One thing I've been considering (again) is backdating the railroad into the 1910s, 1920s, or 1930s.

The reasons are many, but primarily the earlier the era the more traffic on the CV's southern division. More importantly, there's also the intrinsic appeal of doing something different. But I know there's a point in time where the railroad itself will loose a lot of the elements that made me choose the CV as a prototype in the first place. In other words, it won't be the CV as I know it.

And there are obvious practical and pragmatic issues. Diesels run well - and those Life-Like C-Liners pull anything. And 15+ years of "transition era modeling" means there's lots of cars and other details that simply wouldn't be appropriate on an earlier era railroad. If I do shift eras it will be a gradual process since I barely have enough cars to run the railroad in the 1950s era - that means there will be some 1937 AAR boxcars and the like rolling around at least for a little while.

In researching some aspects of the CV before it's acquisition by the CN (in 1930) I've come across some interesting points in the timeline.

One of them is the locomotive paint scheme - here's how CV steam engines were painted and lettered between a system-wide renumbering that occurred in 1900, and the arrival of the CV's 2-10-4s in 1928 (they were the first engines with the square monogram tender herald - although between 1928 and 1943 the background was green, not red): 

Some other "keynotes" in the timeline to date -

I have good information on towns along the line dating to 1918 that I believe is current until 1928 or so. The big flood in 28 really changed things, especially up north.

The New London coaling tower was built in 1919 - at least that's when R&S got the check - before that it was a coaling trestle.

Putting the era before 1920 or so means a complete changeout of rolling stock and motive power. Modeling the 20s would require a significant change in rolling stock (about 2/3rds of the current cars would be too late), modeling post 1927 would mean about 2/3rds of the cars would be correct, although I may need to build them with simplified brake systems, earlier lettering and the like. Why? A lot of railroads got single-sheathed cars in the late teens and twenties . . . and I happen to like single-sheathed cars. Most of the my resin cars are single-sheathed boxcars. A lot of my steel boxcars are 1937 AAR cars.

Pushing the era into the 1930s means most of the freight car roster is correct. The brass CV steamers I have are all useable, although I have to change the lettering and tender heralds.

I'm leaning, just barely, at this point to something set in the late 20s, but the jury is still out.

It does make the Rocket and boat trains for New York City active -

Means no diesels on the railroad - not a disaster from my point of view.

Just some rambling era thoughts on a Friday morning.

Marty