The Evolution of My Model Railroad Hobby
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- Over the years I've had 3 different railroad layouts, and I've changed to three different scale operations trying to find a scale that works best for me. I've settled on On30 but this is the story of my journey to the point I'm at today.
Updates to the layout will be posted on this channel (Alex the Historian), but you can watch progress live streams on my second channel: Alex Adner
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My email: alexthehistorian55@gmail.com
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DISCLAIMER: I am not a University-educated historian, Alex the Historian was a nickname I got while working at Disneyland as a tour guide. After 5 years of using it as a stage name for my channel, it would be detrimental to the channel to suddenly change the name. - บันเทิง
I’m on the same journey right now. Same inspiration! Although, I’m still doing n scale. And HO lol I’m sick. Edit: your Disney railroad video is a HUGE part of my inspiration. One of my favorite videos on TH-cam. I’m not a big fan of what Disney has become, but I love the history and what it used to be. That’s coming from a 27 year old guy.
Those n scale layouts are some of the greatest layouts I’ve seen. And I can’t wait to see the Current layout being complete.
Hi Alex, I am impressed by the description of your journey, the use of traditional model RR techniques (I am an older "traditional" kind of guy) and your calm description of your layout. It is almost "therapeutic". Your descriptions are clear and concise, simple enough for beginners while being challenging enough for mature modelers exploring more realism. Peace be with you, thank you for sharing with the YT RR community, Ciao, L
Ah hah. I'm onto you. You're a model train guy in addition to being a Disneyland freak. We're all the same!!! :)
Coolest thing ever - I didn't know about Walt's train fascination until another railroader told me about that *while* I was riding the train at Disneyland!!! I've since learned much more about Walt's model railroad / live steam adventures. He was just like us!!!
On30 seems pretty ideal for narrow gauge railroading indoors!!!
Funny how things come full circle. After a lifetime of appreciating all types of layouts, including super "serious" layouts, I'm currently *really* appreciating the more Disneyland-style artistic layouts.
I have a 4-part documentary series on my channel about the history and construction of the Disneyland Railroad, you should check it out if you haven't already!
@@AlextheHistorian I'll no doubt be checking it out. Currently listening to a Big Thunder Mountain history video of yours :)
It looks like it is going to be even more beautiful.
I think it will be, yes!
Consider putting capacitors on those lighted passenger cars. They are dirt cheap and will get rid of the flickering. Happy modeling.
A man of many talents.... Thanks for posting.....
I’d love to see more of these types of videos. I’ve just started On30, my fictional railroad is called the “Dowdle Creek RR”.
More videos are on the way :)
Thank-you!
Alex, This was most enjoyable. I have my O scale Marx Allstate from 60 years ago. The cars and a few pieces of tracks and signage are displayed in our living room. My Dad was a railroad man and trains have been a big part of my life. Thank you for sharing!
good job that hobby takes time money & patience..my dad started with o then ho then n scales I ended up with lots of plasticville bldngs and trains in 3 scales..still have them
I know what that's like, I originally inherited a lot of my grandfather's N Scale stuff, I still have his old stuff, I would never part ways with it.
It is people like you who I love seeing take part in this hobby. Not being super picky about detail and realism just getting and running what you love. Happy railroading
Thanks Nevin!
Just thought I might mention that it's possible to have sound without going digital, an ordinary bluetooh speaker will work fine, O. Winston Link's steam sound recordings (plenty more from all over on youtube)make for great ambience.
MRC also made some stand-alone units that are basically two speakers and a remote with buttons to trigger all the various sounds, they turn up from time to time on ebay and the like for reasonable prices. The Symphony 77 was the best in my opinion, as it has the widest variety of sounds, and the chuffing rate can be controlled to match the speed of the train on the layout.
Model in O-27 (old-school Lionel) inside, and G-Scale Live Steam outside, and also a big ocean liner buff, so I've been following the channel with great interest!
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into it!
Nice vedio. You provide very useful information to new model RR builders. Thanks...
Great video! I love your Porter and Forney 😃🚂
Thanks! I like the little engines such as these. More work is happening on this layout!
@@AlextheHistorian Oh awesome! I’m a HUGE 0-4-0, 2-4-0 fan! AND Forneys. Those are my jam. You can see my live steam 3 3/4 Sale Porter Kornut Locomotive named ‘Butter Pig’ on my channel:)
Keep up the great content!
Nice, I'll check it out!
