If anyone asks me how to start in the hobby, I'll have them watch this. Your video looks to be an honest, down to the Earth retrospection, starting with nothing, and step by step accomplishing milestones, while overcoming obstacles along the way. 👍
You have good hands, tremendous talen , a lot of patience and a dedicated hobbyist. Good luck with your layout. I watch this and I see what a nightmare that i have built. Good luck and keep the videos coming.
Only just found your video (Dec 2022) wow for a beginner (you are kidding right) truly amazing. Your skill and patience is something to be truly admired. Can’t wait to see future episodes and I wish you all the very best. A UK admirer.
This was an incredible video that gives inspiration and encouragement. You are on your way to becoming a master model railroader and you don't need judges to prove that. Keep it up dude. Your work is outstanding.
Your building techniques' are focused and methodical. Never look at a model railroad as something that has to be fully accomplished in X amount of time; like the old adage "Focus on the goal, but [remember to] enjoy the journey." Hope you and your families' have a good, safe and healthy Holidays.
Nice overview of the entire "Getting Started" process, which tends to be seen as a huge indigestible lump by a lot of people just starting out. You've broken it down into fairly easy to accomplish steps.
I've recently been given the ok to start a new layout in what was my son's bedroom. Kinda guest bed/train room. This will be my third start at a layout. The first being the garage which I lost interest in because 1too cold, 2 was too dusty, and C I wanted to be in the house. My next layout was in our bedroom. I didn't do much planning I just built a 4x12 table and went from there. My biggest mistake was landlocking myself between three walls. I figured I would use cutouts to get to the back part of the layout. That got old really quick having a bad back and hip plus having a cat who thinks it's her personal hangout. This layout never really evolved the way I thought it would. This layout will be a two-shelf layout and better planned to avoid the mistakes of the last two. I hope to watch mine grow along with yours for years to come. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching, Russell. I did a lot of planning and thinking, and tried to get the best advise I could. It is hard not to get too eager and just jump in without thinking it through.
Very nicely done .... good information you gave us all. Keep up the good work. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.... and now, back down to the dungeon to work on MY railroad following a few months off for personal reasons.
Thanks, RailArtist. Always tough when you have to step away for a bit. It helps keep me balanced and sane and the times I'm too busy to do some modeling are the times I need it the most. Merry Christmas to you as well.
@@WhiteRiverLine Your welcome. It was easier for me and more patience when i laid track at the CPO during my RR career. Glad you were happy with the results.(Steve)
I must have been living under a rock or something because your videos never showed up in my feed. I like the chill vibe here!! New subscriber for sure!! My Covid modelling adventure took the opposite turn your's did.. kind of.... I was building an HO layout planned to be a pretty accurate depiction of CP Rail in Sherbrooke Canada set in the late 80's. At the time I was living in an appartment with a decent sized spare room for my layout. I had started dating my GF for a while and we were still living apart but when the pandemic hit, we were confined together. I decided to ditch the layout and move in with her. Well, I actually put it in storage for the time being. I did get a 7x8ft space in the basement for a tiny home office to work from so I decided to change things up and build an N scale proto-freelance version of the CP on an 8"x8' switching layout set in the mid 60's just because I like CP's maroon and gray scheme! The roadbed is down and I need to install the switch controls in order to finish laying the track and start operating it. As I was watching your video, I was busy assembling a building kitbashed from a DPM kit. I feel like I'm a bit further along than you on some aspects but you've got running track... It'll be cool to challenge myself to keep pace and have motivation to move things along!! Happy new year from the great not so white north... the weather's pretty dank here now!!!
Merry Christmas Drew! When you think about it, you have accomplished a lot in a year but I do get it when it feels overwhelming at times. Your inspiration has gotten me out of my comfort zone and is allowing me to do some things that will benefit my layout in the long run, rather than just making it work and dealing with it. Therefore, I'd like to say thank you for what all you've done, and taught me through your videos. I'm looking forward to see what all you accomplish in 2023! - Jason
Merry Christmas to you too, Jason. I feel really flattered that my videos have motivated and helped experienced model railroaders like yourself. Meeting you and the other STS crew has been one of the highlights of my year.
