Era Overview
As the Transitional Era drew to a close, the future of railroads looked uncertain. Following years of financial strain and increased competition, it was clear that the role of the railroad in American life was changing. Railroads no longer cornered the market for transportation, and instead would have to adapt to become a viable component of a much larger multimodal system. The mergers of the 1960s had not produced the results that had been hoped for. While they had been successful in streamlining management, newly merged railroads found themselves burdened with twice the amount of outdated infrastructure, new fleets of dilapidated equipment, and miles of duplicate lines which had once competed with each other.
In 1971 the Federal Government stepped in with the creation of Amtrak – a federally-managed company designed to oversee intercity passenger service. Around this time, many railroads also transferred operations of their ailing commuter lines to local transit agencies. This allowed railroads to recoup some of their losses, but it wasn’t enough to save the industry. In 1976 the Federal Government was forced to intervene once again with the establishment of Conrail, a government corporation similar in design to Amtrak. Conrail saved seven major east coast freight railroads from bankruptcy, including the notoriously troubled Penn Central. While the situation wasn’t quite so dire in the west, mergers were still taking place. The most notable being the folding of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Spokane Portland and Seattle into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970.
Following further reorganization into the 1990s, including the folding of the Southern Pacific into the Union Pacific, the merger of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe into BNSF, and the split of Conrail’s operations between CSX and Norfolk Southern, the future for freight railroading was finally starting to look up. While major railroads streamlined their operations, hundreds of new short lines sprung up along previously under-utilized secondary routes and branch lines. Often locally owned, these railroads became integral to the structure of modern freight railroading, allowing major railroads to focus their efforts on mainline and terminal operations, without having to get involved in the last mile delivery of carload shipments. Passenger railroading similarly began to see a resurgence, with Amtrak continuing to operate across the country with steadily increasing passenger numbers. Local commuter service also rebounded during the 90s and into the 2000s, prompting a return of passenger trains to many regions which had previously lost all service.
The Trains of the Era
Locomotives
By the 1970s, diesel power was firmly established as the dominant form of motive power. Steam was relegated to museums, and despite a brief surge of interest during the oil crisis of 1973, electric power remained mostly confined to passenger lines in the northeast. At this time there were two major locomotive manufacturers; EMD and General Electric. Both were vying for the coveted position of being North America’s dominant locomotive provider, engaging in a power race which would last more than two decades. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, EMD held the reigns, building on the success of their SD40-2 line. This would begin to change however, with the release of GE’s successful Dash 8 series in the late 1980s. The race would ultimately be won by GE, with the introduction of their ground-shaking 6000 horsepower AC6000 in 1995.
While the 70s and 80s were focused on raw power, the late 90s and 2000s saw a shift towards cost-effectiveness and achieving acceptable emissions standards. The AC6000 (along with EMD’s similarly powered SD90MAC-H) had proven that power wasn’t everything, with railroads favoring slightly less powerful 4,400 horsepower locomotives for better reliability and fuel efficiency. Today GE remains the leader in freight locomotive production, with members of their Evolution Series being some of the most prevalent on North American rails, while EMD (now Progress Rail) continues to remain a significant player with their evolving line of SD70 series locomotives.
As the resurgence of passenger railroading continued, new manufacturers surfaced, including Bombardier and Siemens, producing a new generation of locomotives specifically designed for passenger use. One of the most notable developments of this era was the launch of America’s first high speed train – the Acela. Beginning operation along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor in 2000, the Bombardier built train set was the fastest on US rails, being capable of speeds of up to 160mph in revenue use. In 2020, the Acela’s successor, known as the Avelia Liberty, began testing for acceptance into service. Based on the latest French TGV, the Avelia Liberty will boost the speeds achievable in Acela service, while being capable of reaching 220mph under optimum conditions.
