DJ, you are becoming one of the premier RR videographers on TH-cam. This particular video was just what I needed after a stressful day. Relaxing music, your soft-reassuring voice and some spectacular vistas from your professional drone shots. Congrats...keep em coming.
amazing video... without that drone we would never get to see "DJ Earth". What a great tool to be able to view and capture on film the real footprint of railroading. Great Stuff. Thank you for sharing.
A spectacular video, DJ. Thanks so much. I can see why model railroaders might like to base their layouts on this prototype: lots and lots of track crammed into narrow spaces amid plenty of industries to serve and interesting western Pennsylvania scenery. ...Roy
DJ you do an incredible job of flying your drone. I would never get an opportunity to view these tracks without your videos. You take your time to explain what we are viewing. It is always fun to get to see things in operation. I appreciate the fact that you indicate you are a licensed drone pilot and you mention to others that may fly drones to do so responsibly. That lends a great deal of credibility to your videos. Keep up the good work and thanks again for making all of these videos possible from an engineers perspective!
Thanks Tom. I am trying to reach as many as possible because I remember what it was like as kid before the internet when I knew nothing and had to guess how things worked or what they looked like behind a fence, lol. The drone is amazing, but not everyone should be doing this as you stated. I enjoy teaching and also modeling, so this is enjoyable for me (minus 8 hrs editing a 10 min video, lol).
DJ, your right the drone coverage helps all of us model R&R’s get a different approach to modeling on our layouts, this is great 👍 D J, keep up the work you put into your videos, enjoy them all . Take care bud. 😎👍👍👍🛤🚂from the Eastern Shore of Maryland 🐠🦀🍺
This is an awesome video! I was born & raised in Pittsburgh. Left in 85 when I was 18 to join the Army, reitred from there and now live in Georgia This brings back a lot of memories. Keep up the good work. Just subscribed.
I LOVED this video. Not only is it a out trains, but my hometown is featured! So much history in Pgh; modeling it seems ideal, for me. One day, I'll have the space to do it. Thank you!
Great video bud! It gave me some thought into my layout with the branch lines. I love that part of Pittsburgh. I love railfanning Haysville with the old PRR signals too. Great work- Joey
Great videos! Love the Pittsburgh area. Born in McKeesport, started living life in Clairton. Been back a million times to visit/attend games but always was awed by the rail lines. Thank you!
great idea, DJ, using a drone for modeling possibilities in surveying real railroad landscapes.... nice shot of Pittsburgh.... didn't know Braddock still had a steel plant..... I thought the town was going through hard times (abandonment).... not many small freight customers.... has that been left to the short lines? a tip of the hat from Bellows Falls, Vermont.... oh, and you are right about showing history.... all my derailments are marked with a white cross.... the layout looks like a cemetery...
Outstanding Video! Railfaned these areas many times for ideas. AVR great one of my favorites for industrial switching. I model the ET Valley Yard , URR and Port Perry area. The valley under Westinghouse Bridge Valley is absolutely inspirational.....a Mecca for modelers an railfans alike ! Well done !!
Love that footage starting at 7:45. It looks like the perfect spot to model.. bridges, viaducts, raised road, water. That is going on my layout for sure. Thanks for the awesome video Dj.
Thanks so much for the NS footage! Some of the scenes were almost surreal. The trees on the side of the hill when the intermodel train was running will be a great model project.
Your videos are absolutely stunning!! Being a model railroader in South Africa trying to model US lines is tricky. Your videos are exactly what i have been looking for!!! Please keep making these awesome videos!
DJ, nice preserntation! Even though I have never been to your area and don't plan to model it, I was able to 1) appreciate some nice drone photography and 2) get some ideas for some things I would like to do to my "in progress" layout. Keep 'em coming!
Great video DJ! A little nostalgic for me seeing Pittsburgh since I spent a couple years there for school. I lived a short walk from the 5th street bridge and crossed it daily to go to class. Love all the modeling ideas in these shots!
Great video, and excellent commentary. I came across this by accident, but really enjoyed it for the model railroad ideas. Just wish I had the room for all the trackwork, industries, rivers, roads and scenery.
Great video! I loved it. I'm building a little early 50's fantasy town for an N scale layout, so I really appreciated seeing the homes & shops in these towns.
Awesome drone footage. Been thinking of getting one myself to document all the abandoned trackage through the center of Florida. Many buildings can be recognized but the track is gone. Lots of industry off the beaten path. All this footage of the Pgh area makes me home sick.
Really well done! I love watching trains, who doesn't, but this gives that modelers perspective you can't get from trackside. You opened my eyes, thanks.
