Thank you Lee! Same to you, I hope you and your family had a great Christmas! And, happy new year! I'm enthusiastic for 2025 and best wishes for you and your family in the new year!
@@Lee.Willcox Nice catch! Mirrors can be effective for sure. We'll have to see how the rural section comes together in 2025, there's going to be some changes but I'm probably going to keep that gap in the mountains there. I appreciate you watching!
@@SPSteve I'm looking forward to it. I recon, you try creating a couple of trees and the 3rd will be perfect if the 1st two are not. Knowing you they will be 😎🤭
@@Lee.Willcox Thanks Lee! I'll do a search on TH-cam and see what everyone is doing to make trees. I have an idea of what I want to do, but if there is a great method for making realistic Pine, Spruce and Aspen trees I'll try what that person is doing. I've found that in artistic creations I'll take a idea from here, an idea from there, and add something of my own to get the result I'm looking for.
OMG..... You have a Rally 350!!! OMG. Absolutely beautiful classic Olds. And rare too! I have always been a lover/fan of the classic Olds. Starting in my mid to late teens driving a 1959 Super 88 394 4bbl. In my 20s I got my first 442. A 1967 with and rally gauges and the good old "go fast" 400, 4 speed with 3.90 posi, which I later changed to 4.88 posi. Not long after I bought another 67 similerly dressed out but with more conservately geared rear end for daily driving. One to go fast and a daily driver. I certainly miss those cars and those days 😒 What I wouldn't give to have a 69 to 71 442 again!! That pic of your Olds really set me on a nostalgia whirl wind of thought. OH, and, your layout is awesome. Great creativity sir! PS. Would sure love to see more pics of your Rally 350!
Thanks Randall! If you go to my TH-cam home page, you can scroll down and there is a Rallye 350 playlist with 32 videos showing the work I've done on the car. I plan to get back to work on the car this spring for a couple months. You've had some cool Olds! I've had 1 65 442, 1 67 Cutlass, 2 68 Hurst/Olds, 3 68 442, 2 69 442, 1 70 442, 2 Rallye 350, 1 72 442, 1 72 Cutlass, 1 73 442, 1 74 Cutlass, 1 76 442, 2 79 Hurst/Olds, 2 79 Cutlass. I had a 78 Starfire drag car that ran in the 9's. There are some videos of it on my TH-cam channel, just scroll down on the TH-cam home page to see it. The 67 Cutlass I used as a daily driver from 2000-2003. It had the 330 4bbl and the transmission was changed to a TH350. Great car, I sold it to a guy in St Louis in 2003. Go fast, go Olds! Happy new year! :)
@@SPSteve Found it. I realized then that I had already subscribed!!! Will read more on the Rally build! Thanks Steve! BTW You wouldn't be interested in parting with it? I spose not! 😁
I have been watching your channel for about two years starting with your Olds starfire. You have made unbelievable progress on your layout and everything looks fantastic including the room and lighting. Looking forward to seeing you in 2025. Btw, congrats on approaching 5K subscribers. Hope you have a great 2025.
Thanks DK! I poured myself into that Starfire. So many hand made parts in that car. It was bullet proof. I ran it for 4 years with nothing more than oil changes every 35 runs and lash adjustments twice a year. I'm getting old and aging out of the cars. Finishing up the Trans Am and Rallye 350 will probably be the end of the big car projects. Same is true for the house, this remodel will be the last big house project. I see myself transitioning into model railroading as my primary hobby as I continue to age, but I'll always be a car guy. 5k subscribers would be pretty cool. It seems like everything I do, I jump into the deep end of the pool. We are who we are. Haha Thanks for the layout comment, it really has been enjoyable. I have something coming up on Jan 1st you might enjoy. I had a little automotive adventure I'll be sharing. I appreciate you, thanks for coming along on the journey(s)!
