Centurions of the Hudson

Turntable Discussions

3d-printed-model-trains

Dating back to the 1840s, model railroading has been a hobby that has not only stuck around, but one which has evolved with the times. Railway modeling allows people to construct their own scaled down models of famous, unknown, or even imaginary railroad systems, locomotives, tracks, buildings and streetcars. One of the biggest past-times among model railroad enthusiasts, is reconstructing the beauty of real railroad locales, as well as locations of railroads throughout periods of time in history.

In 2010, the relative worth of $1.00 from 1883 is:

	$22.50	using the Consumer Price Index
	$20.50	using the GDP deflator
	$131.00	using the unskilled wage
	$232.00	using the Production Worker Compensation
	$211.00	using the nominal GDP per capita
	$1,200.00	using the relative share of GDP
Data for consumer bundle only starts in 1900. http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/relativevalue.php

• Slavery in the United States was an institution that had a large impact on the economic, political and social fabric of the country. The average price of a slave in 1860 was $800 and the economic magnitude of that price in today's values ranges from $19,000 to $336,000, depending on the index used.

  In that year, there were an estimated four million slaves living in the South and it is estimated that their aggregate market value was over $3 billion then. That corresponds to $10 trillion today (as a share of GDP).

• The Civil War was one of the most devastating events in the history of the United States. It lasted from 1861 to 1865 and has been estimated to have a direct cost of about $6.7 billion valued in 1860 dollars. If this number were evaluated in dollars of today using the GDP deflator it would be $160 billion, less than one-fourth of the current Department of Defense budget. This would be inappropriate, as would be using the wage or income indexes. The only measure that makes sense for an expenditure of this size is to use the share of GDP, as the war impacted the output of the entire country. Thus the relative value of $6.7 billion of 1860 would be $32.7 trillion today, or over 150% of our current GDP.

  The $6.7 billion does not take into account that the war disrupted the economy and had an impact of lower production into the future. Some economic historians have estimated this additional, or indirect cost, to be another $7.3 billion measured in 1860 dollars. This means the cost of the war (as a share of the output of the economy) was nearly $68 trillion as measured in current dollars.