I’ve been spending my evenings the last few days binging your videos, and I absolutely loved them! I’m curious though if you plan on getting more locomotives and doing videos on painting and weathering them? I’d especially love to see you repaint and run a model of Frisco 1630, as I have a lot of fond memories of riding behind that one and am therefore a bit biased
I do plan on getting more locos when I can fit it in the budget. I was looking at a brass 2-10-0 like the 1630 recently, but it really needed work and I don’t have any experience with brass locos.
I don't know how far you have gotten but i like the track plan and I am going to "obscound" with some of it. i have a 12 X 12 space that I will be using in my basement for this road. I use the cans of food also and I use them to hold down the track by laying them on their sides. the track keeps them from rolling away. So far I've gotten all of my switches from rail road swap meets. Used is about all I can afford being on a fixed income. I want to build this last road in sections that can be easily taken apart so when the time comes for the family to get rid of the road ( i seem to be the only one that is interested in railroading ) the road can be removed from the room and either given to a relative or sold. If I were to make my own turnouts, I would use the Fast Track system you are using. I test my track the same way you do. I run an actual small train through all of the new track work. Not just one car by hand. With the small train I feel that it will show me more that just one car being pushed through the turnouts. The fact that you are using a water based glue will help if you ever have to remove some trackage for a redo. All you have to do is soak it and the glue will release. I like the way you are using minimal solder in the making of the switches. For a very great web site for modeling look at "Boomer Diorama". He is great and a good teacher.
What a thoroughly enjoyable video to watch on Christmas day! Your videos look like they're professionally done. I like the way you've combined several different projects. Something for everybody. And you sir, are no amateur. (pretty mighty praise coming from a Bengals fan here.)
Your weathering techniques are fantastic! So realistic. Right down to the cracks and stains on the concrete sidewalks. Great job with the video editing and music as well. Please keep the videos coming! Merry Christmas! Sincerely, your newest subscriber.
Superb! You were my inspiration for getting started on my yard ladder today. So relaxing to handlay and spike the first section of rail. Looks like we have a lot of fine work coming in 2023, along for the ride on a fantastic journey. Thanks Drew!!!
What inspires me about your work is the attention to detail that see in your videos. I admire you for jumping in and hand laying track, I have yet to build my own layout but have helped others and at the club I am a member of, but when I do I will reference back to your videos, I picked up Paul Mallory's book after seeing it in one of the videos. Thanks for the inspiration
Drew you've done a great job so far and I appreciate the overview of things accomplished. The current weather lends itself to getting stuff done on the layout. In my case finishing painting ties so I can lay down some scenery in about a 2" square area and add some details. Buildings are done, so doing some scenery will be a great motivator to keep going. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Much appreciated! It is good weather for staying indoors. I'm definitely going to get some work done this weekend, but I suppose my family wants to spend some time with me too, since it's Christmas. LOL Happy Holidays to you as well!
@@WhiteRiverLine Indeed. Back when I was first designing my layout expansion, I wanted it to be very large, but scaled it back once someone from my model railroad club told me not to bite off more than I can chew and get frustrated/overwhelmed.
Drew-just discovered your channel and am loving the video's ! Starting my own layout myself, so your video's are like a tutorial on how to build a model railroad. You have covered just about everything from trackwork to structures to rolling stock. Hopefully, you will have just as much fun when you tackle the scenery part! Here the day after Xmas, I must binge-watch your whole series of videos! Very inspiring-keep up the great work!
I’m really enjoying your videos! Im building a small around the walls layout in a 12x12 room. Your use of 2x2’s for the wall brackets convinced me that I should go that route. Could you possibly tell me the dimensions of the wall brackets you built and also the spacing you used on the walls. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for watching. The vertical pieces are 26" and I spaced these based on the placement of the studs in the wall. 32" on center should be sufficient. The horizontal pieces are about 2" shorter than the depth of the shelf, although you could probably do 1" shorter and not have it stick out as far. The length of the diagonal pieces will depend on the size of the other two. I cut them a little longer than needed, installed them, and then cut off the excess with a hand saw. I encourage you to watch those episodes for more detail if you haven't already, ruclips.net/video/239e22xDJ7U/видео.html.
I'm out to do a layout of it, but more of the areas in arkansas where the white river runs with track next to it. Batesville through calico rock maybe, where the track runs along side the river. Mopac lines.