Steve, Wow! BIG changes coming! Since it is Arizona don't forget the abandoned mine holes scattered about the desert. A little detail like that tells a story. When I was a kid, living in Phoenix, we would go out somewhere near Black Canyon to visit with friends. There is a big rift between the mountains from an ancient earthquake. In one of the valleys there were a few old abandoned stone cabins. There was one butte that looked like a fist with a thumb. Us kids referred to it as Thumb mountain. No idea what the real name was. Those were the days. My father was in Vietnam. My mother had a Squareback VW. We did a lot of exploring in the desert in that VW. Trying to drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff in a VW on those grades was interesting! That thing needed more HP. Sometimes we had to pull off to let it cool down. Well. it has been four weeks since the back surgery and I am spending my recovery time now in the train room getting the layout built. At the moment it is all risers, inclines and roadbed. Almost ready to start laying track. One idea. Maybe you can build the helix before tearing things out so you can see what you will end up with before destruction occurs. Joey Richard, Trackside Scenery, has a helix kit made from black gator board that is so lightweight you can lift it with one finger.
Yes, lots of old mines in the AZ mountains. Many of them were in use through the 1940's. Lots of abandoned mining equipment out in the desert. Man, I can imagine it was an adventure driving a 30HP VW from Phoenix to Flagstaff! That's a 7000' elevation change. Different times for sure. I'm glad you're feeling better and out doing work on the layout. I think that is some good therapy. I may do as you suggest and build the helix first and see how my 6 axle locomotives like it. I'll pass on the Trackside Scenery helix. I'm not comfortable with a helix made from gatorboard. I'll probably use 11/32 plywood to cut my sections from. I appreciate you coming along on the layout adventure. Happy New Year!
The layout is simply amazing thus far and can hardly wait for future updates. I have learned so much from you and look forward to applying this new knowledge to my future layout. Thank you for sharing all of your updates.
Thanks Javier, I appreciate the kind words! I'm always willing to share any knowledge I have that you find useful. I'm looking forward to 2025 and seeing how the layout progresses; I'm optimistic 2025 will be a good year for model railroading. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
Thanks Eric! I'm looking forward to making some additional progress on the layout in 2025. Last year was a good year for the layout and I'd like to see that kind of progress again this coming year. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Thanks Keith! I'm wanting to get some structures for the city built over the next few months. I think I'll focus on the stonewall section first since I already have several structures ready for that area. I'm eager to get it all to come together but I need to be patient. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Looks great, nice update! I like your division of city and rural. I did something similar - my lower deck is urban/industrial, the upper is rural. I used a mirror in my river scene. Make sure you angle the scenery/obscure the view so that visitors can’t look directly into the mirror and see themselves.
Food for thought- what about having the upper line cross and run in the front and the lower line run towards the back- similar to an over/under figure eight. Would allow for some pretty cool possible interaction moments, and allow the low track to run in and out of tunnels and some more dramatic bridge moments from the top track. However- great layout and great progress! Looks amazing
I'll have to think about that. When I was designing my track plan, I actually wanted to do something like that. A fly-over would be cool, I'll see if I can find a way to make it work. Thanks for the kind comment on the layout, it's been enjoyable. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Thanks Rick! Nothing is set in stone, so it could stay a dry wash. I won't know until it's time to make a decision. I appreciate the kind words, and thanks for watching. Happy new year!
Great update my friend look forward to seeing more of your updates as it's very interesting you have a couple of nice looking muscle cars my friend very cool well all the best for 2025 I be watching
Thanks Darrin! I have a new addition to the garage that I'll show on Jan 1st. Pretty special and a nice fit for the garage. I hope to have model railroading updates on a regular basis, but I may miss a week here and there because of other projects, but I'll keep at it. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Thanks Paul! With my "schedule" over the next 6 months, I hope to get some structures built for the city section in the evenings while working on non-model railroading projects during the day. I think everyone's view of organization is different, but I'd like my entire layout to be brought up scenery level by scenery level. 1) Basic scenery, 2) greenery trees grass bushes, 3) structures and LED lighting, 4) lastly detail items like signals signs etc. I appreciate you coming along on the journey and happy new year!
