The BEST things I have done for my Model Railroad
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2024
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“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
For the Lord will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
Don’t fret because of evildoers;
don’t envy the wicked.”
Proverbs 24: 16-19 NLT - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
![[SUB] 베몬이 교관님 멘탈을 탕탕 후루후루~٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ FOREVER 웃게 되는 갓기들의 수련회 | 돌들의침묵 | BABYMONSTER(베이비몬스터) 'FOREVER'](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FISAO7BwIxE/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm still drinking folders coffee. I have plenty of it.😁☕️
When I moved, I spent a lot of time on dis-assembly and trying to save track. Now 25yrs later I'm finally rebuilding, I have saved SO much $$$ by already having so much track.
Kato is definitely the best manufacturer for n scale trains
Scenics breaks and a run around track are also two of my favorites. I love lighting and running trains in the dark. Dark + scenic breaks + lighting = Heaven.
One of the best decisions I made was the layout height. At 57” high it is at eye level and the buildings tower over me just like in real life.
Hi Jimmy, my favourite improvement I have made to my layout was ripping up all the buildings adding fine details to them and adding light (building lights and street lights). Really change the atmosphere of my layout. All the best Anthony
I agree decent length run around loops and scenic breaks. Keep up the good work. Cheers Peter.
Kato was the importer of Atlas track into Japan. This was when they had fiber ties. He made track with plastic ties with spikes and wood grain on the ties. Atlas then up graded to Snap Track.
I work with the idea of "on purpose delay" on my model railroad. It is also a small railroad, so whenever a train is blocked by a scenic brake, I delay the train on purpose by stopping it. This makes the trip a lot longer, and I can use it in operations to extend the time schedule. The delay can be automated using an Arduino and some contacts. Also, make sure to be able to turn off the delay entirely when you just need a train to run around the layout without the added delay.
Jimmy, thank you for sharing this. It helps me prioritize the layout construction. Ran out of coffee at home, went to Dunkin to pick up a coffee to go on my way to work this morning.
Track easements and super elevation are two of the best things. Third would be switching to actual rock ballast, much easier and more realistic.
My best model railroad improvement was standardizing on Micro Trains couplers.
Start, would probably be the best thing I could do right now.
Mr Bean cold brew.
As I enjoy some Kirkland Signature Colombian Supremo Coffee, I think that the best thing I've done on my diorama is to remember to snap some build photos as new elements go in and post them to an ongoing story board in google slides doc. And although I've not been working on this current layout for that long, its still satisfying to scroll back and revisit the nitty gritty effort of what is simply 'just there' now on the table.
I've worked in 2 scales to date (and starting on a third), HO scale, and Lego, or L-gsuge.
I love my HO stuff, it's all very intricate and detailed, but... I found that the level of detsil to complete a railway really held me back.
The lego stuff... I have some showpieces, but... if I want to run some trains, I throw together some track, throw a train on it, and pump some power into the track. End of. A layout can last for a ges or a few hours.
I do have some very detailed pieces too, but... it's easier to just do another layer when the creativity strikes, as it never feels half-finished, it just... exists.
The best thing I have done on my layout is scratch building or kit bashing my buildings or industrial parks. I mount them on aluminum sheet so I can detail them on the bench much easier on the bench than bending over the layout. Yes, I have been told scratch building in N Scale is hard, but when someone asks what kit is that? One of a kind. I use buildings, also as a view block. Kato unitrack does have an issue, the length of track, why Kato does not make a 3FT section, since it is a Japanese CO. Most modelers there do not have the room for longer runs. What I do is solder the 9" pieces together in 3' straights skip a track piece for expansion, all my 180 curves I do the same. In my yards I use code 55 Peco track makes it look longer and next to the main sets it out.
Love your videos! One of the best things I did for my current layout is to have a staging yard in an adjoining room.