Models Available for This Period
Available at the time of Publishing
N Scale
- Bachmann EMD SD45
- Bachmann EMD GP40
- Kato EMD SD70ACe
- Kato GE ES44AC
- Kato EMD F4oPH
- Kato MPI MP36PH
- Athearn EMD F59PHI
HO Scale
- Bachmann EMD GP40
- Bachmann EMD SD40-2
- Bachmann EMD SD70ACe
- Bachmann Siemens ACS-64
- Athearn Genesis EMD GP38-2
- Athearn Genesis EMD GP39-2
- Athearn Genesis EMD GP40-2
- Athearn Genesis EMD SD45-2
- Athearn Genesis EMD SDP40F
- Athearn EMD F59PHI
- Walthers Mainline GE ES44
- Walthers Mainline EMD SD60M
- Walthers Mainline EMD SD50
- Walthers Mainline EMD SD70ACe
- MTH EMD SD70ACe
- Roundhouse GE C44-9W
O Scale
Passenger Cars
In the 1970s, Amtrak found itself with a mismatched fleet of legacy equipment from predecessor railroads, some of which were almost forty years old. As part of their goal of reinventing passenger railroading’s image, they contracted with Budd to produce a new line of single level cars for nationwide use. Called the Amfleet, the design was based on the Metroliner EMU built for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 1960s. The car was a resounding success, prompting a second generation with larger windows to be built just a few years later. While these cars were excellent for medium distance routes, they didn’t have the facilities necessary for long distance runs. For these routes, Amtrak contracted with Pullman Standard to develop a bilevel car based on the Santa Fe Hi-levels, which were already operating on some routes. These were known as Superliners, and again were successful enough to warrant a second generation, built by Bombardier.
While Amtrak was busy updating America’s intercity passenger equipment, commuter railroads were starting to see improvements as well. After years of contending with ancient heavyweight equipment, New Jersey’s Department of Transportation finally received new cars from Pullman Standard in 1970. Known as Comets, these quickly became the most popular commuter cars in North America, with production continuing well into the 1990s under Bombardier. The cars were delivered to almost all Northeastern commuter railroads, as well as Amtrak (under the Horizon name), while many legacy examples eventually found their way onto commuter systems in Utah and California. Elsewhere in the country, new bilevel cars were developed to cope with increasing demand. Some were based on earlier Gallery Car designs, while others took a radically different approach. As many early modern era cars such as Amfleets began to reach the end of their useful life, a new standardized fleet was developed by Siemens, with cars entering service on Florida’s Brightline in 2018, and Amtrak’s California and Midwest operations in 2020.
Models Available for This Period
Available at the time of Publishing
N Scale
- Kato Superliner
- Kato Budd Baggage Car
- Kato Viewliner II Baggage Car
- Kato Amfleet II Coach
- Kato Pullman Gallery Car
- Kato Nippon Shayro Gallery Car
HO Scale
- Bachmann Colorado Railcar Full Dome Car
- Kato Budd Baggage Car
- Kato Superliner
- Walthers Proto Amfleet
- Walthers Proto Amfleet II
- Walthers Mainline Horizon
Freight Cars
With fierce competition from air and road companies, freight railroads spent much of the modern era developing new business practices to remain competitive. The most significant change was a shift away from carload shipments to a focus on bulk transportation. Commodities such as coal, oil, automobiles, and grain grew in importance to freight railroads, as no competitor could match their efficiency for transporting these high demand items. As a result, it is common to see unit trains of a single commodity such as these in far greater numbers than traditional mixed freights. Despite this shift, carload operations still continued in lesser numbers, with new, larger boxcars carrying far greater loads than even their more recent predecessors.
First developed in the early 1950s, trailer trains continued to grow in importance, as railroads developed agreements to work with an ever-increasing number trucking companies, rather than compete with them. However it was container transport that truly revolutionized freight railroading during this era. The first Intermodal Well Car was developed by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1977, allowing railroads to double the amount of containers they could carry by stacking them two-high. Since this time, containers have become the single largest commodity to be shipped by rail, with railroads even acting as land bridges for containers traveling from Asia to Western Europe, in addition to handling shipments with domestic destinations.