@@SPSteve I may have a couple of built & painted structures for free for you...They were on the "Lone Pine & Tonopah" seen on YT (Kermit Paul's layout).
Thanks Dan! I'm very optimistic for 2025, I think it'll be another good year for the layout. Best wishes for your modeling endeavors. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Happy New Year, Steve! Great thought on the helix and removing the foreground "spurs". That made me cringe just thinking about cars and/or locos dropping off the edge. I think you'll enjoy the extra scenery opportunities, too.
Thanks CapnSean! Yes, I really don't like what I currently have, and it needs a major overhaul. I'm thinking of a large flat meadow in the center of the rural area surrounded by mountain cliffs. I agree that redoing the area will make for better scenery. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Great layout review Steve it’s been a great year of progress. I’ve enjoyed the content I’m new here this year. I have enjoyed your content glad to see your channel grow. Looking forward to 2025 to see the progress on the layout. Have a great rest of your weekend. And the rest of 2024 take care happy modelling 🫵🚂😎 TSM
Thanks Mike! I appreciate all you do for the hobby and I am glad to have you taking a look at my layout. I hope we each enjoy the hobby in 2025 and I'm ready to see what happens! As always, thanks for watching, and happy new year!
Nice update and preview for the future. Though I think your current track plan on the rural side is very nice, if you're going to make changes it's better to do it now than when you've finished scenery. That certainly will be a pretty serious undertaking but you want to feel good about your outcome.
Thanks! I agree now is the time if I'm going to make the changes. I may change my mind between now and June, but changes are coming whether I install a helix or not. We shall see. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Thanks! I have my work cut out for me in 2025. I'll be taking the rural section of my layout down to bare benchwork and then building it back up. I'm wanting to try and achieve the illusion of trains leaving and entering the layout by using a helix. I appreciate you watching, happy new year!
Thanks Paul! I'm eager to keep things moving forward and get some structures built over the next few months. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Thanks Jerry! I think now is the time to get things corrected to be better suited for what I want to do. I hate going backwards but in the end it will be the right decision. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
I would skip the helix and keep the grade. More interesting for operations (helpers, etc.) and a 26" helix sounds kinda tight for reliability. Regardless, great layout! Keep up the youtubes please. And happy New Year!
Thanks! I appreciate your input, reliability is certainly the highest priority. I hope to have steady model railroading content over the year. I may get bogged down in some other projects at some point but I would like to have weekly updates. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
Thanks! 2024 was a really good year for my layout and I had a lot of enjoyment running trains on it. You also had some good success with your layout in 2024. In 2025 we both need to dig in and keep pushing forward. I appreciate you watching, happy new year!
@SPSteve It's been fun watching and learning from your expert techniques! I'm working on a 2024 progression video of my layout's progress...hoping to have it up by the new year. Good luck to us both!
@@KandWRailroader I'll look forward to watching your video! I'm always glad to share anything I know in the hobby. Things are best when we can all learn from each other where everyone benefits. Bring on 2025! :)
Hope you had a lovely Christmas and wishing you all a very Happy New Year 🤗
@8:50 I think I see a mirror. A track that goes off into the distance under the bridge. I had to pause the video and write this 😆 GENIUS !!!!!! 🤯👍
Thank you Lee! Same to you, I hope you and your family had a great Christmas! And, happy new year! I'm enthusiastic for 2025 and best wishes for you and your family in the new year!
@@Lee.Willcox Nice catch! Mirrors can be effective for sure. We'll have to see how the rural section comes together in 2025, there's going to be some changes but I'm probably going to keep that gap in the mountains there. I appreciate you watching!
@@SPSteve I'm looking forward to it. I recon, you try creating a couple of trees and the 3rd will be perfect if the 1st two are not. Knowing you they will be 😎🤭
@@Lee.Willcox Thanks Lee! I'll do a search on TH-cam and see what everyone is doing to make trees. I have an idea of what I want to do, but if there is a great method for making realistic Pine, Spruce and Aspen trees I'll try what that person is doing. I've found that in artistic creations I'll take a idea from here, an idea from there, and add something of my own to get the result I'm looking for.