Model railroading is fun. I just got back into it this week ^^
Nice job with the On30 layout! I keep hoping that Bachmann (or somebody) will bring out another 4-4-0 that replicates the typical 8-18C 4-4-0 that was popular on 3ft gauge railroads in the 1800’s (see the locomotive Eureka as a prototype example of this locomotive).
Again, nice work-and I hope that model railroading continues to give you hours of enjoyment…
I have a similar issue with my layout. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment that is part of a formerly single family home divided into a 1 bedroom apartment and four studios. I have space for a roughly 4 x 8 table layout. At the moment I have two Bachmann 2-6-0 C-16 Moguls and a Bachmann 0-4-0 side rod Davenport Gas Mechanical Diesel with a 2-truck Climax on the way. I have a passenger train of two coaches and a combine, one of their 30 something foot boxcars, two 18 foot flat cars, three wood side side-dump ore cars and a Caboose. I have an ore bin, two false front stores (not the ones that go up against a backdrop, but the type of buildings found in Old West towns and many small towns today in Kansas and other western states.) Oh I also have a gallows and a water tower with another water tower due to arrive soon. I switched from HO to N to On30. I have a lot of leftover HO track and am going to used that for my On30's right of way. I have some left over N track too and am going to use some for an On18 mining tram with the ore bin and a scratch built mine hoist house that encloses the shaft.
I am loosely basing my railroad on the real Kansas Central that ran from Leavenworth, Kansas to Miltonvale, Kansas and was a 3 foot gauge railroad from 1871 until the Union Pacific widened the gauge in the early 1890s. I am calling my road the Kansas River and Southern. It will service farms, quarries, ranches and coal mines in Shawnee County and Osage County, Kansas. I won't have tunnels, will have at least two cuts. As a slap in the face to history I am including a Kansas River riverport that will be the main yard of the KR&S. From the riverport the road goes south into Shawnee and Osage Counties to the coal fields south of the Kansas River. In the 1800s this road supplied coal to the riverboats and supplies to the mines, quarries, farms and ranches along its route. Due to my limited space I am using two spurs to represent the route beyond the layout, I have planned in the main yard and one mine spur and the riverboat landing spur where there will be a transfer bin for the side dump cars to dump coal into waiting barges. There is going to be a small town along with the yard to represent the town of Meek (named for Dave Meek of Thunder Mesa Mining fame.) The mine spur represents the coal mining town of Underwood named for Brent Underwood of Ghost Town Living. As to my timeline I am going into the mid-20th Century as the mining of brown coal lasted into the 1960s until the advent of the Clean Air Act (that legislation killed the coal industry of Kansas.)
Update, things have changed as far as plans go. I am now gathering Bachmann EZ track. Currently I have a loop with two turnouts. I am going to build a modification of Plan 1 from Bachmann's MODEL RAILROADING "E-Z" WITH BACHMANN'S EZ TRACK BY ROBERT SCHLEICHER which is now a free to print PDF. I added a 9 inch straight each side and on each leg of the switchback branch. Compared to extruded polystyrene what's the cost of the expanded polystyrene that you used?
Unfortunately I don't remember I purchased it almost 4 years ago when I still lived in California.
this is so cool! thanks for telling us about this during the livestream the other day.
Nice! I still have my model trains but haven't set them up in many years
Thanks!
Great job👍 I also enjoyed that you gave Dave a shout out. Looking forward to watching your progress
How cool! I'm glad you're able to work on it again after the big move! I have a lot of train stuff for H-O. Even a big table-size block of Styrofoam ready to cut! Lots of fun buildings too. This will be my retirement/grandchildren project after my son gets his own place. Right now we have no room for it all. My son learned how to talk with model train and regular train videos. He was completely obsessed with them. Xoxo
For a while I have been thinking of making my own On30 model railroad. This was a very inspiring video and I think I'm gonna do it! Thank you!
Very nice! Thanks.
Keep up the great work!
walt disney love trians n i didn't know u built the train setup very cool
.
I like what you've done so far. You can easily add either a small turntable, or reversing loop (with auto reversing module) that will allow your train to travel in either direction on your layout. You'll be amazed at how simple it is, and your layout will be much more interesting to run. Also I would advise that the layout be elevated to between 40 and 55 inches above the floor. This change automatically makes the layout appear more 'real' because you will be looking 'into it' instead of 'down on it'. These are some simple and inexpensive things that will give you much more enjoyment and 'USE' out of your RR.
Happy railroading !!!!!!
KYLE CREEL
SUPT., GM BGRR
an On30 project
Thanks Kyle for the kind words!
