Wordless Wednesday #213

Ian Stronach photo

Wordless Wednesday #206

Ian Stronach photo

Wordless Wednesday #185

CV SW1200s, Essex Jct. Vt., 1969 - Ian Stronach photo

Best approach for a CV (ex-GTW) SW1200?

CV 1509 and CV 1510 will likely take the Richford local out of St. Albans in this early to mid 1970s view. 

One thing I've toyed with over the last couple of years is an era change. I've long modeled "1954" since it represented the point when the CV's RS-3s were delivered. 
But modeling the Richford Branch eliminates the RS-3s, and many other road units, such as the Canadian National C-Liners, FAs, etc... from "accurately" appearing on the layout. (If you promise not to tell anyone, I will still run those inaccurate locomotives for fun when, you know, nobody is looking.) 
That leads us back to the potential era shift. 
Moving backwards in time is still a possibility - but for now let's talk about moving forward on the timeline to the year...????
Moving too far forward on the timeline and the traffic on the Richford branch begins to seriously tail off - moving forward to "today" and I'll be modeling a bike path....
So I can't go too far forward. 
Power on the Richford Branch for several years after the railroad dieselized was a single GP9. In later years several (four, if I remember correctly) SW1200s were transferred from the GTW to the CV. After that, power on the Richford local was typically a pair of SW1200s like the ones shown here. 

Which leads to a question for all the diesel modelers out there (of which I'm not one). What's the best approach to a good-running, good looking SW1200 that best matches the GTW/CV prototypes? 

Thanks in advance!