Models Available for This Period
Available at the time of Publishing
N Scale
- Bachmann 56′ ACF Center-Flow Hopper
- Bachmann Cylindrical 4-Bay Covered Hopper
- Bachmann ACF 50′ Boxcar
- Athearn 4427 Covered Hopper
- Athearn F89 TOFC Flat Car
- Athearn ACF 3-Bay Centerflow Hopper
- Athearn 50′ Berwick Boxcar
- Athearn Thrall High Side Gondola
- Atlas Trainman Thrall 4750 Hopper
- Atlas Trinity Tank Car
- Atlas Evans 52′ Gondola
- Micro Trains 50′ Boxcar
- Micro Trains 60′ Boxcar
- Micro Trains 3-Bay Covered Hopper
- Micro Trains 3-Bay Open Hopper
- Micro Trains Rapid Discharge Hopper
- Micro Trains 50′ Airslide Hopper
- Intermountain Aeroflo Coal Gondola
- Intermountain Cylindrical Covered Hopper
- Tangent Scale Models Bethlehem Quad Hopper
- Wheels of Time Insulated Boxcar
Ho Scale
- Bachmann Cylindrical 4-Bay Covered Hopper
- Athearn Thrall High Side Gondola
- Athearn PS 5277 Boxcar
- Athearn 50′ Combo Door Boxcar
- Athearn ICC High Cube Boxcar
- Intermountain PS2-CD Covered Hopper
- Atlas Chlorine Tank Car
- Atlas ACF 4650 Covered Hopper
- Walthers Mainline Thrall Well Car
- Walthers Mainline NSC 5150 Covered Hopper
- Walthers Mainline Insulated Boxcar
- Kato Gunderson MAXI-IV
- Tangent Scale Models Bethlehem Quad Hopper
- Roundhouse High Cube Double Door Boxcar
- Roundhouse FMC Double Door Boxcar
O Scale
- Atlas Trainman 50′ Boxcar
- Lionel Autorack
- MTH Railking Modern Tank Car
- MTH Railking 4-Bay Cylindrical Hopper
- MTH Premier Corrugated Auto Carrier
Industries and Scenery
The 1970s and 80s was a period of reshaping for the American landscape. While cities continued to struggle due to industrial decline, suburbs thrived and expanded. Main Street gave way to strip malls, shopping centers, and big box stores, while factories gave way to distribution centers and intermodal facilities. In cities, downtown cores were dismantled in favor of financial districts, while massive stadiums were built to host local sports teams, in a bid to attract tourism and revitalization. As suburban congestion worsened in the 1990s and 2000s, cities began to reawaken as attractive high density residential and commercial communities, with new, modern rail transit options often incorporated into redevelopment. Meanwhile technology continued to have a greater impact on the landscape, with more high tension power lines and communications towers springing up from east to west, while newer forms of energy contributed to the landscape, with wind turbines, solar farms, refineries and pipelines replacing aging power plants.