I started with DC, but I wired it strong so it could easily go DCC, and I have since gone DCC. I started the DCC by getting simple drop in 6pin decoders for my Atlas switchers. I also don’t know a thing about arduinos and programming, so I got Digitrax. I liked the handheld controller and wanted to be able to move around (like at a club), so I got a step up and not the zephyr. Lastly, using AnyRail had been great for planning because it shows me what’s actually possible. I went with Peco turnouts and flex track. I was told by many people about Kato Unitrak, but I didn’t like having to fit to pre shaped curves and sections and wanted to do it myself. It’s been great.
I go kato mainline but yards are a combo of flextrack and peco switches- it’s more compact and a but more dynamic in small spaces than kato
Best thing I’ve done on my layout is do modular industries, where i can pull out a section of my layout to add detail to an industry and then just reconnect a quick connect and everything is back to the way it was. Really really handy especially when you do switching to pull the building out a few inches to give yourself more room to operate in then put everything back for realistic operation
The best has been getting on with the build in order to learn. Have done four layouts and learned a whole lot each time. The last two were Kato for the reasons you mentioned in this video, but by building layouts, I learned a whole lot about wiring, scenery, buildings, roads, trees, backdrops, etc. etc. etc.!!! Now on retirement with more time for the hobby, I will use scenic breaks for sure in the layout I am planning. Will also try super trees as well as I want to add more variety to the types of trees on my layout and they also look like great foreground trees because of the 'natural' feel. Thanks for sharing this video!
Unitrack... Anyrail for track planning... Bought a used ESU ECoS 50210 command station 2 years ago... Jimmy's puffball trees... Just to name a few things I have incorporated into my layout. Thanks Jimmy for all the great ideas and instructions over the last couple of years.
Ron
Drinking Starbucks Yukon Blend this AM.
I still consider myself a beginner model railroader (N scale), but the best things I've done are learning to build my own turnouts from scratch using code 55 rail and servos and arduinos to control them, switching over to DCC EX (thanks for your videos on this!), and using 2" extruded foam insulation for my benchwork. The foam is easier than ply to work with and it seems sturdy enough.
I'm still a beginner on structures and scenery.
Your build is what inspired me to lengthen my run-around track, it was only a couple feet, but now it's about six feet of track. I also have two diamonds and a bridge where the tracks cross over themselves to make it seem bigger.
I drink Blue Horse Kona. Im also starting to make a "layout" orher than a simple loop with the mini diorama kits.
Hi Jimmy, I enjoy your videos so much, you inspire me. You are much more advanced then I am but a give you a great big THANK YOU.
I got lucky on marketplace I found digitrax 51 system for $80. My dcc units got in lot buys and train shows. even picked up bachmann with dcc for $10 that I put in a bnsf Gp 40-2 3001 that I got for Xmas. Cpl yrs ago. I have cpl old school atlas dcc engines n&w & DT&I . Have several more now the most I paid was $50. For a nice athreans. Great video BTW.
I have quite a collection of n scale kato uni-track, even double crossovers. For my soon to be built layout. Thank You for what you do Sir
Kato track is hard to beat. It's what keeps my tablebahn going round...
The only two other quality bedded systems I know of are from: Tomix, and Fleischmann. (The Fleischmann actually having a bedded flextrack.) But the fleischmann and tomix are of a much lower profile than the Kato track.
An interesting in-between solution is the use of Peco code 55 n track with merkur-styroplast. You get the bedded look with much less hassle. I've seen this used a lot in european layouts. But it is a more permanent solution that 100% pre-bedded track.
The best thing i have done for my layout is as mentioned above, using Sanborn maps of the prototype as a basis for the general track plan and then embracing the "less is more" approach so there is room for scenery and distance between elements of the layout
Just curious. I heard you mention in past videos that you grew up in NS county. Were did you grow up. I am a retired carman from NS. I worked in Norfolk.
@@mikepoindexter9849 I grew up in Calif along the ATSF and UP lines (one on either side).
Your channel ... Just what the doctor ordered !!!
100% agree with the Kato Unitrack. I've used it for my entire basement layout and it's wonderful. I actually mentioned the reasons i use it in a previous video and recommended newbies start with it for its easy, flexibility, and reliability. Same goes for Super Trees - there's not a better product available for deciduous trees.
