“I’m not an artist, but I did stay at a holiday inn express once.” Amazing haha seriously love all of your videos. Very inspiring. I’m just building a 2.5’x4.5’ layout and god looking at yours makes me wish I had more space. But I’m happy I can build anything. Awesome to see how far the layout has come from these older videos till now too
the one thing i've learned is that no matter how much space you have - it's not enough. there's always a desire for one more piece of track, one more car, one more locomotive. it's the struggle of the hobby - it becomes a collection that far surpasses the reasonable amount of space in any home. if you're in n scale, 2.5x4.5 offers a lot of opportunities.
@ I certainly can see that. It started with a box not much larger than a shoe box with a few locos and cars and track that I had for years and recently it evolved into quite a few boxes. It’s been great getting into the hobby “for real” though I haven’t done it since I was a kid barely able to handle HO scale stuff. I feel like it’s a good size for me to see what I’m really taking on and make some mistakes when it’s not going to be catastrophic. And if I make it look good enough I can probably justify using some more home space for it haha And it’s definitely enough space for me to run a train around and also do some switching at the same time so what more could I ask for
Love the scenic background at 6:00 mark. Modeling for the camera compared to modeling for in person viewing is always rewarding when the camera is recording. Nice work!
Just seeing this and glad I came across it. The backdrop is well done. You are correct, there are no late fall backdrops commercially available so I too, may be forced to create my own. Nice work.
thanks. some days i like it, some days i don't. when i get bored with other things i go back and try to putz around with it a bit and see if i can get it better. the sponge technique is nice because as long as you control how high you go with the colors, you're not really concerned if your 'art' is to-scale. i'm going to redo the winter trees. in the photos ive seen recently, pine trees in the snow don't look green, they're black and gray and everything else is just white.
Have you heard of the Heartland Corridor? Intermodal double stack freight from Norfolk, VA to Chicago, IL via COLUMBUS, OH. Several stack trains a day with intermodal terminals along the route. NS is the primary mover.
Absolutely fantastic, I’m from the uk and I’m new to model railway and I’m happy I’ve bought American locos and stumbled onto your quality content channel 👍 I’ve subscribed
Very nicely executed layout. I especially like the snowy winter scenery at the start. I noticed one fallen tree, which I assume was intentional and a good idea. You're right about couplers. Frustrating to replace but the consistent coupling is essential to a good-running layout. Your backdrop is better than mine!
Excellent scenery, love what you are doing, like to see snow scenery too, nice staging yard. Looking foward to seeing more....thanks for sharing....Jack 👍
Great layout & great operations. My N scale model railroad the Pacific West Coast now has 85 freight cars, most couplers are the Microtrains knuckle type. My most recent additions are Bachmann freight cars, caboose & 2 Bachmann & 1 Atlas diesel locomotive. I will be having the Rapido couplers changed over to Microtrains. If it can’t as it might be the older Bachmann freight cars & locomotives it will become a display train. My Kato locomotives work great & are better than the Bachmann which need to be repaired.
If you've seen some of my other videos, you know I love MicroTrains couplers and wheelsets. I don't think there's a better option out there. Kato, Atlas, ScaleTrains, Fox Valley - those are all premium locos - great gearing and motors and the detail, although varies between the manufacturers, is all pretty decent. I will tell you, I have one of the Bachmann DCC Sound on Board locos in CSX and it's nicely details with a lot of fine parts, has very basic sounds, but they're nice, and the motor runs excellently - even at slow speeds. (I did a video on it, if you want to see it.) So before you discount Bachmann, their higher end stuff is pretty nice.
Modeler's License! haha Plus setting up a harbor/port scene gives your intermodal's a new, distant destination from WPA/WV/VA area. This looks amazing! Cannot wait to see where this is going. Subscribed!
