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With so many people buying models they just store and never use sure explains why manufacturers make such shoddy products lately: cuz nobody runs them! Great video.

turn that bell off!!!!

Great video! Even though it is actually too recognizable... ;-). I already changed the mindset to start with a small shelf-size lay-out (Era 1, Germany), where switching and shunting should be the main topic. Here's a silly question (and an excuse that was not mentioned in the video): what if I get bored? You could say: then try something different. But switching and shunting is basically the only thing you can do on a small shelf-size lay-out. On the other hand: if I don't TRY it, I'll never know at what point I will get bored... ;-)

I built my first layout when I was 16. I’m 55. I’ve started from scratch five times and I still haven’t finished. my layout runs through two rooms. I can run trains but it’ll be years if ever before I’m finished. It really is a lifelong hobby but I must say Model railroading has become very expensive lately. It would be very hard to build what I have if I had to start by buying everything new.

Dumb

Some great advice. I’m starting my first layout at age 52 and my “space” is limited to a coffee table 32” square. This is going to dictate a lot of what I can do so I’m just starting with 2 loops one raised around the back of the layout and sufficient points to allow for either loop to be accessed from a central shunting yard. I would love a turntable and an engine shed but that’s just crazy talk at this stage.

How do you keep them protected from the cold and keep them running well in the cold or hot conditions?

This is EXCELLENT advice for all first time modellers! Particularly for procrastinators! Thank you!

Thank you Joe. A lot of very useful information and explained very well..

They always say that UK and US are two nations divided by the ocean AND A COMMON TONGUE! Yanks are so much more pushy. Okay, they may get things done but to a rigid formula. Railways in UK grew piecemeal and ultimately became linked by merger. This history caused such a diverse outcome that it is difficult to replicate by working to a master plan. My own layout, based on an imagined extension of the North Cornwall beyond Wadebridge/Padstow as a jumping off point for a long-desired extension to the GWR and thence by running rights to Truro and Falmouth on a mixed gauge track. This was actually proposed but it never happened. My layout is therefore a "might have been". It now needs wiring properly and final scenic detailing before I am satisfied. It's only taken me seven years so far!

thanks for the kick in the ass. i needed it.

Could try using a wood bit to start your pilot holes.

I'm in the process of building a shelf layout that goes around my room. I can't wait to finish it...

It's 2024. When will you make a topical video???

I wanted to add "No Trespassing - Passengers Must Use Bridge to Cross Tracks" and end up with a sign about 1/4" x 1/4". First I tried using a very tiny font in my word processor - unreadable. Next, I went to my graphics program, which promptly pixelated the heck out of everything. Finally, in the word processor, I made the sign using the fonts, layout, and style I wanted at a human size, about 6" square. Took a screen shot of it, put in my graphics program, and printed it at 15% of size. The sign came out very clear and even readable (with a glass).

Great song, and who wouldnt be down with anything involving some Chessie geeps?

Hey Joe! Where are you getting your .09mm cork? I can't find anything less than 1.5mm. . . 🤔

The manure spreader has a chain driven steel belt that pulls the load towards the rear of the machine. That's those ribs across the bottom. The paddles on the rear spin at a high speed opposite direction to each to grab the manure and fling it through the air behind the machine in a beautiful arc and roughly leaving an even layer of manure on the ground. The paddles also help to break up the manure. Both the paddles on the rear, along with the chain belt, are driven by a power takeoff (PTO) shaft that is on the front of the machine and connects to the PTO on the back of the tractor just above the drawbar that the rest of the machine is attached to with a pin dropped through the hitch and drawbar. The operator then can control the speed of the PTO for efficient spreading of the manure. Lived almost 50 years in Wisconsin's rural dairy region including on a farm and ag classes in high school. She had that out of the package for half a second and I blurted out it's a sh*t spreader 😂

💩 Everytime I see this video, I cringe.....BECAUSE, you are prolly correct. It's been six years since I bought my first four SD40-2's at a consignment shop. Then I bought a Walther's catalog. Soon after I attended several train shows. Purchased lots and lots of trains and train layout accessories. (76 diesel engines and two locomotives, 400 or so assorted freight and passenger cars, and maybe 100 structures. Both in kit form and pre-assembled). I have been renting a 14x20 foot building with electricity and heating for five years to build my not so dreamy layout in also! Worst news is my next of kin threaten to toss it all in a dumpster if I croak in the mean time! However....Just the thought, [and in my best imaginary dreams....yes dreams,] finally starting construction of a layout is prolly the only thing in my recent years is what keeps me breathing from year to year! At 73, and finally getting out and about after a year of being bedridden because of a near death experience and crippling leg injuries, I feel closer and closer to a real start. Soooon. Maybe tomorrow. Not tomorrow. Tomorrow is grocery day. Next Monday. Yup. Thanks.