OMG..... You have a Rally 350!!! OMG. Absolutely beautiful classic Olds. And rare too! I have always been a lover/fan of the classic Olds. Starting in my mid to late teens driving a 1959 Super 88 394 4bbl. In my 20s I got my first 442. A 1967 with and rally gauges and the good old "go fast" 400, 4 speed with 3.90 posi, which I later changed to 4.88 posi. Not long after I bought another 67 similerly dressed out but with more conservately geared rear end for daily driving. One to go fast and a daily driver. I certainly miss those cars and those days 😒 What I wouldn't give to have a 69 to 71 442 again!! That pic of your Olds really set me on a nostalgia whirl wind of thought. OH, and, your layout is awesome. Great creativity sir! PS. Would sure love to see more pics of your Rally 350!
Thanks Randall! If you go to my TH-cam home page, you can scroll down and there is a Rallye 350 playlist with 32 videos showing the work I've done on the car. I plan to get back to work on the car this spring for a couple months.
You've had some cool Olds! I've had 1 65 442, 1 67 Cutlass, 2 68 Hurst/Olds, 3 68 442, 2 69 442, 1 70 442, 2 Rallye 350, 1 72 442, 1 72 Cutlass, 1 73 442, 1 74 Cutlass, 1 76 442, 2 79 Hurst/Olds, 2 79 Cutlass. I had a 78 Starfire drag car that ran in the 9's. There are some videos of it on my TH-cam channel, just scroll down on the TH-cam home page to see it. The 67 Cutlass I used as a daily driver from 2000-2003. It had the 330 4bbl and the transmission was changed to a TH350. Great car, I sold it to a guy in St Louis in 2003.
Go fast, go Olds! Happy new year! :)
@@SPSteve Found it. I realized then that I had already subscribed!!! Will read more on the Rally build!
Thanks Steve! BTW You wouldn't be interested in parting with it? I spose not! 😁
@@randallfawc7501 Everything has its price. I've never kept any of them, and I've had a lot of them.
I have been watching your channel for about two years starting with your Olds starfire.
You have made unbelievable progress on your layout and everything looks fantastic including the room and lighting.
Looking forward to seeing you in 2025. Btw, congrats on approaching 5K subscribers.
Hope you have a great 2025.
Thanks DK! I poured myself into that Starfire. So many hand made parts in that car. It was bullet proof. I ran it for 4 years with nothing more than oil changes every 35 runs and lash adjustments twice a year. I'm getting old and aging out of the cars. Finishing up the Trans Am and Rallye 350 will probably be the end of the big car projects. Same is true for the house, this remodel will be the last big house project. I see myself transitioning into model railroading as my primary hobby as I continue to age, but I'll always be a car guy.
5k subscribers would be pretty cool. It seems like everything I do, I jump into the deep end of the pool. We are who we are. Haha Thanks for the layout comment, it really has been enjoyable.
I have something coming up on Jan 1st you might enjoy. I had a little automotive adventure I'll be sharing. I appreciate you, thanks for coming along on the journey(s)!
Steve, Wow! BIG changes coming! Since it is Arizona don't forget the abandoned mine holes scattered about the desert. A little detail like that tells a story. When I was a kid, living in Phoenix, we would go out somewhere near Black Canyon to visit with friends. There is a big rift between the mountains from an ancient earthquake. In one of the valleys there were a few old abandoned stone cabins. There was one butte that looked like a fist with a thumb. Us kids referred to it as Thumb mountain. No idea what the real name was. Those were the days. My father was in Vietnam. My mother had a Squareback VW. We did a lot of exploring in the desert in that VW. Trying to drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff in a VW on those grades was interesting! That thing needed more HP. Sometimes we had to pull off to let it cool down. Well. it has been four weeks since the back surgery and I am spending my recovery time now in the train room getting the layout built. At the moment it is all risers, inclines and roadbed. Almost ready to start laying track. One idea. Maybe you can build the helix before tearing things out so you can see what you will end up with before destruction occurs. Joey Richard, Trackside Scenery, has a helix kit made from black gator board that is so lightweight you can lift it with one finger.