Love those backscenes you've painted. Very effective. With the couplers, I agree that micro trains are the most reliable. With Kato even with a whole train of Kato stock they are difficult to couple together and easily uncouple if you compress the cars together when reversing.
oh yes I have a couple Kato P42s and Amtrak coaches. The layout has several curves on grade and those couplers just wait for the loco to kick a little bit or sometimes, if I have the train crawling down the hill, the weight of the train pushing on the loco forces them apart on the curves. But not always. It's annoying. They're getting Microtrains, too!
Thanks. I'm glad you like the way it's coming along. Some days I love it, some days I don't. Take your time and keep watching youtube stuff - just don't be afraid to try something. Remember, it can always redone if you don't like it!
Body mount is the way to go - especially if you're going to run long pushing operations during switching, attempt to 'kick' cars in the yard, or running distributed or helper services..
it's a shame, especially when you get their bulk packs for $100 and you end up with four or five cars that don't stay on the tracks. i'm staying away from Athearn until they address this issue. I've never had that issue with Atlas, Microtrains, Intermountain, etc...
"but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once". LOL, it obviously worked for you, I'll have to try that myself. Great job. I have also installed Micro-Trains couplers on my Kato locomotives after noticing that they "didn't play well with others". One question, what is your minimum height difference between levels?
It's going to be a really tight 12.5" between decks at the highest location at the future harbor. The section that's already built is about 14.5". I might leave the Kato on the Amtrak stuff only because it's all Kato so they work ok together, but I'm tired of trying to back up into Kato couplers and then having to handle the cars to get them to couple correctly.
Awesome! The railroad is really coming along. Good to see you have a section of the second level up. Can I ask how wide it is from wall to front and also what the inches are between levels? Thank you so much. I really enjoyed this video.
The lower level changes in elevation a bit, but I try to keep them about 15" apart. The upper level is built at 19" wide, 24" long sections screwed together for easily disassembly should I ever move.
@@AlleghenyNorthern Well it looks fantastic. I’m just getting into the hobby. Always wanted to, but now finally in a position to start. I just started laying out my first layout, so I’m pretty excited. I’m excited to see how yours ends up.
I purchased all three at various train shows. The first two are from Atlas, an SD60 and a U23. The third is a Kato SD40-2. All were purchased for about $60 each at the show and then upgraded with Digitrax decoders from modeltrainstuff.com.
Welcome to the channel! So this line is fictitious but it's loosely based on the Western PA, West Virginia coal hauling routes. Norfolk Southern is the primary road for the lower deck and CSX for the upper deck connected by an interchange which uses Wheeling and Lake Erie motive power. There's also lots of leased power running around so don't be surprised to see BN, UP, and other flags flying.
I feel ya on the background issues. I had to roll my own. You can see them here. conrail1285.com/january-2017-update/ Shoot me an email and I'll be happy to hook you up.
nice layout. very enjoyable to watch the trains and see what you have done.
“I’m not an artist, but I did stay at a holiday inn express once.” Amazing haha seriously love all of your videos. Very inspiring. I’m just building a 2.5’x4.5’ layout and god looking at yours makes me wish I had more space. But I’m happy I can build anything. Awesome to see how far the layout has come from these older videos till now too
the one thing i've learned is that no matter how much space you have - it's not enough. there's always a desire for one more piece of track, one more car, one more locomotive. it's the struggle of the hobby - it becomes a collection that far surpasses the reasonable amount of space in any home. if you're in n scale, 2.5x4.5 offers a lot of opportunities.
@ I certainly can see that. It started with a box not much larger than a shoe box with a few locos and cars and track that I had for years and recently it evolved into quite a few boxes. It’s been great getting into the hobby “for real” though I haven’t done it since I was a kid barely able to handle HO scale stuff. I feel like it’s a good size for me to see what I’m really taking on and make some mistakes when it’s not going to be catastrophic. And if I make it look good enough I can probably justify using some more home space for it haha And it’s definitely enough space for me to run a train around and also do some switching at the same time so what more could I ask for
Love the scenic background at 6:00 mark. Modeling for the camera compared to modeling for in person viewing is always rewarding when the camera is recording. Nice work!