Wow! This video helped a lot! Just watched it and man, some seriously good advice and steaight shooting! I especially like the fact you model the Chessie System (so do I). Time to get back to work and build this layout now! Thank you! Subscribed and liked.

Tend to agree. Pity though that the lower end product of what's running on the tracks in real life seems to be disappearing. Like Lima, Lifelike and Triang. In Australia The LIma XTP was about 25% the price of a high quality prototype brand. The Lima version was based on a mold for a different train and not quite right. But livery was fine. The prototype has cast chassis and two motors (one front and one rear). It doesn't wobble along the track. It's a beauty. I'm happy with my Lima version. The lower end now tends to be nominal generic ones. Like the cheap Xmas ones. I like collecting HO models of trains I have travelled on from all over the world. Most of course cost me more than the train trip itself. It's hard to get cheap versions of them these days. Like Bemo have exclusive rights to the Glacier Express. (Yes I have the engine and 5 cars. Not cheap). Rapido have the rights for the Rocky Mountaineer. (Got the old white and blue ones and some second hand ones cheap. The double dockers in the new gold livery are expensive but I got two, with one having the number of the car we rode in.) Bachmann for the Acela but their model is mid-priced for today. I've been 'lucky' to amass over 100 sets in the years AK (after kids!). About 25 are matches to my travels. Just hope my kids understand their value when they inherit them!

Spot on. Would like to suggest the consideration of MODULAR construction. Build small, build compatible with others, and instant dream layout.

You talk too much

Cold hard truths...ouch.

I would love to see them branch out with periods. At the moment they lean a little to heavily into the 1970s-onward so it would be nice to see some representation of these freelances that us steam-era guys can use. Rapido has made variations of the USRA boxcar so they could use that as a base

I watched the this video a year and a half ago and it got me off the couch. I built a 2x4 N scale lauout and it was the perfect size to get started and I learned practical skills as well what I need to do as I think about the next one.

I have recently gotten into model railways and was about to throw out a ton of Lego. I found your video just in time. Thanks mate!

Many thanks great video really enjoyed it, nice to see some switching and great loco. 👍 UK HO fan.

I had a small 00 collection for 7 years and finally built a proper layout. Its on your classic 8x4 board with a fiddleyard extension but this layout has everything I wanted in a "small" layout. -terminus station -shed and goods yard -asymetric track plan -small harbor -town and nature scenes Cant wait to start making the scenes, last pieces of track arrived today :)

Rapido has a GP38 and a GP40 coming next year. I have an Atlas GP40 (silver series) and an Athearn Genesis GP39-2. I prefer the Athearn one for the details, but the Atlas one for low speed running.

Fantastic video as always, thank you so much for your ideas , with limited space I am in n scale and always trying to find something that would fit in a 5 ft long by 16 inch wide shelf I have , and thanks to your grunge build it works with slight modifications,thanks so much now can run my train ,keep up the great work,

Came to this conclusion years ago and still nothing measures up to the AG quality and out of the box reliability. Oh, BTW. Maybe you could get a taller stool to sit on while doing your talking head shots.

Great video and mostly correct! I just have not started the layout because I am afraid of messing up like I did on all of the previous layouts. I have finally started though. Simplicity will be my motto so I hope!!! For a lot of us "bigger is to much money". I'm now building a point to point road with the ability to enlarge it to a point to point with a 4 by 16 foot island in the middle of my room. I'm 76 years old and I really don't know if I hive the time left to do what I want but I will try. Get the point to point to my liking and then tackle the large island. My road is the RSCD&C first initials of all of our names. Videos eventually to come!!! No duck under just a walk around road. In everything I have ever done in modeling my goal was to have a museum quality modeling but if you fall short, you will still have a pretty great model. I have mostly fallen short of perfection but have had several great looking models. Go for great and if you fall short you will have a better model that the person that strives for "good enough".Simplicity is where I am starting this time. I don't comment on many things I see because I have been told that my comments are mostly insendary even though all I tend to want to do is improve their modeling or videoing.Going to send you an email...

I have no Atlas in HO scale but I do have a couple of Atlas N scale engines and they give me a lot of issues .

What a great shaped layout space to work with! I'm late to this party but that inset area by the window would be a great place for an elevated roadway. It could enter the scene from behind industries #4 and #5, leaving the end of the layout to the right as it passes in front of the photo supply adding visual levels to the layout and places for small detailed scenes beneath. Or, another use for that wall corner would be to have a massive industry #4 flat run the entire backdrop length and wrap around that corner to add huge realistic depth to the scene allowing multiple car spots alongside. Great video.

