FEBRUARY 2000

    As a modeller of part of the North American scene in the post-war (1946-59) era, I am interested in presenting my trains and locomotives in a suitable context.  One of the defining aspects of the overall scene is the vintage of automobiles evident on a model railway layout. But if you are an inquisitive modeller such as I am, having this listing (or the vehicles) is not enough.  Questions arise. What span of years of automobiles would be seen at a given time?  What should the typical colours be?  What should be breakdown be, by model, make and year?  What should be the dominant automobile types?

    Well, being an engineer, I do not approach such questions in a casual manner!  The simple approach is not good enough.  Rather, an in-depth analysis is required.  Believe me, I have put more effort into determining a representative cross-section of automobiles for my humble layout than I ever did for a subdivision or road design (don't worry--I never worked on bridges).  Anyhow, I have studied production numbers for North American automobiles over the years 1946-59, applied some numerical methods and arrived at a general guideline for modellers of the period to tender to their individual situations.  To keep things simple, we will apply the research findings to a sample group of 25 automobiles.

    Beginning with make & model, among your 25 automobiles, you will want two Buicks, regardless of which year you choose over the interval 1946 to 1959.  If you like Cadillacs, by the numbers you can only justify having one in 1958 or 1959.   You will want six Chevys for any of the years, with the exceptions of 1951-53, when you will only want five.  One Chrysler or Imperial should be on your layout, regardless of year.  A De Soto should show up over the time period 1949-57.   From 1946 to 1949 or 1951-53, you should have two Dodges; otherwise one.   There should be five Fords over the intervals 1946-48 and 1955-59, otherwise four.   You should have a Hudson for the years until (and including) 1954.  Beginning with the year 1949, one Mercury should show up.  There should be one Nash for any year.  From 1946 until 1954, you should have one Oldsmobile, after which you should have two.  A Packard would be appropriate for 1946-48.  Three Plymouths should be in your fleet until 1954, after which only two.  From 1946 to 1949, you should have a Pontiac, and two from 1950 onward.  To round out the 25 vehicles, one Studebaker should be in evidence for any of the years.

    Now, for a case study.  I have chosen September 1952 to model. To summarize my 25 vehicles, ten are GM products (Chev, Olds, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac), seven are Chryslers (Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, De Soto), five are Fords (Ford, Mercury, Lincoln), and three are smaller manufacturers (one each from Hudson, Nash and Studebaker).

    Now, referring to the detailed breakdown two paragraphs above, for my two Buicks I will take a 1950 sedan from Busch and a 1934 Roadmaster from Greg's Garage (GG).   In addition to my five Chevys, I will choose a sixth to make up for the dearth of available Pontiacs (these GM products are pretty much identical when we're talking 1:87 at a distance).  They will consist of a 1947 Aerosedan, a 1947 Fleetline and a 1947 business coupe from GG, two 1941 sedans (a two-door and four-door) from SMCC, and a 1950 sedan from Alloy Forms (AF).  I have a 1940 Chrysler sedan from Magnuson on hand, which will do nicely.  I will select a 1949 De Soto from AF.  In the absence of suitable available Dodges, I will instead choose Plymouths (in a moment).  My four Fords will consist of two of the gorgeous new 1953 Ford Victorias (appropriate for 1952 as well, as there was no significant remodelling) from Classic Metal Works (CMW) and two 1940 sedans from Jordan.  For my Hudson, I'll take the 1949 sedan from AF.  My Mercury will be the 1950 Deluxe from GG.  There will be a 1951 Nash 2-door sedan from SMCC and a 1948 Olds 98 from GG.  For my five Plymouths (two standing in for Dodges), I will select two 1941 coupes from CMW, and a 1935 two-door sedan and two 1950 Deluxes from GG.  To complement the Chevy stand-in, my second Pontiac will be a 1946 Streamline from GG.    Finally, my Studebaker will be a 1936 coupe from Vulcan Hobbies.

    A word about automobile styles:  generally speaking, stay away from hot rods, convertibles, woodies and the like.  While many manufacturers like to produce them, they were simply not plentiful enough to justify them as being "typical" on our layouts (on large layouts, a convertible or two may be appropriate).  Otherwise, the sedans should win the day.  A word on colours:   look for light, dark, olive and duck egg greens; creams; maroons; light and dark blues; greys; tans; black; ivories; sandy colours; and creamy yellows.  A word about automobile years:  there were practically no cars produced over the years 1942-45 (1941-45 in Canada).  With the exception of trim differences (which are difficult to see in HO scale) a 1940 or 1941 model is good for any model year up to and including 1948.   Major automobile manufacturers did not unveil new stylings until the 1949 model year.

    I hope I have been of some assistance to you fellow inquisitive modellers.   Now it's time for me to line up those 25 vehicles I've purchased, get out my airbrush, and let 'er rip. Until next month....

Ian Wilson
January 31, 2000

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