Good video. Love the closing scene with the passing trains. Thanks.
Just seeing this and glad I came across it. The backdrop is well done. You are correct, there are no late fall backdrops commercially available so I too, may be forced to create my own. Nice work.
thanks. some days i like it, some days i don't. when i get bored with other things i go back and try to putz around with it a bit and see if i can get it better. the sponge technique is nice because as long as you control how high you go with the colors, you're not really concerned if your 'art' is to-scale. i'm going to redo the winter trees. in the photos ive seen recently, pine trees in the snow don't look green, they're black and gray and everything else is just white.
Looking good! Can’t wait for additional updates in the expansions of the second deck. Stay safe.
Great looking scenes. Very well done.
Have you heard of the Heartland Corridor? Intermodal double stack freight from Norfolk, VA to Chicago, IL via COLUMBUS, OH. Several stack trains a day with intermodal terminals along the route. NS is the primary mover.
Absolutely fantastic, I’m from the uk and I’m new to model railway and I’m happy I’ve bought American locos and stumbled onto your quality content channel 👍 I’ve subscribed
Very nicely executed layout. I especially like the snowy winter scenery at the start. I noticed one fallen tree, which I assume was intentional and a good idea. You're right about couplers. Frustrating to replace but the consistent coupling is essential to a good-running layout. Your backdrop is better than mine!
Beautiful layout, the trees are very well done!
Thanks!
Excellent scenery, love what you are doing, like to see snow scenery too, nice staging yard. Looking foward to seeing more....thanks for sharing....Jack 👍
Nice layout. And I like the fact that you're not running your trains at a scale 632 m.p.h.. Your trains look much more authentic.
Great layout & great operations. My N scale model railroad the Pacific West Coast now has 85 freight cars, most couplers are the Microtrains knuckle type. My most recent additions are Bachmann freight cars, caboose & 2 Bachmann & 1 Atlas diesel locomotive. I will be having the Rapido couplers changed over to Microtrains. If it can’t as it might be the older Bachmann freight cars & locomotives it will become a display train. My Kato locomotives work great & are better than the Bachmann which need to be repaired.
If you've seen some of my other videos, you know I love MicroTrains couplers and wheelsets. I don't think there's a better option out there. Kato, Atlas, ScaleTrains, Fox Valley - those are all premium locos - great gearing and motors and the detail, although varies between the manufacturers, is all pretty decent. I will tell you, I have one of the Bachmann DCC Sound on Board locos in CSX and it's nicely details with a lot of fine parts, has very basic sounds, but they're nice, and the motor runs excellently - even at slow speeds. (I did a video on it, if you want to see it.) So before you discount Bachmann, their higher end stuff is pretty nice.
You make good vids man! You might just be my favorite N scale youtuber! You actually CARE about the scenery!
For not being an artist you did pretty darn good! Very nice work!
Like the colouring....realism
cool staging yard. i like those trees- the brownish ones.
Modeler's License! haha
Plus setting up a harbor/port scene gives your intermodal's a new, distant destination from WPA/WV/VA area.
This looks amazing! Cannot wait to see where this is going.
Subscribed!
Love those backscenes you've painted. Very effective. With the couplers, I agree that micro trains are the most reliable. With Kato even with a whole train of Kato stock they are difficult to couple together and easily uncouple if you compress the cars together when reversing.
oh yes I have a couple Kato P42s and Amtrak coaches. The layout has several curves on grade and those couplers just wait for the loco to kick a little bit or sometimes, if I have the train crawling down the hill, the weight of the train pushing on the loco forces them apart on the curves. But not always. It's annoying. They're getting Microtrains, too!
that looks amazing I give it a thousand thumbs up
Hope my layout looks this good one day
Thanks. I'm glad you like the way it's coming along. Some days I love it, some days I don't. Take your time and keep watching youtube stuff - just don't be afraid to try something. Remember, it can always redone if you don't like it!
the orange and white boom cranes look great
I agree the kato couplers must be replaced with microtrains!! Im doing the same thing on mine
I'll swear by Microtrains over any other coupler or wheelset. And that's not even a paid sales pitch!