Hi Joe, I've just revisited this video to help with some re-focus. The Grunge was my eureka moment when I realised what I really wanted from my layout and found your guidance invaluable. I know this is an old video but I hope this comment finds you well and that we get to see your "brand" of witty and inspirational films again soon.

One thing I’ve done to get over my perfectionist approach’s is take a different approach to my railway and I am treating it as my own railway company and will develop a story around it in the process, it also allows me to do things unrealistically as i live in the uk and making a uk layout I find it a shame we don’t do freight the same way as America as our freight is all containers or large industry’s, on my layout I’m going to make a modern approach to the classic way of doing freight

Not to start with your dream layout is a great advise: I started with a small 2 by 1 meter H0 layout just to learn and try-and-error. Of course I invested time and money into it - but as my over-all goal was to learn and try different technics, at the end I wasn't mad about any failures. This "cheap" layout and the learnings from it, will save me a lot of money on my current, full-room layout In addition I built several dioramas just to test a specific technic or topic - as example my first lake was just on a diorama It turned out pretty well, so I can keep this technic - if it would be messed up, I just lost a little money instead of ruining a large part in my final layout

I'm part of a HO model railroad club and am in charge of an extension to the layout, i was wondering how much your track planning services are.

Since I model the Atlantic Coast Line, beggars can’t be as choosy. Sure would love a GP7 in the black/yellow scheme from either manufacturer.

The manufacturers are good on doing freelance ones..but they are also currently ignoring various past PROTOTYPICAL railroads. Stop and think of how many models RTR that are of the Frisco, CB&Q,NORTHER PACIFIC, WESTERN PACIFIC and vast others completely lacking in availability in wide range of rolling stick that ACTUALLY EXISTED. so yes I appreciate and actually have a freelance RR of my own, but at same time the companies should be offering the fallen flags of past in just as much effort they do in the current COLLOSAL giants present today.

Find those boxes under tables at train shows or cheap buildings and freight cars to kit bash, weather, etc.

Thanks so much for making this video, as I've been stuck - in analysis paralysis - tying to figure out how to build my realistic dream HO scale layout in a small bedroom. So, instead of getting it all figured out, I need to start with one small section. Maybe even a tiny 4-6 foot long layout that has nothing to do with what I'll eventually end up with. Thank-you...

This video gave me much motivation to progress on my layout. Thank you.

Watching this video 3 years after posting- 3 years later, would you still recommend this over traditional wood benchwork?

No comparison of the lighting features, which is a big deal.

I’m inspired by your project. Love the light weight. Can I support with 6 legs ? I looking at height of 45 inches. Thank.

Hello Joe, Thank you for such a "REAL" approach to building a model railway. I have to agree with you 100% on the getting to your goal "dream layout" will and does take time. The sooner you start the better and easier it is to build. Simple builds are always the best way to start, simple to build, simple to learn from, working out what it is you really like. I'm 56 in August, thanks to my dad, I have from the age of 12 been into model train. It all started with a tyco Chattanooga small train set on a board in front of the Xmas tree. Since that day, I have expanded on the original layout, still being able to fit in my bedroom. Growing up, selling my layout and moving out. time past, my parents moved, I married, had a son, and as he grew I built another layout for him, ( and me ). This did prove to be a problem, my place of residents did not allow this to happen. Just so happen that my parents place of new residence had a small room to build a 2m by 4m. Perfect for my next build. Unfortunately, my son did not share the same interest as he grew older. No problem, this just meant that I would expand on this layout, as soon as I had the room. As life moves by and time goes by my marriage separated, moved into a place that had room to build, and so it began. This would be a turning point in the hobby, my interest was now European trains, modelling a loose expression of Germany. This gave a lot of experience in moving into DCC and sound. This lasted for a number of years when my career and life took another direction. I pulled apart my layout that had then become a single garage layout, I met a beautiful woman that gave me the support to follow my Goal. I bought a small house and over time was able to save money build a shed and thus became the new residence of my next layout. Building the starts of the next build took place in yet another home moment of my parents, in a single shed in the back yard. This was now to be built an a movable module layout. So currently, the shed is still needing work internally before becoming home for my Dream Layout. This has taken me time and a lot of life changes, but the knowledge on the way has been priceless. In short, I agree with everything you have said in this video. If you have the motivation, you can successfully keep moving to your goal and finally your compromising Dream layout. I now build small layouts for beginner to get interested into this hobby. Thank you for your video for others to digest and drive forward rather than becoming an armchair modeller. Anthony S.

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That does look really good . Nice job