Definitely some wise suggestions for other modelers, but I've very carefully planned out everything on the layout. The dimensions can be deceiving. There is no room for a turntable without either sacrificing the town, the mountain, or the engine house, and to be honest I like the trains traveling in a clockwise direction. As for the height of the layout, I chose the height it's at because it doesn't block my TV (the layout sits just under the tv), as well as having the layout so low allows me to easily reach over its 4 foot depth which works wonders during landscaping. And because I prefer to sit down when doing operations, the layout appears just below eye-level for me when I'm sitting.
If I decide to display the layout in a train show in the future, taller legs can be fitted underneath the bench work, as it's designed to be removable for transportation
The layout is shaping up just how I envisioned it 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I love your ocean liner videos as I have been a ship nerd from an early age and like you, the model railroading bug has been with me since I was probably 3 or 4. I’ve built two HO layouts but both are dismantled now….I still have tons of locomotives and rolling stock projects packed away and I never stopped buying :) I mainly model 1970-1980s Southern Pacific and DRGW. Keep up the great work on these videos…your style is great and very relaxing to view
Thank you!
I had the bacmann n scale union pacific set with the 4-4-0 when I was a kid lol, I also had one of those huge life like Ho sets that came with the scenery paper and everything, which ended up bring my ony layout ever. That might change though.
Also had a bunch of Tyco, bachmann and other brands of trains.
Also had G scale electric set that was made by new bright that despide being 2 rail was 18v AC
Movies like Cassandra crossing, and von ryans express got me curious about european trains. Which is what I buy now mostly.
Also had the early EZ tech G gauge train Service express which was 49mhz and was much better than the post 2003 27mhz versions with lesser quality sound. Also had the later versions in fact i have one now.
I know nothing about model trains but I love this!
Great video Alex. Can’t wait to see the finished product of the new layout.
Great layouts, Alex. I kitbashed some N-scale Brill trolleys, added a modern motor and DCC decoder and made my own S.F. Cable Cars. I've been planning for 30 years and finally have a city in 36x44 inches. I'm working on getting the turntable and Nob Hill chain driven hill climb going.
That sounds awesome! If you ever get a chance, I'd like to see some pictures of your progress!
I know purists will scoff but I really like your idea of a fictional historical railroad. I have wanted to do something somewhat similar but in N scale. Similar to your idea it would be a fictional steam railroad doing historic excursions in the modern day, only featuring my favorite large, late steam era, standard gauge locomotives in an Appalachian setting.
Locomotives like Hudsons, Mikados, and even a UP FEF 4-8-4 (my favorite all time steam locomotive). If I were to ever get a large enough space for a layout I would fancy an Allegheny and a Big Boy as well of course. I'm just a sucker for big powerful steam locos so for a practical layout I will need to stick to N scale. My experience with Kato's Union Pacific 4-8-4 is that it runs quite smooth and is very strong but it is a large locomotive and requires more gentle curves and of course has significantly more pick up wheels. Very pricey too but I digress.
Unfortunately though modelling trains just isn't in the cards for me right now and i no longer have a layout or any locos or rolling stock. So I'm glad to see you are enjoying the hobby, I know how much enjoyment it brings.
Modeling the larger steam engines definitely runs smoother. I once had a Mikado and it ran very well. But I tend to prefer the smaller engines like 4-4-0s or smaller and it just became impossible to keep doing N scale.
Very nice, Alex! That looks like a fun layout. I'm a model railroader myself. I'm looking forward to seeing this develop!
i admire the meticulous detail people put into miniatures. your railroad is going to look great! :)
Wonderful work on your project 😊
Man, that was a long comment I wrote. Of you don’t know what to say in reply, a ❤️ will be ok. I’m not sure you read in some previous comments that I’m very autistic. At my age of 30 now I’m beginning to slightly mature. I take all the necessary pills needed to help me control myself. But I’m more an open book. In other words open to friendship on social media. And still if you prefer to be private I respect that as well. Let’s just agree to enjoy our love for trains, Disney history, and Ocean liners like Queen Mary and Titanic. While I enjoy the modern cruise ships for vacationing. I hope you continue to enjoy your apartment. I might get one too. Adjacent to my current house.
Enjoyed the video very much thanks DD.
Thanks very much for replying to my comment. That's the great part about the hobby sharing ideas and learning new ideas from other people to improve our Channel's so l have like and subscribe to your channel too .Stay safe DD.
Thank you!
@@AlextheHistorian Your welcome Alex.
