam (muenka) skipped dieselization completely (at least wrt to freight), primarily on the main lines- one month you'd see D51's pulling freights, including autoracks, the following month you'd see ED types under the catenary.

[worldrailboy]

thats true westfalen, still as not to go too off-topic right now I'll just quickly mention that in usa Chicago & North Western did have budd-built steam heated bi-level commuter cars that for a few years was hauled by steam.
(and of course if bi-level isn't in your interest, try Southern Pacific. 100% steamed commuters for a long time)

bikkuri I'm not too surprised, I've pretty much noticed that japan seem to have a lot of direct steam>electric transitions, aside to switzerland as well

[westfalen]

bikkuri I'm not too surprised, I've pretty much noticed that japan seem to have a lot of direct steam>electric transitions, aside to switzerland as well
[/quote
No domestic oil supply but plenty of hydro electric power are something Japan and Switzerland have in common. Another thing Japan has in common with a lot of countries is that steam lingered longest in coal mining regions.

When I'm swapping between running steam and modern era trains on the layout something I don't have to pack away are my DD51's and DE10's. There aren't many locos that a US modeller can run unaltered in front line service on a steam era layout or one set in the present day. Imagine if I pulled a BNSF stack train with a set of cat whisker scheme FT's.

[worldrailboy]

westfalen hehe well hmm there are a few family owned lines that have old locomotives while still interchanging modern big freight wagons but thats a very small slice of north america tho.

actually without going too offtopic, if you want classic electric then try look up 'iowa electric traction', they still use very old trolleypoles-fitted cab units to do grain shunting

http://railfan.com/extraboard/extra_sep2010/electric-1.jpg
that would probably sum it up, sure some of the wagons are older generation ones but who cares for its the locomotive itself that matters!