Great video and info. I lived in Pittsburgh for 2 yars in the late 70's/ It was a really depressed area back then . Its really amazing the turn around in the area since then !!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, you show so many places where I've worked and lived. 32nd St and AVRR for one and later in the K & L Gates building in downtown. An ex Pittsburger I'm in South Carolina now, so your tours hit home to me!
The area of Altoona you were showing where the track enters the industrial area was once the PRR;s South Altoona Foundry. The Hollidaysburg Branch main through there was double track from ALTO(ONA) and Eldorado, then single track to SN (WYE), before returning to double track in either east or west directions over the Hollidaysburg & Petersburg Branch, or the New Portage Branch. The Everett Railroad's Duncansville shop occupies part of the connection between the H&P and the New Portage.
In reference to removing switches another cool thing I have see done on shorts lines when removing a switch for a siding is removing only the front and points I modeled this with central valley switch ties. Glued the rails on place and have the diverging rails a dirty rust color.
DJ, I really enjoyed this video, it showed 3 buildings I’ve worked in. The first, in what you called Springdale but is actually Cheswick, is the little white building at the dam, just north of the one you talked about. Next was the former Heppenstall Foundry in Lawrenceville on the river just above the 40 th St Bridge. The final one is Downtown, the old Pennsylvania Station. I also liked the overhead view of the Fort Wayne Bridge. They should do the whole bridge that color on top. All in all a great video, thank you.
D.J. i really enjoy your channel and the insight you provide. I also am impressed with your videos with the drone. Keep up the great contributions to the hobby!
Great video! I'm building my first layout and I don't know a lot about trains. I was unsure if railroad bridges would be built as part of a grade but several of your locations shows bridges angled to the grade. A lot of other great tips, such as how close the track is to streets in residential areas, how the track curves on sections of plate girder bridges. The abandoned track is very interesting, I have a set track plan but I may be able in incorporate something like that. Thanks for sharing!!
Your channel is amazing DJ. I stumbled upon your channel looking for knowledge of how railyards work for a fictional story I'm writing and not only did I find the knowledge I was looking for but pure artistry, fun and relaxation. Everything from the tone of your voice, the choice in music, the footage, etc. I suffer with severe clinical anxiety so I didn't just find the info I needed but also videos I can watch that calms my anxiety on your channel. Thank you... I am now a fan!
Have to make more drone video it different .tired of 👀 a train at ground level. That shot of NS Power going down the track from above was Magnificent and Innovative in train video
Some great bridges in your neck of the woods! Oklahoma doesn’t have (or need) too many of these large bridges since we only have a few rivers to cross by rail. Mostly we have short deck bridges across creeks. However, there are a few truly wonderful long truss bridges.
Very nice. Love the shots of Braddock and the tracks at multiple different levels. Got me thinking "how could this be condensed for modeling" and "do I really need that extra bedroom I had planned for the corner in the basement?"
In a way, D.J., it's like in my hometown where, just past where I live, there are a bunch of nondescript houses of similar architecture in a dingy white. No one of them stands out yet that is way more logical and expected.
I absolutely love these scenic overviews. I've seen videos of the Union steelworks system with their vintage EMD switchers, but it's amazingly complex seen from above.
Very very nice video my friend, im just starting over again on my forth American layout and this has given me so much information, thank you Tony from England UK
I modeled an abandoned spur on my layout. I modeled it overgrown with brush and weeds, missing ties and sections of missing rail. My nephews and I were running trains, and one of them said “uncle Mike, we should fix this part so trains can run there!”
AWESOME VIDEOGRAPHY! Great Vantage Point! I Live in Pittsburgh (Verona, 10 miles up the Allegheny River from the point) and have visited each of these rail areas although, your drone showed me areas that I was not able to access. I tend to use Google Earth to follow rails all throughout SW PA. Keep up the great work, DJ. Thank you for shariing your passion with us.
I absolutely loved this video. It has 2 things I hold very close to my heart: a) my time in Pittsburgh in the early '90s ( I was there as a foreign student); b) my undying passion for trains and railroad modeling. I don't have a room for railroad modeling, sadly, so I do the next best thing, I play Train Simulator and TSW frequently. I have both the Horse Shoe Curve and the 3rd party Bessemer and Lake Erie (early 1900s) routes. I also have NS and CSX rolling stock. From Connelley Technical Institute (by the now gone Civic Arena) I used to watch the trains go over the double-deck bridge over the Allegheny River. I am currently entertaining the idea of modeling (in Train Simulator) a route that includes or leads to Pittsburgh. Thank you for your videos. Subscribed.