Looking great!
I've got Kato,Athearn,Fox Valley ,Deluxe Innovations and E&C Shops coal hoppers all body mounted,not hard to do,they all work great
Body mount is the way to go - especially if you're going to run long pushing operations during switching, attempt to 'kick' cars in the yard, or running distributed or helper services..
Looking really good!!! I’ve had the same problem with any Athearn cars I’ve bought...Replacing all of those trucks is expensive, but worth it!!
it's a shame, especially when you get their bulk packs for $100 and you end up with four or five cars that don't stay on the tracks. i'm staying away from Athearn until they address this issue. I've never had that issue with Atlas, Microtrains, Intermountain, etc...
C Mastracci I agree! I stopped buying them...for now.
"but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once". LOL, it obviously worked for you, I'll have to try that myself. Great job. I have also installed Micro-Trains couplers on my Kato locomotives after noticing that they "didn't play well with others". One question, what is your minimum height difference between levels?
It's going to be a really tight 12.5" between decks at the highest location at the future harbor. The section that's already built is about 14.5". I might leave the Kato on the Amtrak stuff only because it's all Kato so they work ok together, but I'm tired of trying to back up into Kato couplers and then having to handle the cars to get them to couple correctly.
Beautiful!!!!
Looks great. I miss my Fox Valley NS primer GEVO. Never should have sold it!
Oh no! I could never part with that one; those three units are among my favorites.
Nice looking layout....
very nice!!!
I love his layout
❤. Nice job.
Thanks!
Awesome! The railroad is really coming along. Good to see you have a section of the second level up. Can I ask how wide it is from wall to front and also what the inches are between levels? Thank you so much. I really enjoyed this video.
The lower level changes in elevation a bit, but I try to keep them about 15" apart. The upper level is built at 19" wide, 24" long sections screwed together for easily disassembly should I ever move.
I agree , kato couplers do not play well with others .
This is a very well designed and executed layout. Excellent work! What ballast did you use with your Unitrack?
I use the Woodland Scenics' fine Gray Blend. it's close enough to the molded color to make it work.
Real Nice !!!👍
This layout looks fantastic! The detail is amazing. How long have you worked on it up to this point?
Thanks. That's about 8 years of work. This is layout number 4 - and will probably be the last as there's enough to do for a lifetime!
@@AlleghenyNorthern Well it looks fantastic. I’m just getting into the hobby. Always wanted to, but now finally in a position to start. I just started laying out my first layout, so I’m pretty excited. I’m excited to see how yours ends up.
If trucks roll nice I just body mount MT couplers, cheaper than full replacement
Agreed. But with the Athearn even the trucks were garbage. Couldn't keep the cars on the tracks.
Hey where did u get the conrail train I like the blue
I purchased all three at various train shows. The first two are from Atlas, an SD60 and a U23. The third is a Kato SD40-2. All were purchased for about $60 each at the show and then upgraded with Digitrax decoders from modeltrainstuff.com.
I’ve seen this at a train show.
Lucks awesome
Damn that's alot of trains
there's never enough.
@@AlleghenyNorthern lol
What railroad does he model I’m new?
Welcome to the channel! So this line is fictitious but it's loosely based on the Western PA, West Virginia coal hauling routes. Norfolk Southern is the primary road for the lower deck and CSX for the upper deck connected by an interchange which uses Wheeling and Lake Erie motive power. There's also lots of leased power running around so don't be surprised to see BN, UP, and other flags flying.
I feel ya on the background issues. I had to roll my own. You can see them here. conrail1285.com/january-2017-update/
Shoot me an email and I'll be happy to hook you up.
i sub u nice job
👍👍👍🚂🐲👌😷✌