Yes, lots of old mines in the AZ mountains. Many of them were in use through the 1940's. Lots of abandoned mining equipment out in the desert. Man, I can imagine it was an adventure driving a 30HP VW from Phoenix to Flagstaff! That's a 7000' elevation change. Different times for sure.
I'm glad you're feeling better and out doing work on the layout. I think that is some good therapy. I may do as you suggest and build the helix first and see how my 6 axle locomotives like it. I'll pass on the Trackside Scenery helix. I'm not comfortable with a helix made from gatorboard. I'll probably use 11/32 plywood to cut my sections from.
I appreciate you coming along on the layout adventure. Happy New Year!
The layout is simply amazing thus far and can hardly wait for future updates. I have learned so much from you and look forward to applying this new knowledge to my future layout. Thank you for sharing all of your updates.
Thanks Javier, I appreciate the kind words! I'm always willing to share any knowledge I have that you find useful. I'm looking forward to 2025 and seeing how the layout progresses; I'm optimistic 2025 will be a good year for model railroading. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
I like it, You are doing some nice looking work, you will be getting so real cool stuff done for 2025
Thanks Eric! I'm looking forward to making some additional progress on the layout in 2025. Last year was a good year for the layout and I'd like to see that kind of progress again this coming year. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Scenery looks fantastic! Looking forward to the city section.
Thanks Keith! I'm wanting to get some structures for the city built over the next few months. I think I'll focus on the stonewall section first since I already have several structures ready for that area. I'm eager to get it all to come together but I need to be patient. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Looks great, nice update! I like your division of city and rural. I did something similar - my lower deck is urban/industrial, the upper is rural. I used a mirror in my river scene. Make sure you angle the scenery/obscure the view so that visitors can’t look directly into the mirror and see themselves.
Absolutely beautiful rock work! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Steve! The layout has been very enjoyable to work on. I'm looking forward to what 2025 bring. Thanks for watching!
I just took photos of my RR showing its status. Looking forward to your and my progress in the new year. My RR is 10.5' X 13' . Happy New Year!
Sounds good Ray! I think 2025 is going to be a productive year. Best of luck with your layout and happy new year!
Food for thought- what about having the upper line cross and run in the front and the lower line run towards the back- similar to an over/under figure eight. Would allow for some pretty cool possible interaction moments, and allow the low track to run in and out of tunnels and some more dramatic bridge moments from the top track.
However- great layout and great progress! Looks amazing
I'll have to think about that. When I was designing my track plan, I actually wanted to do something like that. A fly-over would be cool, I'll see if I can find a way to make it work. Thanks for the kind comment on the layout, it's been enjoyable. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
The scene with the three bridges is fantastic as is I would leave it a dry wash but it’s your layout. It’s beautiful I am jealous
Thanks Rick! Nothing is set in stone, so it could stay a dry wash. I won't know until it's time to make a decision. I appreciate the kind words, and thanks for watching. Happy new year!
Great update my friend look forward to seeing more of your updates as it's very interesting you have a couple of nice looking muscle cars my friend very cool well all the best for 2025 I be watching
Thanks Darrin! I have a new addition to the garage that I'll show on Jan 1st. Pretty special and a nice fit for the garage. I hope to have model railroading updates on a regular basis, but I may miss a week here and there because of other projects, but I'll keep at it. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
What's most impressive with your layout, is how disciplined and focused you have been working on it. I so look forward to seeing your city.
Thanks Paul! With my "schedule" over the next 6 months, I hope to get some structures built for the city section in the evenings while working on non-model railroading projects during the day. I think everyone's view of organization is different, but I'd like my entire layout to be brought up scenery level by scenery level. 1) Basic scenery, 2) greenery trees grass bushes, 3) structures and LED lighting, 4) lastly detail items like signals signs etc. I appreciate you coming along on the journey and happy new year!