OH MAN DID I ENJOY THAT! The history you knew and told us made the ails come to life again
DJ, you are becoming one of the premier RR videographers on TH-cam. This particular video was just what I needed after a stressful day. Relaxing music, your soft-reassuring voice and some spectacular vistas from your professional drone shots. Congrats...keep em coming.
Very appreciated. Please share the video if possible.
He is the best. and man you hit it on the button reassuring voice.
I agree. Good comment.
Wow! What a useful bunch of modeling ideas. The drone vantage is the same vantage we have of our layouts. You're on to something. Thank you!
amazing video... without that drone we would never get to see "DJ Earth". What a great tool to be able to view and capture on film the real footprint of railroading. Great Stuff. Thank you for sharing.
The title of this video is spot on. Thanks for sharing your experience.
As always you show more about the world of railroads that help us all...thanks for sharing....Jack 👍
Times have been full of worry and uncertainty for me lately ur videos really put a smile on my face and brighten my day.
A spectacular video, DJ. Thanks so much. I can see why model railroaders might like to base their layouts on this prototype: lots and lots of track crammed into narrow spaces amid plenty of industries to serve and interesting western Pennsylvania scenery. ...Roy
DJ you do an incredible job of flying your drone. I would never get an opportunity to view these tracks without your videos. You take your time to explain what we are viewing. It is always fun to get to see things in operation. I appreciate the fact that you indicate you are a licensed drone pilot and you mention to others that may fly drones to do so responsibly. That lends a great deal of credibility to your videos. Keep up the good work and thanks again for making all of these videos possible from an engineers perspective!
Thanks Tom. I am trying to reach as many as possible because I remember what it was like as kid before the internet when I knew nothing and had to guess how things worked or what they looked like behind a fence, lol. The drone is amazing, but not everyone should be doing this as you stated. I enjoy teaching and also modeling, so this is enjoyable for me (minus 8 hrs editing a 10 min video, lol).
So Model Railroader’s Turtle Creek Central layout wasn’t completely freelance... interesting!
Great work with the drone! Amazing shots.
An area that I have seen often from the ground. What a great opportunity to see it from the air. Thank you, D.J.
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video! It's a perspective that few of us will ever get to see, thank you for your work...
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing is the right word for this channel!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
DJ i do totally nothing with trains and/or modelling but i enjoy your vids a lot man i really do. 👌😊
DJ, your right the drone coverage helps all of us model R&R’s get a different approach to modeling on our layouts, this is great 👍 D J, keep up the work you put into your videos, enjoy them all . Take care bud. 😎👍👍👍🛤🚂from the Eastern Shore of Maryland 🐠🦀🍺
This is an awesome video! I was born & raised in Pittsburgh. Left in 85 when I was 18 to join the Army, reitred from there and now live in Georgia This brings back a lot of memories. Keep up the good work. Just subscribed.
I LOVED this video.
Not only is it a out trains, but my hometown is featured! So much history in Pgh; modeling it seems ideal, for me. One day, I'll have the space to do it. Thank you!
Great video bud! It gave me some thought into my layout with the branch lines. I love that part of Pittsburgh. I love railfanning Haysville with the old PRR signals too. Great work- Joey
Great videos! Love the Pittsburgh area. Born in McKeesport, started living life in Clairton. Been back a million times to visit/attend games but always was awed by the rail lines. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
great idea, DJ, using a drone for modeling possibilities in surveying real railroad landscapes.... nice shot of Pittsburgh.... didn't know Braddock still had a steel plant..... I thought the town was going through hard times (abandonment).... not many small
freight customers.... has that been left to the short lines? a tip of the hat from Bellows Falls, Vermont.... oh, and you are right
about showing history.... all my derailments are marked with a white cross.... the layout looks like a cemetery...
Great footage. Beautiful shots, entertaining and tons of information and inspiration. Deeply appreciate all your effort to make these videos.
Awesome DJ interesting as giving a layout character for having history on the layout
Outstanding Video! Railfaned these areas many times for ideas. AVR great one of my favorites for industrial switching. I model the ET Valley Yard , URR and Port Perry area. The valley under Westinghouse Bridge Valley is absolutely inspirational.....a Mecca for modelers an railfans alike ! Well done !!
Great video with great ideas.
Love that footage starting at 7:45. It looks like the perfect spot to model.. bridges, viaducts, raised road, water. That is going on my layout for sure. Thanks for the awesome video Dj.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks so much for the NS footage! Some of the scenes were almost surreal. The trees on the side of the hill when the intermodel train was running will be a great model project.