@@WhiteRiverLine yes sir. Going to need entire garage for it though, I think. Lol. We're about to move into a bigger house. For now, I'm gathering supplies and parts. Hopefully we find something with a decent spare room. Best of luck to you. Hope to see it as you go, it sounds VERY nice.
Hi again Drew, what kind of paint, color and application will you be using on track rails ? From my part, I'm using different shades of Tamiya acrylic paint rust colors using my airbrush. I'm applying primer coat on tracks and ties first. I then use three different tones of brown, flat black and gray colors on ties. I finish the job spraying rails. I'm using Micro Engineering code 70 and code 55 along with their turnouts. I tip you my hat building your layout with handlaid tracks. Needs a lot of resilience... and skills !!!
I haven't decided yet on the weathering for the rails and I may try a few things before I settle on method and color. I'll likely use Vallejo and I look at few prototype pictures as I work on the color. I'll probably start by applying it with a micro brush, but we'll see.
@@WhiteRiverLine Hi again. You're better than me. I would never work on such a large surface using a brush. What bugs me the most in the process is that even if you're working with Micro Engineering tracks (witch has very small plastic spikes) or handlaid tracks like yours, paint brushing is too much of a task for me. When painting using a brush, it's hard to apply a thin layer of paint without touching the spikes. That's where the brush sometimes leaves more paint. Brush doesn't hide nickel like the airbrush. And it's possible to come up with many shades of rust color that can be thicker or thinner as you wish. At least, that's what I think. Brush painting creates no fume and needs no masking on the other hand. It's a personal choice. Looking at you, we are not excatly the same age but I like the way you're handling things. I wouldn't model your era, my modules are made out of Russian veneer, they are at a higher level and I would certainly not make my own tracks and turnouts. I tried Fastracks turnouts and came at a point of using ME turnouts along with their flextracks. But I really appreciate the way you're doing things and the making of your videos. Like a champ !
Really like what you're doing. You're a skilled modelist and someone who doesn't take a good enough as an answer. I'm a modelist too but I like to see guys like you doing such a great job. What did you used as mortar on Walthers Merchant row kit ? Acrylic paint, lacquer, a plaster mix ???
Thanks, the attention to detail is really enjoyable for me. I used acrylic paint, a wash really. I'll probably do it a bit differently next time. If you watch the video for that part of the project, ruclips.net/video/lB2Nl7KKjXc/видео.html, I discuss my dissatisfaction with the result. Perhaps a good example of when I did take good enough as answer, LOL. I think applying a matte clear coat and a thinner wash would yield a more satisfying result (for me at least).
@@WhiteRiverLine Thanks for answering. I live in Quebec-Canada and I'm mostly (let's say completly) modeling paper mills. I got two projects going on. In HO scale of course (what else). I'm mixing modified kits mainly from Walthers, some other kits like Faller, Kibri, Model power and more. I'm also adding scratch to this. Especially when it comes to BIG buildings or customized ones because of the room I got and for my own needs of making it closer to the real things. The biggest one sits in a 8 x 9 room. Surrounding the room walls as one big unit. For me, getting close to reality is more important than the reality of a good weathering job. In fact, I like them both. Let's say I'm more to trains Ops than a close to finish model railroad. I'm honest with myself. I know it will never be finished but I like doing model trains so I'm still going on with the hobby. I was asking about the mortar because I'm using a lot of bricks buildings in the process. I tried everything and finally bought resin auto-adhesive sheets of embossed bricks to do the job. Very nice result... pretty expensive too... Keep on your good work. I will try to watch your videos on a steady base.
@@WhiteRiverLine Hi again. Those brick sheets are from Redutex (from Spain). What I mostly like about them is that they're kind of flexible, stick very well and real easy to work with. They're are also strong and impossible to rip off. A mix of resin and vinyle. Expensive but when you can't make a nice looking brick wall, you find ways to fix it. I'll keep watching your videos.
I used Vallejo acrylics and 502 Abteilung oils for the coaling tower. I go into detail on the technique in this video, ruclips.net/video/_hLxCQ3JF9Y/видео.html. Thanks for watching.