I started by collecting a bunch of atlas snap track and am wishing it was kato unitrack.
My coffee is usually Java monster, Irish blend when I can find it. Otherwise, it's the Loco moca with Irish cream
In my mind, the best thing I've done is based track planning on the prototype I'm modeling. Any good mapping app that lets you measure the distance between two points is needed. How you compress the various parts to fit your space is up to you, but in the end, you get a slice of your prototype somewhat to scale.
I am drinking Four Sigmatic Think Coffee! I made the decision to go Kato after discovering your channel ! I have finally glued my mainline down and working on yard now!!
I am drinking Gevalia, it's dark but it's smooth. If I was running my trains at this time. I would be a smooth operator! 😁 😇
i havent started building it yet. i dont have anything yet either...except a plan. my track plan goes from one corner of my room past two others and stops just short of the fourth where it turns around to go back. basically it loops from one end to the other. so total length would be about 30 to 35 feet. a lot of that will be narrow (like a shelf) so as not to interfere with the use of the room (living room). it goes from a 4x4 table, behind a sofa then window, and under the bottom step of my staircase then up onto the bottom shelf of a to-be-built- tv stand. whats holding me back is my next purchase. if i buy the train or all the track or the wood to build my tables then im committed. until then i can change my mind to build or not to build. im not a project type guy and am new to model trains so this will be a "daunting" task to me. money isnt the issue. buying what i truly want and will enjoy is. im worried about buying something then wishing id bought different.
Great ideas. I've been incorporating many of them. I went to NCE for my DCC, and sometime this winter I'll get Engine Driver and Decorder Pro installed and working. I used Atlas snap track as its the cheapest and most readily available. I got very good at track laying and shimming when I added a last minute expansion.
This video, as most of your videos, was full of great information for someone about to start their first layout. Starbucks Pike Place-I buy it in bulk from the grocery store.
Very very good video. Great ideas. I never made the leap to DCC. I figured that I could run three cabs so for my size of layout that is enough to entertain me. (Assuming the transformer I have still works). (It has a diode that can be a problem. I plan on having large industries that will have their own mini yards. Feel that would be realistic. Cheers and take care. Drinking Breakfast Blend with heavy cream.
Having some Victor Allen's French Roast this morning. Everyone certainly has their opinion on track. We went with Peco flex track and turnouts (HO scale) and I would not use anything else as of right now. What we like with the flex track is that there are fewer joints in the track, and custom curves.
Some great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Biggest advantage of Kato is you get to overpay for every component without any of the pesky new technology.
Folgers coffee and building a sorting yard with turn table with a round house. My HO is in a 9' X 10' space. DCC and 8 trains double tracked in 50's Santa Fe. Diesel and Steam locomotives. Modest but extremely detailed.
They call me Choo Choo Magoo!
Mornin Jimmy, Nantucket Blend here (as usual). The best thing I have done is going from a loop (which the new layout can still do) to operations. Even by myself, operations has opened new opportunities that I had only heard about. Still learning, but man, operations can be fun and a challenge!!
Building layouts in SCARM with unitrack has been very valuable. I jumped to DCC using DCC-EX and it's been great. 🎉
Great video Jimmy. Kato stuff was not available to me when I started. I have about 35 metres of flextrack which is great in it's way but in retrospect I wish I had been able to follow your lead. One of the best things for me is your puffball trees. They work!
I love the puffball trees. Once I finally got round to making some (following Jimmy's instructions) I was amazed at how much they added to my tiny layout.
I see been on a Dutch Bro's binge since they opened in my town. My improvements was to watch your video and building my first DCC-EX system. It was the first update I did to my EZ Commander setup and have built many more DCC++ wireless systems but still use my original system.
Agree with you about the kato track, yeah maybe its not scale, but its flawless, and if you got imagination you can come up with some neat stuff with it. Keep up the great work!
