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The Athearn model sounds better to me, through my computer anyway.

Right off the top without watching, Athearn.

Hey, I complete my mainline track work and I'm still making major changes to my track plan. It doesn't bother me too much.

Crown, Cork and Seal brings memories of an old friend whose father used to threaten her and brother when they misbehaved that he would crown cork and seal them if they didn’t stop whatever they were doing. Yeah they lived in Dundalk.

Industrial Avenue for the street name.....:)

Building mine in a 24 square meter studio apartment. You have space!

Your tutorials are easy to understand and follow. * subscribed *

Thanks for the insights. I've been a "modeler" for over 70 years but until this year have never set up a layout with track, running stock, and (heaven forbid) scenery and buildings. Part of my reason why that has been so is because my dad was in the army--and we moved a lot. That meant not having a true layout because, well, it would never have traveled well. In fact, most of my setups were "built" on the carpet or floor of wherever we lived, only to be dismantled them it was time to go to bed. In fact, I have purchased and then sold/given away close to 14 sets of trains, beginning with Marklin (predecessor of the Kato format and given to me for the first Christmas that I remember) through to Lionel and then Fleischmann (which I feel is one of the first "true" prototypical rail systems) all the way to Bachmann and now Kato. I have never lost my interest in modeling a railroad, so this year I am finally doing it, thanks to Woodland Scenics' kits that provide all the materials to build a full-fledged layout without taking up a lot of space, and I am finding that building such a layout "from scratch" has been both rewarding and challenging. While it will never be a "show" setup matters not to me. It's the running of the train(s) as well as the enjoyment of creating my own "personal world" that gives me pleasure. If I can manage to add lighting and electronic switching and signaling, so much the better. Side note to show what a nut I was about trains: When I was seven years old, my mom was pregnant with a baby that became my first brother. As it turned out, the night came (winter, no less) when my soon-to-be brother decided to make his entry into the world, and the family jumped into the family car to make the 60-mile trip to Ft. Sheridan (we lived in Chicago then) which had the closest military hospital. On the way (it was not only snowy but also quite dark), my mom, sitting in the front seat, kept reminding my dad to "go faster--the baby is coming" while I was in the back seat urging him to go faster so we'd keep up with the express train chugging along on the adjacent rail line (Chicago and Northwestern). Finally my day told both of us to "shut up. I've already nearly got the gas pedal through the floor! There is no way in hell I can go any faster!" Two hours later my dad came out from the hospital and told me (I'd been told to stay in the car) that I "did indeed have a brother. Now go to sleep!" I never found out whether Dad was glad he'd made it or whether he was glad to have a second son.

Just found this series - very impressed with the Grunge and its design. Two comments - with suitcase connectors, you don't need to strip the connector end of the dropper. Secondly, for a DCC system, this would be an ideal candidate for a DCC-EX controller. Thanks for sharing your progress with us.

Curious as to why the BD needs to be rigid? I just used 5/16" foam core that slid into a slot at the back of the shelf layout. It doesn't hold anything other than some building flats - no need for anything stronger than that. It's strong enough to mount a canopy with LED lighting if I wanted.

Well said, thank you.

OK i am old school, I am 58 going on 59. I am truly on a shoestring budget, I cannot afford the beautiful models out there but about 5 years ago I started getting the urge to run a train, I could only afford cheap toy trains made in China (Said like Mr D Trump says it "CHINA!") for the equivalent of 10$ I get a battery powered steam engine, an oval of track and 2 to 3 cars... but I wanted a Big-Boy so I grabbed a few of my cheap steam engines and kit bashed a big boy, I am still building and it is going to take a little time, as I have to overcome the limitations of the base models I am cannibalizing and my Big boy is not as fancy as the Big Boys that Riverossi or Kato offers but I have had endless fun twisting my brain around the limited abilities of a toy train but the challenge is intense. Right now everything is literally shelved as I don't have the cash to buy more materiel's to build my big boy but one of these days I will manage to scrounge a buck or too, so yes I agree the hobby is far from dead and as long as there are stupid old buggers like me around who enjoy making low quality models that almost look like the real thing, there are 100's of others with the financial clout to build nice set ups like you and SMT or Sam or Scott, etc so no Model railroading is not dead / busy dying/ on its last legs, I am not dead yet!

You are a straight shooter. I’m a physical therapist and I’d love for 90% of my patients to watch this. The philosophy you present here can be applied to all facets of life. (2 years too late): hope you go viral

Thanks

My mom has forbid me from building a layout in our apartment lol. I gotta wait until I get my own I suppose. Though this summer with enough time and money I may build a semi-portable modular thing I can deconstruct and store/move more easily

Rivet counting has become the biggest killer of this hobby, folks are driving prices through the roof for minor details they'll never even notice on the layout. Let's not even get into several of these Locomotives running about at night putting out the same noise as 300 cicadas that got into the basement. $300+ and the customer doesn't even get a choice, 100 people demanded rivet counting so now everyone has to pay for that detail.

Just happened to have YT suggest this video. All of the things you bring up are very true. Now if I can just get up out of my chair and actually start working on something. Thanks for sharing.

As a European who lived in FL for 12 years I never understood the grade crossing mentality whereas in Europe we’ll build a bridge, tunnel or full barrier crossing gates where needed.

I got interested in model railroading as a kid in the 80s with a basic train set. I’ve been back at it in my 30s and 40s now getting satisfaction out of building, painting, and weathering more than running trains. I’m going to be realistic here. Most of the stuff that was cheap in the old days is garbage compared to what’s available now. Yes prices have went up but the quality has went up by leaps and bounds as you state. There’s nothing I want that was built before the 90s unless it’s an old brass engine from the 60s and 70s. I mostly don’t want anything before 2010 anymore. Stuff is just good now and Rome wasn’t built in a day. What isn’t expensive now? I’ve accumulated over years. Everyone can do it if they have a passion for it. If you don’t, then anybody is welcome to complain in comment sections below videos. I’m thankful the quality of everything has went up.

