I've always considered myself a modeler of the "present day." Like Brooman's Utah Belt or Parker's Fall River Division, I've tried to model what is currently riding the rails, updating and adapting locomotives, rolling stock, details, and scenery as necessary. For a prototype modeler like myself, modeling what can be seen trackside on any given day is somewhat of a luxury that eliminates the need to dig deep into historical records. On the other hand, constantly staying up to date can be demanding in itself. And, relatedly, present day modelers are at the mercy of evolving railroads and all the change that evolution entails.
Not all changes are particularly welcome. At the end of November 2023, the news broke that Union Pacific would abandon manned helper service on the Cascade Subdivision in favor of remotely-controlled DPUs. Manned helpers provide a signature operating feature for my model railroad and, standing trackside, nothing beat a set of absolutely filthy six-axle locomotives shoving a loaded train up and over the Hill at full throttle with the engineer waving from the cab. As both a modeler and fan of the Cascade Sub, I felt a strong sense of disappointment at the news. Sure the railroad is engaging without manned helper service, but it is this service that made it iconic.
Despite this (I've somewhat gotten over the change at this point...maybe), I've discovered a silver-lining for my model railroading efforts. For some time, I have been less and less inclined to continue modeling the "present day" with due particularly to certain changes that have occured in recent years. For instance, I've struggled to get on board with UP's new paint schemes and Amtrak's switch from P42s to the new Chargers. And now with manned helper service cut, I have been pushed to my limit of tolerance.
And so, I am stopping the clock on my Cascade Sub modeling efforts in the late summer and fall of 2022. With the helpers, so goes my efforts to keep up with the times--I am a "period" modeler now, recreating the Cascade Sub as I knew it in the last full year with manned helpers in arguabley the most beatiful season in Oregon.
So why 2022? While it may seem somewhat arbitrary, 2022 is meaningful for a variety of reasons. First, 2022 marked the halfway point of my graduate studies in Eugene and my first full year of living in Oregon. I spent a significant amount of time trackside and, as a result, have a comprehensive set of reference photos and notes. Second, for the reasons mentioned above, 2022 is the most operationally and aesthetically desireable year for me to replicate. In 2022, UP ran manned helpers, the railroad's "experimental" paint schemes with small flags hadn't begun, and Amtrak was still pulling the Coast Starlight behind real diesel locomotives. And finally, I can let go of the pressure of trying to keep up the times and the constant threat of seismic change.
And so, maybe one day many years from now, when diesel is only a relic of the past, I will walk (or hobble) into my small empire, turn on the lights, and be once again standing trackside as a pair of filth-laden six-axle behemoths sporting flags on their flanks shove a string of cars up that seemingly endless climb through a sea of fir. I'll be back '22 alongside the railroad I first met and fell in love with it.