Glad you liked it, my friend
very interesting to see the buildings from the air
Your videos are absolutely stunning!! Being a model railroader in South Africa trying to model US lines is tricky. Your videos are exactly what i have been looking for!!! Please keep making these awesome videos!
Great video, lots of details; roofs, track side, ... This is the same view that a lot of us have of our own layouts. Thanks for a great video.
DJ, nice preserntation! Even though I have never been to your area and don't plan to model it, I was able to 1) appreciate some nice drone photography and 2) get some ideas for some things I would like to do to my "in progress" layout. Keep 'em coming!
Great visual.. and not loud music....great overall production and informative...very original
that was a beautiful tour of pittsburgh
Grew up on the Conemaugh division. There were 26 trains a day on the double tracks.
Great video DJ! A little nostalgic for me seeing Pittsburgh since I spent a couple years there for school. I lived a short walk from the 5th street bridge and crossed it daily to go to class. Love all the modeling ideas in these shots!
:)
Incredible wealth of detail!
Great details and even better description of operations - thank you!
Please see my other videos, all organized into PLAYLISTS to help you find exactly what you like faster. Thanks!
Good morning! ☀ 😎
Good Morning!!
I agree with the others. This was some of your best views. Fantastic ideas and it can be applied anywhere
Great video, and excellent commentary. I came across this by accident, but really enjoyed it for the model railroad ideas. Just wish I had the room for all the trackwork, industries, rivers, roads and scenery.
Great video! I loved it. I'm building a little early 50's fantasy town for an N scale layout, so I really appreciated seeing the homes & shops in these towns.
Very cool!
Awesome video DJ - thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely lots of inspiration here. Thanks for sharing. Best, John
Great stuff DJ! Thanks much for sharing.
I really enjoy the drone shots. I'm spoiled now. Ground shots are boring. The music is soothing. You've done well!
Awesome drone footage. Been thinking of getting one myself to document all the abandoned trackage through the center of Florida. Many buildings can be recognized but the track is gone. Lots of industry off the beaten path. All this footage of the Pgh area makes me home sick.
Another great video, DJ. Thanks for the inspiration! 👋😃
Good stuff! Thank you as always DJ.
Really well done! I love watching trains, who doesn't, but this gives that modelers perspective you can't get from trackside. You opened my eyes, thanks.
Thank you for what you do.
Great video and info. I lived in Pittsburgh for 2 yars in the late 70's/ It was a really depressed area back then . Its really amazing the turn around in the area since then !!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, you show so many places where I've worked and lived. 32nd St and AVRR for one and later in the K & L Gates building in downtown. An ex Pittsburger I'm in South Carolina now, so your tours hit home to me!
This is what you call "passion" folks.
Beautifully done
Beautiful and fascinating!
Great video D.J.!
Very nice my compliments sir
Real pretty work. Great ideas for modeling things.
Another great video DJ! Always love to see what you share and your unique perspective! Keep them coming!
Good job as usual DJ. 👍
The area of Altoona you were showing where the track enters the industrial area was once the PRR;s South Altoona Foundry. The Hollidaysburg Branch main through there was double track from ALTO(ONA) and Eldorado, then single track to SN (WYE), before returning to double track in either east or west directions over the Hollidaysburg & Petersburg Branch, or the New Portage Branch. The Everett Railroad's Duncansville shop occupies part of the connection between the H&P and the New Portage.
Very interesting!!
In reference to removing switches another cool thing I have see done on shorts lines when removing a switch for a siding is removing only the front and points
I modeled this with central valley switch ties. Glued the rails on place and have the diverging rails a dirty rust color.
Awesome video DJ love all your videos thanks for sharing ! 👍
DJ, this is your best video ever! So much in it, thank you.
Very excellant,well done video DJ. Amazing drone shots. I love that nice,relaxing music in the background. Your videos are the best.
Very appreciated!
DJ, I really enjoyed this video, it showed 3 buildings I’ve worked in. The first, in what you called Springdale but is actually Cheswick, is the little white building at the dam, just north of the one you talked about. Next was the former Heppenstall Foundry in Lawrenceville on the river just above the 40 th St Bridge. The final one is Downtown, the old Pennsylvania Station. I also liked the overhead view of the Fort Wayne Bridge. They should do the whole bridge that color on top. All in all a great video, thank you.
D.J. i really enjoy your channel and the insight you provide. I also am impressed with your videos with the drone. Keep up the great contributions to the hobby!
Awesome drone footage!