Postwar Lionel (Especially low end postwar) has NEVER BEEN CHEAPER!

I dont agree about the quality being better now than 30 years ago. Chinese models have spotty quality, whereas Athearn & Atlas/Kato was extremely reliable 30 years ago.

Sp new missing a lader on end car

My interest in the hobby got reignited again somehow, for some reason. My dad had built a great layout when i was very young. And i destroyed most of it, because i was not born with a fully functioning brain. But now i have worked hard to get this brain functioning a bit. As a dutch guy. (probably nobody will understand the joke, but anyways) Could you, mr Joe from the Pixel Depot, take a look at google maps. I live in 's-Hertogenbosch. In the Netherlands. My mother was born and raised in a city close to 's-Hertogenbosch. That city is called Tilburg. And we all know Philips. Eindhoven. If you look at Google earth or maps or what ever, you can see it is a nice triangle. With small towns like Boxtel, Vught, Helvoirt, Best, Cromvoirt, etc. All in between. I should have bought N scale, but jumped into it like a noob. And so i bought HO scale stuff. I have a room, 370 centimeter long and 270 centimeter wide. If i convert it with google to feet and inches, it comes to roughly 12 feet by lets say 8.75 feet. I could knock down a wall which would give me a bit more space, but not yet planning to do so. My dream is to make a somewhat realistic looking layout between these 3 cities, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tilburg and Eindhoven. With the town Vught as well between the 3. For historical reasons. Old lines came into 's-Hertogenbosch. "Halve zolen lijntje". And into Boxtel, a small town between 's-Hertogenbosch and Eindhoven. "Het Duits Lijntje" And into Tilburg, "Het Bels Lijntje" Old tracks that have been converted to bicycle lanes. But you can retrace them with Google maps/earth. I was thinking of layering it a bit. The bottom layer showing my city, and the villages closeby. A second layer showing Tilburg and villages close by. And a third layer showing Eindhoven and villages close by. (if that makes sense.) My question to you in short is this: Please have a look at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, check the line to Tilburg and Eindhoven. The one to Eindhoven will also show Het Duits Lijntje easily, no detective skills required. Het Halve Zolen Lijntje running from 's-Hertogenbosch to Raamsdonkveer and beyond is also still clearly visible in the landscape as well as the fact that we still have the Moerputten brug in 's-Hertogenbosch, a bridge running through a park built for the train to pass over, it still exists. Het Bels Lijntje from Tilburg does require a bit of looking around to discover where it use to run through the landscape, but even Stevie Wonder can find it. And so here is the question: Can you imagine having a room with said dimensions using HO scale and a layout like this? A triangle between these 3 cities? It does not have to be the most realistic layout, but just a representation of it. And if you can imagine such a layout, how would you go about it? I think i should layer it. Multiple layers. Bit of an odd question, but what to expect from a dutch guy ey?

I got the 4310 unit … I love it

ATLAS IS FAR BETTER IN DETAILS WALTHERS PROTOS ARE ALSO WONDERFUL ATHEARNS ARE NOT SO STURDY LIKE ATLAS AND WALTHERS

Nice! Sounds like it could the opening theme of an 80s TV show about railroading. It could be called The Yard.

I like the way the whole “corner” came together. I think your goal is achieved!

Thanks. Useful.

Would like to live in that 3rd floor apartment!

I have been a model railroader since the 1960's, at least. Yes, locomotives and the quality ready made rolling stock is pricey. But, how many locos do you need? On a small layout, which is what most of us can afford, how many locomotives can you run at a time? All the rest, sit on a shelf or in the box, NOT NEEDED! MORE IS NOT NECESSARY! Save your money, buy a good locomotive, and run it. Nuff, said.

Would using those old hemostat clamps help in holding those drop wires preventing them from falling back through the hole?

Excellent work! I always paint back of my wheel sets too.

The Geek is Back!

Erie Lackawanna paint scheme

Excellent job. Looks great. Thanks for sharing. Dave

Nice! In all the years of looking at using Lego pieces for model RR projects, it never ocurred to me to use them upside down! Same strength and square structure, just less fussing with studs.

Great solve to your situation. Joe. Smart way to think outside of the box.

Great demonstration on using the Lego blocks. Area looks awesome. Good to see you are doing well.

Oh

That plate girder bridge and its abutments came out amazingly authentic looking. It just goes to show that it you ponder a modeling situation long enough, a creative solution will eventually present itself. Thanks for sharing your own experiences.

Lego has long been used in models and model Railroading. They have enless shapes and are styrene which we all use. They are square and are great for structural framing. I have seen that type girder bridge with ballast on it may times. As i have done the same as you did here practically on a project.

Your bridges look great, Joe. I've gotten several bags of the "bootleg Legos" that I use when building structures to help keep walls square and as a platform for ceilings/floors. Using them for abutments is brilliant. Thanks.

Looks fantastic! I love scratch builds and kit bashes. Great job

I had almost given up and purged you from my subscription list. Glad you are back

Very creative solutions to scene composition. Great results!

Glad to see you back and nice work Joey. I know an O scaler who used Legos as PRR block walls. Looks fantastic.

When are we gonna see progress on the Grunge? Also what do you cover the pink foam with as ground cover? I'm getting to that point on my layout and I'd rather not wait months to find out what you used in your eposide on the greenery.

Great to see you back. I enjoy your videos.

WOW. That came out looking good. Gotta love Lego blocks