@@SPSteve I may have a couple of built & painted structures for free for you...They were on the "Lone Pine & Tonopah" seen on YT (Kermit Paul's layout).
Looking good! I’m looking forward to seeing your progress!
Thanks Dan! I'm very optimistic for 2025, I think it'll be another good year for the layout. Best wishes for your modeling endeavors. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
So far, beautiful job blending the layout into the back drop.
Thanks Paul! A little color matching is the key. I appreciate you watching!
All the best to you and your's in the New Year Steve! 🍻
Thanks Mike! Same to you, happy new year! :)
Happy New Year, Steve! Great thought on the helix and removing the foreground "spurs". That made me cringe just thinking about cars and/or locos dropping off the edge. I think you'll enjoy the extra scenery opportunities, too.
Thanks CapnSean! Yes, I really don't like what I currently have, and it needs a major overhaul. I'm thinking of a large flat meadow in the center of the rural area surrounded by mountain cliffs. I agree that redoing the area will make for better scenery. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
Great layout review Steve it’s been a great year of progress. I’ve enjoyed the content I’m new here this year. I have enjoyed your content glad to see your channel grow. Looking forward to 2025 to see the progress on the layout. Have a great rest of your weekend. And the rest of 2024 take care happy modelling 🫵🚂😎 TSM
Thanks Mike! I appreciate all you do for the hobby and I am glad to have you taking a look at my layout. I hope we each enjoy the hobby in 2025 and I'm ready to see what happens! As always, thanks for watching, and happy new year!
Nice update and preview for the future. Though I think your current track plan on the rural side is very nice, if you're going to make changes it's better to do it now than when you've finished scenery. That certainly will be a pretty serious undertaking but you want to feel good about your outcome.
Thanks! I agree now is the time if I'm going to make the changes. I may change my mind between now and June, but changes are coming whether I install a helix or not. We shall see. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
That is an ambitious looking project. It is really coming together nicely.
Thanks! I have my work cut out for me in 2025. I'll be taking the rural section of my layout down to bare benchwork and then building it back up. I'm wanting to try and achieve the illusion of trains leaving and entering the layout by using a helix. I appreciate you watching, happy new year!
Layout looking great looking forward to seeing the progress in the coming months 👍uk
Thanks Paul! I'm eager to keep things moving forward and get some structures built over the next few months. I appreciate you watching and happy new year!
amazing layout
Thanks! Very kind. I appreciate you watching and happy new year to you!
your plan really looks good
Thanks Jerry! I think now is the time to get things corrected to be better suited for what I want to do. I hate going backwards but in the end it will be the right decision. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
I would skip the helix and keep the grade. More interesting for operations (helpers, etc.) and a 26" helix sounds kinda tight for reliability. Regardless, great layout! Keep up the youtubes please. And happy New Year!
Thanks! I appreciate your input, reliability is certainly the highest priority. I hope to have steady model railroading content over the year. I may get bogged down in some other projects at some point but I would like to have weekly updates. Thanks for watching and happy new year!
You have an awesome layout started there
Thanks Charlie! I feel like I got some momentum going in 2024, so I'll try to carry that over to 2025. I appreciate you watching, happy new year!
Great overview!
Thanks! 2024 was a really good year for my layout and I had a lot of enjoyment running trains on it. You also had some good success with your layout in 2024. In 2025 we both need to dig in and keep pushing forward. I appreciate you watching, happy new year!
@SPSteve It's been fun watching and learning from your expert techniques! I'm working on a 2024 progression video of my layout's progress...hoping to have it up by the new year. Good luck to us both!
@@KandWRailroader I'll look forward to watching your video! I'm always glad to share anything I know in the hobby. Things are best when we can all learn from each other where everyone benefits. Bring on 2025! :)
@SPSteve Agreed!
I just had total left shoulder replacement and I won't be able to do anything for a while
That's rough, Jerry. Get well soon. Best of luck to you in 2025.
@SPSteve thank you
Yep