Thanks! 👍
Thnk you for the video
Great editing DJ and some really beautiful shots.
Really nice video, DJ! Great choice of music too.
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video! I'm building my first layout and I don't know a lot about trains. I was unsure if railroad bridges would be built as part of a grade but several of your locations shows bridges angled to the grade. A lot of other great tips, such as how close the track is to streets in residential areas, how the track curves on sections of plate girder bridges. The abandoned track is very interesting, I have a set track plan but I may be able in incorporate something like that. Thanks for sharing!!
Your channel is amazing DJ. I stumbled upon your channel looking for knowledge of how railyards work for a fictional story I'm writing and not only did I find the knowledge I was looking for but pure artistry, fun and relaxation. Everything from the tone of your voice, the choice in music, the footage, etc. I suffer with severe clinical anxiety so I didn't just find the info I needed but also videos I can watch that calms my anxiety on your channel. Thank you... I am now a fan!
You really made my day. Its comments like this that keep me going.
@@djstrains Awww thank you! You make my day and I make your day.
Great video DJ, Lots of great ideas for a layout.
Beautiful shots man rail reading at work
At beginning of video when u said make videos like never seen before
I got chills
Love your drone videos
Have to make more drone video it different .tired of 👀 a train at ground level. That shot of NS Power going down the track from above was Magnificent and Innovative in train video
Beautiful footage!
Many thanks!
Some great bridges in your neck of the woods! Oklahoma doesn’t have (or need) too many of these large bridges since we only have a few rivers to cross by rail. Mostly we have short deck bridges across creeks. However, there are a few truly wonderful long truss bridges.
Very nice. Love the shots of Braddock and the tracks at multiple different levels. Got me thinking "how could this be condensed for modeling" and "do I really need that extra bedroom I had planned for the corner in the basement?"
Thanks for another very nice video, DJ. Good stuff!
In a way, D.J., it's like in my hometown where, just past where I live, there are a bunch of nondescript houses of similar architecture in a dingy white. No one of them stands out yet that is way more logical and expected.
Even if you are not doing a layout, the videos are interesting
I absolutely love these scenic overviews. I've seen videos of the Union steelworks system with their vintage EMD switchers, but it's amazingly complex seen from above.
Glad you like them!
You finally put some NS footage up front 😊😊....nice footage. Like those bridge scenes and will search your playlist for signal operation. Anthony
signal video in the works
Great video, awesome views, & great ideas. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another great video DJ. Thanks for everything you do to make these videos.
That was awesome! Thanks.
I really appreciate your putting up theses great shots
Very very nice video my friend, im just starting over again on my forth American layout and this has given me so much information, thank you
Tony from England UK
Great to hear!
I modeled an abandoned spur on my layout. I modeled it overgrown with brush and weeds, missing ties and sections of missing rail. My nephews and I were running trains, and one of them said “uncle Mike, we should fix this part so trains can run there!”
That is awesome, lol
AWESOME!!!!! Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work.
AWESOME VIDEOGRAPHY! Great Vantage Point! I Live in Pittsburgh (Verona, 10 miles up the Allegheny River from the point) and have visited each of these rail areas although, your drone showed me areas that I was not able to access. I tend to use Google Earth to follow rails all throughout SW PA. Keep up the great work, DJ. Thank you for shariing your passion with us.
Cat Jammies! You win best name today!!
Excellent footage.
Very nice, very knowledgeable and you make it interesting
Every time I've seen that valley in PA, I've always thought it looked like a model layout IRL.
Another outstanding video..this is so interesting ...many many ideas for modeling...thank you for all you do!
Great stuff! Gave me a couple ideas. Thanks for posting.
Hey DJ thanks for great drone video around da Burg and Altoona. Hope your new year is going good!
Great stuff, D.J.
I absolutely loved this video. It has 2 things I hold very close to my heart: a) my time in Pittsburgh in the early '90s ( I was there as a foreign student); b) my undying passion for trains and railroad modeling. I don't have a room for railroad modeling, sadly, so I do the next best thing, I play Train Simulator and TSW frequently. I have both the Horse Shoe Curve and the 3rd party Bessemer and Lake Erie (early 1900s) routes. I also have NS and CSX rolling stock. From Connelley Technical Institute (by the now gone Civic Arena) I used to watch the trains go over the double-deck bridge over the Allegheny River. I am currently entertaining the idea of modeling (in Train Simulator) a route that includes or leads to Pittsburgh.
Thank you for your videos.
Subscribed.
Lovely video, and the views are those which are most likely to be seen on a model.