1. what is the best era to model.

2. when were cabosses taken off the railroads.

3. when were F-units locamotives taken of the railroads.

The era that you like best or that gives the most pleasant memories. In my case, I have stopped trying to keep my railroad ‘up-to-date’ and have begun moving it back in time into the late 70s where I can run some of the cars from roadnames that I like. That way, I can maintain cabin cars and have work for my Locals to do rather than just have run-throughs and can keep the roof walks on many of my rolling stock..

>2. when were cabosses taken off the railroads.

Late 70s and early 80s although some yard and switching assignments kept cabin cars right up to the late 90s with a few still working today. That said, the caboose on main line railroading was replaced by the EOT (End Of Train) device by the 80s.

>3. when were F-units locamotives taken of the railroads.

I’m sure that there are still a few operating, but Class One railroads had retired or rebuilt them (Santa Fe) by the 70s.

Roger

1. what is the best era to model.
The current iteration of my dream pike has trains on it that would never have seen each other in reality. German TEE from the 1950s together with the City of Salina (M-10000) of UP together with 1960s era UP domeliner.

Have fun with what you choose to model.

2. when were cabosses taken off the railroads.

I commute to work along the old CB&Q mainline running the Missouri River northwest from Kansas City. Cabooses were in use until 1994 or so. BNSF still uses cabooses on local push-pull runs here in KC, as well as on some of the track and roadbed trains that operate around here.

3. when were F-units locamotives taken of the railroads.

FTs were retired in the early 60s. F7s and 9s were retired in the late 60s to mid-70s, although, as noted, Santa Fe (which had a HUGE fleet) did a fleet rebuild of hundreds of units, A and B, from carbody to hood.

John