Year	British Official Price (British pounds per fine ounce end of year)	U.S. Official Price (U.S. dollars per fine ounce end of year)	New York Market Price (U.S. dollars per fine ounce)	Gold/Silver Price Ratio (ounces of silver per ounce of gold)	London Market Price (British £ [1718-1949] or U.S. $ [1950-Present] per fine ounce)
1863	4.25	20.67	30.02	15.37	£ 4.24
1864	4.25	20.67	42.03	15.37	£ 4.24
1865	4.25	20.67	32.52	15.44	£ 4.24
1866	4.25	20.67	29.13	15.43	£ 4.24
1867	4.25	20.67	28.57	15.57	£ 4.24
1868	4.25	20.67	28.88	15.59	£ 4.24
1869	4.25	20.67	27.49	15.60	£ 4.24
1870	4.25	20.67	23.75	15.57	£ 4.24
1871	4.25	20.67	23.09	15.57	£ 4.24
1872	4.25	20.67	23.24	15.63	£ 4.24
1873	4.25	20.67	23.52	15.93	£ 4.24
1874	4.25	20.67	22.99	16.16	£ 4.24
1875	4.25	20.67	23.75	16.64	£ 4.24
1876	4.25	20.67	23.05	17.75	£ 4.24
1877	4.25	20.67	21.66	17.20	£ 4.24
1878	4.25	20.67	20.84	17.92	£ 4.24
1879	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.39	£ 4.24
1880	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.05	£ 4.24
1881	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.25	£ 4.24
1882	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.20	£ 4.24
1883	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.64	£ 4.24
1884	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.61	£ 4.24
1885	4.25	20.67	20.67	19.41	£ 4.24
1886	4.25	20.67	20.67	20.78	£ 4.24
1887	4.25	20.67	20.67	21.10	£ 4.24
1888	4.25	20.67	20.67	22.00	£ 4.24
1889	4.25	20.67	20.67	22.10	£ 4.24
1890	4.25	20.67	20.67	19.75	£ 4.24
1891	4.25	20.67	20.67	20.92	£ 4.25
1892	4.25	20.67	20.67	23.72	£ 4.25
1893	4.25	20.67	20.67	26.49	£ 4.25
1894	4.25	20.67	20.67	32.56	£ 4.24
1895	4.25	20.67	20.67	31.60	£ 4.24
1896	4.25	20.67	20.67	30.59	£ 4.25
1897	4.25	20.67	20.67	34.20	£ 4.25
1898	4.25	20.67	20.67	35.03	£ 4.25
1899	4.25	20.67	20.67	34.36	£ 4.24
1900	4.25	20.67	20.67	33.33	£ 4.25
1901	4.25	20.67	20.67	34.68	£ 4.25
1902	4.25	20.67	20.67	39.15	£ 4.24
1903	4.25	20.67	20.67	38.10	£ 4.25
1904	4.25	20.67	20.67	35.70	£ 4.25
1905	4.25	20.67	20.67	33.87	£ 4.24
1906	4.25	20.67	20.67	30.54	£ 4.25
1907	4.25	20.67	20.67	31.24	£ 4.25
1908	4.25	20.67	20.67	38.64	£ 4.25
1909	4.25	20.67	20.67	39.74	£ 4.24
1910	4.25	20.67	20.67	38.22	£ 4.24
1911	4.25	20.67	20.67	38.33	£ 4.24
1912	4.25	20.67	20.67	33.62	£ 4.24
1913	4.25	20.67	20.67	34.19	£ 4.24
1914	4.25	20.67	20.67	37.37	£ 4.24
1915	4.25	20.67	20.67	40.48	£ 4.24
1916	4.25	20.67	20.67	30.78	£ 4.24
1917	4.25	20.67	20.67	24.61	£ 4.24
1918	4.25	20.67	20.67	21.00	£ 4.24
1919	4.25	20.67	20.67	18.44	£ 4.50
1920	4.25	20.67	20.67	20.28	£ 5.65
1921	4.25	20.67	20.67	32.76	£ 5.35
1922	4.25	20.67	20.67	30.43	£ 4.67
1923	4.25	20.67	20.67	31.69	£ 4.51
1924	4.25	20.67	20.67	30.80	£ 4.69
1925	4.25	20.67	20.67	29.78	£ 4.27
1926	4.25	20.67	20.67	33.11	£ 4.25
1927	4.25	20.67	20.67	36.47	£ 4.25
1928	4.25	20.67	20.67	35.34	£ 4.25
1929	4.25	20.67	20.67	38.78	£ 4.25
1930	4.25	20.67	20.67	53.74	£ 4.25
1931	4.25	20.67	20.67	71.25	£ 4.63
1932	4.25	20.67	20.67	73.29	£ 5.90
1933	4.25	20.67	24.44	69.83	£ 6.24
1934	4.25	35.00	34.94	72.36	£ 6.88
1935	4.25	35.00	35.00	54.19	£ 7.11
1936	4.25	35.00	35.00	77.09	£ 7.01
1937	4.25	35.00	35.00	77.44	£ 7.04
1938	4.25	35.00	35.00	80.39	£ 7.13
1939	4.25	35.00	35.00	88.84	£ 7.72
1940	4.25	35.00	35.00	99.76	£ 8.40
1941	4.25	35.00	35.00	99.73	£ 8.40
1942	4.25	35.00	35.00	90.57	£ 8.40
1943	4.25	35.00	35.00	77.67	£ 8.40
1944	4.25	35.00	35.00	77.67	£ 8.40
1945	4.25	35.00	35.00	67.40	£ 8.40
1946		35.00	35.00	43.67	£ 8.40
1947		35.00	35.00	48.73	£ 8.40