Industries and Structures Available for This Period
Available at the time of Publishing
N Scale
- Blair Line Pizzaland Takeout
- Pikestuff Multi-Purpose Building
- Pikestuff Fire Station
- Pikestuff Prefab Warehouse
- Pikestuff Office and Warehouse
- Pikestuff Diamond Tool and Engineering
- Pikestuff Milton A Corporation
- Pikestuff Truck Terminal
- Pikestuff Distribution Center
- Pikestuff Hughes Tool and Plastic
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Gas Station
- Walthers Cornerstone UPS Hub
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Concrete Warehouse
- Walthers Cornerstone Central Beverage Distributors
- Walthers Cornerstone DQ Grill and Chill
- Walthers Cornerstone Medusa Cement Company
- Walthers Cornerstone ADM Grain Elevator
- Walthers Cornerstone Superior Paper Company
- Walthers Cornerstone Central Gas and Supply
- Walthers Cornerstone North Island Refinery
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Water Tower
HO Scale
- Faller Portable Modular Container Offices
- Faller Building Site Container Offices
- Faller Transformer Station
- Faller High Rack Warehouse
- Kibri Modern Gas Pump Island
- Herpa Modern Tilt-Up Office
- Vollmer McDonalds Restaurant
- Vollmer Casablanca Disco
- Pikestuff Truck Terminal
- Pikestuff Piping and Mechanical Contractors
- Pikestuff Modern Two Story Office
- Pikestuff U&K Plastics
- Pikestuff Fire Station
- Pikestuff Contractors Building
- Pikestuff Diamond Tool and Engineering
- Pikestuff Prefab Warehouse
- Pikestuff Tristar Industries
- Life Like Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant
- Life Like Super Market
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Grocery Warehouse
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Police Station
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern High Voltage Transmission Towers
- Walthers Cornerstone Small Business Center
- Walthers Cornerstone Split Level House
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Gas Station
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Shopping Center
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Printing Plant
- Walthers Cornerstone UPS Hub
- Walthers Cornerstone Plastic Pellet Transfer Facility
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Guard Shack
- Walthers Cornerstone Tall Oil Storage Tank
- Walthers Cornerstone Central Beverage Distributor
- Walthers Cornerstone Hobby Shop
- Walthers Cornerstone Tanker Truck Loading Rack
- Walthers Cornerstone Ford Dealership
- Walthers Cornerstone 24-7 Quick Mart
- Walthers Cornerstone Magic Pan Bakery
- Walthers Cornerstone Transmission Towers
- Walthers Cornerstone International Truck Dealer
- Walthers Cornerstone Four Unit Brick Apartment Building
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Cold Storage Warehouse
- Walthers Cornerstone DQ Grill and Chill
- Walthers Cornerstone Medusa Cement
- Walthers Cornerstone Truck Served Fuel Distributor
- Walthers Cornerstone Recovery Boiler House
- Walthers Cornerstone UPS Store
- Walthers Cornerstone Blue Star Ready Mix
- Walthers Cornerstone Washington Salvage Yard
- Walthers Cornerstone Peterson Tool Specialties
- Walthers Cornerstone Glover Park Hardware
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Concrete Warehouse
O Scale
- Bachmann Split Level House
- Bachmann Turnpike Interchange
- Lionel Cell Tower
- Blair Line Pizzaland Take Out
Railroad Infrastructure Available for This Period
N Scale
- Gordon Cable Stay Arch Bridge
- Gordon Cable Stay Suspension Bridge
- Tomix Modern Single Stall Engine House
- Micro Engineering Modern Engine House
- Pikestuff The Shops
- Pikestuff Modern Yard Office
- Pikestuff Atkinson Engine Facility
- Pikestuff 2-Door Engine House
- Walthers Cornerstone Western Flood Loader
- Walthers Cornerstone Intermodal Container Crane
- Kato Overhead Transit Station
HO Scale
- Pikestuff The Shops
- Pikestuff Atkinson Engine Facility
- Pikestuff Modular Loading Dock
- Pikestuff Engine House
- Pikestuff Modern Yard Office
- Monroe Models Modern Diesel Service Building
- Walthers Cornerstone Rotary Dumper
- Walthers Cornerstone Western Flood Loader
- Walthers Cornerstone Coal Flood Loader
- Walthers Cornerstone Yard Office and Guard Shack
- Walthers Cornerstone Diesel House
- Walthers Cornerstone Intermodal Container Crane
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Suburban Station
- Walthers Cornerstone Modern Short Span Concrete Bridge
- Walthers Cornerstone Amtrak Station
O Scale
Do you model the Modern Era? Send us some photos of your railroad on Social Media – we’d love to share your work on a #TrainLayoutTuesday post!