I agree with some of the Items you mentioned, especially the SuperTrees and scenic breaks. Since you went the DIY route on your DCC system, I would like to encourage you to look into LCC and see if the DIY route on OpenLCB would be something you could find useful on your layout. My layout is still in build but implementation of reversing loops of a doggone vs. a circle of track makes a majority of my layout feel more realistic and if I have an open house, I can have trains run back n forth between the reversing loops. - Jason
I'll second the consideration of LCC/OpenLCB. In January at the Amherst show there will be a few new LCC products being demoed, including a CS offering 5A+ output. At the NMRA show in Long Beach I'll also be bringing a layout that is fully LCC controlled using a mix of DCC and LCC locomotives
I'm a big fan of (hidden) reversing loops at either end of a dogbone. Operationally, it's a point-to-point and more prototypical, but you retain the continuous running... which for me is a HUGE motivator while working on the layout. - (also) Jason
Dear Jimmy, still am in the planning and research phase. So, at the very moment I got no trains running yet. Haven’t let it set me back, in the mean time, I’ve been building loads of scratch-built structures, water towers and trees. Trees in all kinds of forms and methods. One of the best things until now, is to exchange the white glue for Matte Medium, which makes any modeled greenery much more durable. For the track plan(s) I started with using WinRail, but found it too restricted, switched to AnyRail and I-Train and am currently getting into Templot to configure and build my own track. That step into Templot is really amazing, where it provides opportunities to align and configure track in way more intricate ways than any other software. Especially where it provides modeling parameters to configure channeled concrete track inside tunnels and/or high speed track. That kind of roadbed simply isn’t available. As I’m mainly modeling subways this roadbed is one of the eye catching features on the visual parts of the layout. Cheerio
Scenic "brakes" should be scenic "breaks". We all tend conflate words with identical pronunciations while touch typing because our brains are imperfect recall devices and the rules of spelling are simply arbitrary in English. Great channel but what you deem to be simple DCC conversions for old-non DCC trains are hardly easy or cheap given the tools, skills and knowledge required to complete such. Still, a wonderful channel which is chocked full of useful information for even those of us who have been at it on and off for 50 plus years.
This is great! What about the worst thing you have done?
I have don’t and bought many I could stooped and started overed.
I built a dcc++ base station with Arduino Mega abd the makergab WiFi shield. It didnt work because of the WiFi shield. A man in the facebook offered to fix the problem with the WiFi shield shot a video of it working.
Tim Hortons k-cup ☕️
I am in the planning stages of building an O-Gauge setup. Starting from scratch, is it advisable to start with a starter set, such as a Lionel Legacy system, or less expensive Pennsylvania Flyer LionChief 0-8-0 set...then use the box cars from the LionChief set and upgrade to a nicer Legacy/Vision locomotive later? Maybe too many questions haha
DCCEX...but doesn't play well with ESU decoders????
Peet's Major Dickanson's but really any Peet's dark roast...
Jose’s Organic May😮an Blend
1850's Pioneer Blend
Cafe Bustelo Espresso style
Folgers!!
When are you starting the new layout?
I’m going to have some interesting news about that soon.
Looking forward to it, and I hope its bigger! You need and deserve a mega layout! Any hints please? Im a longtime and loyal sub @@DIYDigitalRailroad
@@TheNorthwestWind well I may be going modular so there’s no limit!
NICE NICE! If I may suggest - have your main layout as firmly established, and then design your modules to attach - so you always have something to run on, that you can expand at will with the modules! @@DIYDigitalRailroad
super trees look great, but seems everyone is currently sold out......
That is a problem. I ended up having to post an email alert on EBay and finally after a month or more I was able to get some
The only change i made was to plug in my power supply. Neirher my phone nor my tablet that i bought for the train would connect to the base station. Despite the fact that it worked before. So thats it I AM OUT. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN DC GOOD BYE!
I don't drink coffee
Eating ham
Folgers in my cup this morning, finally broke down and went DCC, best move for sure. Couple of pot holes @ 5.44 eh! Lol
i agree with you i replaced all my flex with kato love kato products