Great video, Alex! I was wondering about the trestle- I watched a bit of your build video and saw when you began to repair it, then didn't see it behind you on the livestreams... so I actually wondered if you had given up! So glad to see it's still there. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!
On my live streams you guys are seeing the other side of the table
@@AlextheHistorian Yes- I see that now lol
Great video. Interesting history coupled with a nice tale of resilience and persistence. Can’t wait to see this layout evolve. Well done.
Thanks!
Your layouts show a lot of skill and craftsmanship, even the ones you said you weren't happy with. I started collecting N scale stuff nearly a decade ago but never got around to building a full layout. Hoping to get back into it at some point.
Thanks!
Quite a labor of love! Your passion for all topics you bring to TH-cam is very impressive!
Thanks!
I love the Bachmann Forney locomotives. They look just like B. & S. R./ B. & H. R./ Edaville #7 and #8.
This is very inspiring Alex!
Thanks!
Nice work so far. I have a On30 layout which has been in several magazines and I love O scale narrow gauge!
Love your setup! Nothing like a narrow gauge steam railroad! I’m actually working on models of the Disneyland locomotives and cars in 1:55 scale (using HO track to represent 3’ gauge, very similar to On30). I was originally considering HOn3, but similar to you, I decided working with a bigger scale would be more cost efficient and easier to work with. Anyways, can’t wait to see your layout continue to grow and evolve!
Such a cool video!
Amazing layouts, much better than my o gauge layout by far.
Thank you, honestly, layouts are more difficult than they seem at first. You end up learning a lot along the way
@@AlextheHistorian sometimes I believe you learn more from a model railway than you do at school.
That was a joke.
Cool video Alex. I want to build one someday like this. The wife says I have enough toys! Never! I love the little building and road you did. Creative.
Super great job on the model rail road, I would make one suggestion, use a capacitor across each led light in the cars to smooth out the flickering, you are going to have to experiment with different values to see what works the best. Nice work Fellow (CM)
Alex, I would love to come see this layout some day as I live just 3 hours away in Bend, OR. My father and I built a layout in our basement that is 15x35 HO scale, modeling the great NW logging industry. Modeling S.P&S (Spokane, Portland & Seattle). We have upgraded to DCC and run the trains from our phones. We have operating sessions if you're ever interested in operating, it would be a pleasure to have you by the layout in Salem, OR. Feel free to message me and we can connect in the near future. - Blair
enjoyed this video
cool with the train...
I love this!!
Your a epic 3d artist
lol thank you!
@@AlextheHistorian No problem!
Great video Alex. I remember getting my own N scale Disney trains, it’s what got me interested in you. I mean, you called out to me first when you saw that video. Until you told me you enjoy your privacy because of your schizo effect. So now I respect it all. And this video is making me enjoy your own ways of model railroading. I do prefer N scale all the way. However I did get large scale models of Ward Kimballs Emma Nevada from Bachmann and the Chloe from LGB. I also felt the need to get models of 2 Nevada native Narrow gauge wood burning steam locomotives that recently visited the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. There names are Eureka and Glenbrook. I’m sure you heard of them. And that Eureka and Palisade #4 “Eureka is privately owned by Las Vegas resident Dan Markoff. And the Glenbrook being a relatively recent restoration at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City NV. Well I have them. And I love them. I also managed to get an On30 model of ET&WNC 4-6-0 #12. An over 100 year old stable on the Tweetise Railroad in Blowing Rock NC. I also got a large scale mode of #12 in Tweetsie Railroad colors. Even though it was supposed to be part of a set, I ended up getting the locomotive online. Still like it very much. As of today I’m done collecting large scale model trains. And continuing my focus on N scale between modern steam locomotives and modern Diesel locomotives. Finally, if you are wondering, yes. I do still have my N scale Disneyland Railroad starter set with EP Ripley and the Retlaw 1 passenger train, as well as CK Holiday with his Retlaw 2 freight train. I even managed to snag an N scale model of Carolwood Pacific #173 the Lilly Belle from Walt Disneys Carolwood Pacific Railroad. And it’s a gorgeous model. Glad you still enjoying your On30 layout. It’s truly been missed. I had no idea you moved. And ever since you moved you’ve been talking more about historical Ocean Liners like Queen Mary and Titanic. And who doesn’t like the 1997 Titanic movie. And thanks to you and many other viewers we know the difference between and Ocean Liner and today’s modern Cruise ship.
yup HO was tuff, that is why I blew up the whole set when I was a kid, lol
delivering a promise to watch some of your older videos. Is that a 4' x 8' board? I had one that size in HO that my dad built with me as a very young kid in the 1970s. I spent hours working with it.