What are the max/min. radius of your turns and what size turnouts do you use? I ask because I am building a layout set in 1954 and I am planning on running 2-8-0 consolidations next to my GP-7's. Obviously, the Geeps can handle switches and curves that the steamers can't. I am working with limited space and I want to pack as much action as possible into the small space while still being able to run my steam locos reliably. Also, thanks for sharing your model railroad journey with us; I have learned a lot.
Not a lot of people do it and now that I've done some I see why. It's pretty tedious, doesn't really save much money, and takes a lot of time. I think it looks cool and wanted to take on the challenge. I've read a bit about people making their own rail too back in the day, and that seems crazy to me.
Wow excellent work. I'm curious if you save much by building the track versus just buying premade track, I mean you got to borrow the jigs themselves (which aren't cheap at all!), or was it more a labor of love instead of a cost savings.
I'm having difficulty understanding why you used L-girder construction if you're laying your tracks on styrofoam. Is there a specific reason, or is it just that you saw or read something recommending L-girder construction? If I'm not wrong, the advantage of L-girder construction lies in the way it allows for an at-will placement of joists, which in turn allow for an at-will placement of risers to support a roadbed. (The roadbed might be either cookie-cutter style or spline.) If you're not using a roadbed separate from your scenery base, then I don't see the point of the L-girders. Or am I missing something?
Thanks, Jonathan. That software is called Xtrkcad. To be honest, I found it to be a little cumbersome and unintuitive. I'm a Mac user and my options were limited as was my budget. It is open source software so it didn't cost me anything.
Just Subscribed, Iam A 4x8 Loop runner On Plywood Plain, Would Not Have The Nerve To Even Try Hand Laid Track, Little lone Try L Girder Benchwork. Watching You Makes It Look Easy, I Have Did My share of track work in 1:1 Scale, Worked system rail gangs for 39 years before i retired, or what some say got "retarded". few aches and pains no injury feel it was a success, at least from a financial standpoint. being lucky is better than being good. Iam A Lionel 027 operator.
Not sure if I wrote this before but: You didn't need to use 'L girder' framework for a flat table top MRR.. 'L girder', and same for 'open grid', benchwork, is for the allowance of 'risers', which support a (usually) meandering, about 4" wide jig sawed plywood sub-roadbed, to be moved across the cross members atop the L, to where said SRB would be atop each movable riser.. With a table top layout such as this you only needed to have standard framing and legs same as a ping pong table but wit heavier framing than... Tho no harm done, 'L girder' is redundant with your particular application... This is not to say your modeling skills are not A1 !
When I was building the bench work plywood was about $75 a sheet and I hate cutting plywood anyway. The L-girder was easy, not too many joints to deal with. I was also able to build it almost entirely with scrap wood. Thanks watching and commenting.
If anyone asks me how to start in the hobby, I'll have them watch this. Your video looks to be an honest, down to the Earth retrospection, starting with nothing, and step by step accomplishing milestones, while overcoming obstacles along the way. 👍
What a great compliment. Thank you so much.
You have good hands, tremendous talen , a lot of patience and a dedicated hobbyist. Good luck with your layout. I watch this and I see what a nightmare that i have built. Good luck and keep the videos coming.
Thank you. Good luck to you too.
I have been bingewatching your videos the last two weeks. Great to see you and your layout grow. Looking forward to keeping up with excellent work.
Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching.
I also love how you're scratch building literally everything fm building to even the TRACKS
Yeah I have a tendency to go a little overboard.
@@WhiteRiverLine it is absolutely amazing!! Can't wait to see morw
Very well done. From one Frisco freak to another.
Always nice to meet another Frisco fan. Check out frisco.org to find more of us.
Only just found your video (Dec 2022) wow for a beginner (you are kidding right) truly amazing. Your skill and patience is something to be truly admired. Can’t wait to see future episodes and I wish you all the very best. A UK admirer.
Thanks, Stephen.
So that's how to use 1 2 3 blocks! Lol ! Great update. Keep it going!
123 blocks have so many uses. I ought to get a couple more!
This was an incredible video that gives inspiration and encouragement. You are on your way to becoming a master model railroader and you don't need judges to prove that. Keep it up dude. Your work is outstanding.
Wow, thank you!
