Model Railway Era's explained
We talk about era's in terms of model railways which are basically the periods in which key types of railway traction and changes occurred as the railways evolved. With our Running Days we theme these during the year to each of the major eras and all of the stock (locomotives, carriages and trucks) matches the era to give visitors an understanding as to what railway traction was like at different points in time and how that traction has also evolved as the railways have become more advanced.
There are 11 era's and these are defined as follows:
| Era | Time Period | Known As |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1804 - 1874 | Pioneering - Victorian |
| 2 | 1875 - 1922 | Pre-Grouping |
| 3 | 1923 - 1947 | The Big Four - (LMS, GWR, LNER and Southern) |
| 4 | 1948 - 1956 | Early British Railways |
| 5 | 1957 - 1966 | Late British Railways - End of steam and the arrival of "green" diesels |
| 6 | 1967 - 1971 | End of British Railways (Blue diesels) |
| 7 | 1972 - 1982 | Renaming to: British Rail and introduction of TOPS and HST/APT |
| 8 | 1983 - 1994 | British Rail Sectorisation |
| 9 | 1995 - 2004 | Initial Privatisation |
| 10 | 2005 - 2015 | The Private Networks |
| 11 | 2016 - 2026 | Present Day |