Lol this video isn't that old it was only posted the other day. Also yes, it's 4' x 8'
Awesome I built an on30 layout a few years ago. But moved and had to give it away unfortunately
I need to find some old pics and share it
@@charvelgaming2975 Yeah I'd like to see it, if you find them, email them to me!
Welcome to portable!
Kris broke the bridge LOL
Yes he did! That little pipsqueak!
LOL!
Looking forward to see the next update!
e p i c
My wish it’s make a O scale train layout of a fictional route
I have alot of ho scale and some n scale but I don't have a layout so instead I go to a train club and soon I want to build either an n scale or ho scale layout. Also, I don't think your first n scale layout was that bad, I would definitely buy it
It caused constant derailments and had very poor power distribution, it was pretty much useless especially if you had long trains because the inclines were at 4%
@@AlextheHistorian new track plus some Kato engines and cars (plus Kato track) and I bet the layout would be a temporary layout
Great work Alex! This is extremely impressive, especially your attention to detail. I was wondering if you plan to continue updating your D.H.T videos? I noticed you remade many of them but a few like Pirates and the Jungle Cruise are yet to be done (unless I’m mistaken). Any thoughts on this? Your work on this channel is greatly appreciated!
Thanks Francisco! Yes I still plan to remake the rest of the Disneyland videos, but I'm doing it slowly because they get so little views
I hope to start building my next layout it be a locomotive depo layout losiey based on the broadmedow depo in nsw
Hi Alex. Quick question where did you get your C.K Holiday and Forney locomotive that was shown in the video.
The C.K. Holliday was a limited edition sold at Disneyland back in 2010. My father went to Disneyland and bought it for me as a birthday present back then.
I bought the Forney on eBay.
Honestly i dont think you should cringe at your 2015 railroad, i think it looks very good and i dont even think i can even make it so maybe look at it as a special railroad and use it as from where you started and now where you are
i agree on the sound effects i have personally dont care for them.
On30 without sound? NNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!😂😂😂😂😂
Can you post a link to your new youtube showing your current layout and updates?
Updates will be on the Alex the Historian channel. Live Streams will be on the Alex Adner channel:
th-cam.com/channels/efemtHTDLlb84xbr1iGg_A.html
Make a lake underneath made of epoxy!
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Hey I own hornby and Bachmann!
All my On30 equipment is Bachmann :)
Where did you get the locomotives, carts (forgot the word), rails with gravel under them and stuff?
eBay
What track planner u use ?
It was called AnyRail
now do the Northeast Corridor, do it
ok maybe that will be painful
1/48 scale On30 is gauge.
THERES A THIRD ENGINE TO BE SEEN AT 7:19 can you please tell us about it ?
It was the engine that came with my passenger coaches. Unfortunately that engine was not properly cared for, the previous owner greased it with a really heavy duty grease that has the consistency of a soft gummy candy, and for an engine this small, that grease is like glue. I tried everything I could to remove it and make the engine functional but it was no use. I had to throw the engine away when I moved from California to Oregon.
Where did you get the track from
Hey Alex have you heard of dcc sound for model railroading? I have a dcc sound Model Metrolink train set in ho
Yeah I mentioned it in the video. Converting the layout to digital isn't worth it for me, too expensive, and time consuming. And all just for sound effects. It's not a big deal for me
@@AlextheHistorian true
T r a i n
Dude your into chu chu trains
Indeed! chugga chugga choo choo
I have a Kato japanese commuter train and a Tomix freight set in n scale, I'd alo like to get a life like little joe just for nostalgia, along with another bachmann old timer set too.
In Ho i have to stick with Roco and piko and mostly sine liiput and trix is overpriced for some of the 1970s era stuff they still make. I will not pay 130.00 with shipping and tax included for a set of 3 german boxcars that were first launched in 1978, (appears in the pld international Modelleisenbahn books)in Ho.
Can you make more videos of your models
A video is already on the way
My dad chose N scale all because of the space in his basement.
If you going to try to make a cliff face somewhere on your layout would recommend this video then. th-cam.com/video/3d1U2HA7dXQ/w-d-xo.html
First
Nice job with the On30 layout! I keep hoping that Bachmann (or somebody) will bring out another 4-4-0 that replicates the typical 8-18C 4-4-0 that was popular on 3ft gauge railroads in the 1800’s (see the locomotive Eureka as a prototype example of this locomotive).
Again, nice work-and I hope that model railroading continues to give you hours of enjoyment…