1948		35.00	35.00	47.07	£ 8.40
1949		35.00	35.00	48.61	£ 8.40
1950		35.00	35.00	47.14	$ 34.71
1951		35.00	35.00	39.12	$ 34.71
1952		35.00	35.00	41.16	$ 34.71
1953		35.00	35.00	41.04	$ 34.71
1954		35.00	35.00	41.01	$ 34.96
1955		35.00	35.00	39.24	$ 35.01
1956		35.00	35.00	38.50	$ 35.00
1957		35.00	35.00	38.50	$ 34.95
1958		35.00	35.00	39.27	$ 35.10
1959		35.00	35.00	38.34	$ 35.09
1960		35.00	35.00	38.27	$ 35.28
1961		35.00	35.00	37.82	$ 35.15
1962		35.00	35.00	32.22	$ 35.10
1963		35.00	35.00	27.34	$ 35.09
1964		35.00	35.00	27.04	$ 35.09
1965		35.00	35.00	27.04	$ 35.13
1966		35.00	35.00	27.04	$ 35.17
1967		35.00	35.00	22.56	$ 35.19
1968		35.00	39.26	18.29	$ 38.69
1969		35.00	41.51	23.16	$ 41.09
1970		35.00	36.41	20.54	$ 35.94
1971		35.00	41.25	26.66	$ 40.80
1972		38.00	58.60	34.75	$ 58.16
1973		42.22	97.81	38.21	$ 97.32
1974		42.22	159.74	33.90	$ 159.26
1975		42.22	161.49	36.51	$ 161.02
1976		42.22	125.32	28.76	$ 124.84
1977		42.22	148.31	32.05	$ 147.71
1978		42.22	193.55	35.80	$ 193.22
1979		42.22	307.50	27.69	$ 306.68
1980		42.22	612.56	29.66	$ 612.56
1981		42.22	459.64	43.65	$ 460.03
1982		42.22	375.91	47.24	$ 375.67
1983		42.22	424.00	37.03	$ 424.35
1984		42.22	360.66	44.26	$ 360.48
1985		42.22	317.66	51.68	$ 317.28
1986		42.22	368.24	67.25	$ 367.51
1987		42.22	447.95	63.84	$ 446.47
1988		42.22	438.31	66.95	$ 437.05
1989		42.22	382.58	69.49	$ 381.43
1990		42.22	384.93	79.78	$ 383.47
1991		42.22	363.29	89.83	$ 362.18
1992		42.22	344.97	87.47	$ 343.73
1993		42.22	360.91	83.85	$ 359.77
1994		42.22	385.42	72.79	$ 384.01
1995		42.22	385.50	74.78	$ 384.16
1996		42.22	389.09	74.89	$ 387.69
1997		42.22	332.39	67.91	$ 331.10
1998		42.22	295.24	53.24	$ 294.16
1999		42.22	279.91	53.26	$ 278.64
2000		42.22	280.10	55.96	$ 279.03
2001		42.22	272.22	61.95	$ 271.04
2002		42.22	311.33	67.32	$ 309.68
2003		42.22	364.80	74.22	$ 363.32
2004		42.22	410.52	61.30	$ 409.17
2005		42.22	446.00	60.70	$ 444.45
2006		42.22	606.00	52.20	$ 603.77
2007		42.22	699.00	51.91	$ 695.39
2008		42.22	874.00	58.17	$ 871.96
2009		42.22	975.00	66.27	$ 972.35
2010		42.22	1,227.00	60.64	$ 1,224.53
2011		42.22	1,572.00	44.75	$ 1,571.52
2012		42.22	1,700.00	53.58	$ 1,668.98
2013		42.22	1,415.00	59.31	$ 1,411.23
2014		42.22	1,269.00	66.38	$ 1,266.40
2015		42.22	1,163.00	73.98	$ 1,160.06
2016		42.22	1,252.00	72.96	$ 1,250.74
2017		42.22	1,260.00	73.76	$ 1,257.12
2018		42.22	1,270.00	80.77	$ 1,268.49
2019		42.22	1,390.00	85.92	$ 1,392.60
2020		42.22	1,770.00	86.14	$ 1,769.64
Note: British official price is only available till 1945.

Wow, can that kid blow! It’s a bird, it’s Superman – no, it’s a train!

If one travels often by rail, one grows used to hearing the juxtaposition of steady tempos and sudden sounds. The longer the journey and the later the hour, the more likely one will be lulled to sleep by the former notes, only to be awoken by sudden screeches or conductors’ announcements. The Lost Line captures this incongruity – sleep, don’t sleep – by lengthening the time in which each tempo is steady, but by varying the sources from track to track (pun intended). As soon as one grows accustomed to a certain pace, one relaxes, until it changes again. ”Vanishing Point” sounds harsh at first, but develops what one would be hard-pressed not to call a melody mid-piece. By the end, it sounds like a jazz solo, a jumble of horns riffing on a theme. Wow, can that kid blow! It’s a bird, it’s Superman – no, it’s a train!

Wow, can that kid blow! It’s a bird, it’s Superman – no, it’s a train!