Is it possible to model Era 1 (Pioneering 1804-1869)?

Having experienced the incredible talent of many scratch-builders over the years, one would have to concede that almost anything is possible in the world of modelling, even a realistic portrayal of 'Era 1' from 1804-1869.

But before you toddle off to start sketching your plans for a 'Stockton and Darlington' or 'Liverpool and Manchester' layout, it has to be said that this particular era is probably the most difficult to model accurately.

The obvious challenges of modelling the first era are going to be - early experiments with track types and gauges and the limited amount of rolling stock available in model-form. From there you will be moving onto greater challenges such as houses, street furniture, figure attire and stations, none of these are seriously catered for in Era 1, and if you are thinking of adapting a model, then you need to consider if there are enough accessible documented accounts and photos to accurately recreate such models.

Although there are modeller's that have the skills to recreate the era, it may be an unfortunate reality that there is not enough data to do so. But who said every model has to be 100% accurate? Generic layouts bring many modellers enjoyment too. So to summarise, with a little bit of skill, it is possible to create a generic Era 1 railway, but it gets proportionately harder to do the more purist you are.