The trains of my youth (80s and early 90s I guess) would have been Conrail, Norfolk Southern, and Bessemer & Lake Erie. I remember seeing F units shifting hoppers around the yard in Conneaut, and that particular harbor still had Huletts!
Steam engines fascinate me, but so do big black or blue diesels; I remember seeing NS' new Dash 9s when they were still the newest thing, and thinking they were one of the sharpest diesels ever *I still believe this, btw* and was heartbroken when CSX and NS parcelled CR up; at least NS got the Ashtabula to Youngstown line (former PRR I think) but yeah, I miss those big blocks of CR locos.
Intermodal looks more "railroad" to me than simple trailers on flats, and is another area that I like, as do trains of "top gons" loaded with coal rumbling down into our harbor. I would love to turn the clock back on Ashtabula, Ohio, to about 1993-1994 or so and reopen all the plants on the east side of town they once served, but to do even a small harbor scene justice would require a good deal more space than I have atm; even a "small" lake boat is about 640 feet, or about 4 feet in N scale.
The boats are just as important to me as the trains, actually, but definately more difficult to feature on a layout! A "dual era" Ashtabula based layout would be incredible; NS and Conrail, or NYC and PRR...! (ooh, and nickel plate!)
Someday, maybe. Someday.
edited, cause spelling IS hard.