Your building techniques' are focused and methodical. Never look at a model railroad as something that has to be fully accomplished in X amount of time; like the old adage "Focus on the goal, but [remember to] enjoy the journey." Hope you and your families' have a good, safe and healthy Holidays.
Thanks, Colin. I’m certainly enjoying myself. This layout will probably always be a work in progress.
Nice overview of the entire "Getting Started" process, which tends to be seen as a huge indigestible lump by a lot of people just starting out. You've broken it down into fairly easy to accomplish steps.
Thanks, Jan. Taking that first step in to benchwork helps gets the ball rolling in my opinion.
I've recently been given the ok to start a new layout in what was my son's bedroom. Kinda guest bed/train room. This will be my third start at a layout. The first being the garage which I lost interest in because 1too cold, 2 was too dusty, and C I wanted to be in the house. My next layout was in our bedroom. I didn't do much planning I just built a 4x12 table and went from there. My biggest mistake was landlocking myself between three walls. I figured I would use cutouts to get to the back part of the layout. That got old really quick having a bad back and hip plus having a cat who thinks it's her personal hangout. This layout never really evolved the way I thought it would. This layout will be a two-shelf layout and better planned to avoid the mistakes of the last two. I hope to watch mine grow along with yours for years to come. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching, Russell. I did a lot of planning and thinking, and tried to get the best advise I could. It is hard not to get too eager and just jump in without thinking it through.
The handlaid switches and track are incredible
Thanks! They are fun to do too.
Good job!....inspiring for anyone who wants to begin or re-join the hobby....thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
WOW - Amazing work. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for saying so and thanks for watching!
Really looking forward to seeing your build come together. Well done so far. Subscribed.
Thank you, welcome aboard!
Nice work with the hand laid track, I am not sure I have the patience to take that task on. Great looking structures too.
Thanks, Ed. It does take some patience, but I have enjoyed the process.
Nicely done Drew that was a great overview, gratz.
Thanks, John
Nice summary video! It's really cool to see someone hand laying track and making their own turnouts.
Glad you liked it! The handmade track wasn't originally part of my plan, but I've found it very rewarding.
Very nicely done .... good information you gave us all. Keep up the good work. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.... and now, back down to the dungeon to work on MY railroad following a few months off for personal reasons.
Thanks, RailArtist. Always tough when you have to step away for a bit. It helps keep me balanced and sane and the times I'm too busy to do some modeling are the times I need it the most. Merry Christmas to you as well.
Yup I'm subscribed I use to live there!! So I'm very excited about this
Welcome aboard!
Very cool video especially the track laying by hand. Have a nice rest of your Friday.(Steve)
Thanks, Steve. The hand laid track is a lot of work, but I’m really pleased with how it looks.
@@WhiteRiverLine Your welcome. It was easier for me and more patience when i laid track at the CPO during my RR career. Glad you were happy with the results.(Steve)
Very nice! The hand laid track and self built turnouts are impressive. I'm starting my first layout. Subscribed.
Thanks for watching, welcome aboard.
My fellow friend I admire you that's absolutely amazing work
Thank you, Andy.
Very nice work, to an amazing standard....
Thank you, Ronalyn.
I must have been living under a rock or something because your videos never showed up in my feed. I like the chill vibe here!! New subscriber for sure!! My Covid modelling adventure took the opposite turn your's did.. kind of.... I was building an HO layout planned to be a pretty accurate depiction of CP Rail in Sherbrooke Canada set in the late 80's. At the time I was living in an appartment with a decent sized spare room for my layout. I had started dating my GF for a while and we were still living apart but when the pandemic hit, we were confined together. I decided to ditch the layout and move in with her. Well, I actually put it in storage for the time being. I did get a 7x8ft space in the basement for a tiny home office to work from so I decided to change things up and build an N scale proto-freelance version of the CP on an 8"x8' switching layout set in the mid 60's just because I like CP's maroon and gray scheme! The roadbed is down and I need to install the switch controls in order to finish laying the track and start operating it. As I was watching your video, I was busy assembling a building kitbashed from a DPM kit. I feel like I'm a bit further along than you on some aspects but you've got running track... It'll be cool to challenge myself to keep pace and have motivation to move things along!!
Happy new year from the great not so white north... the weather's pretty dank here now!!!
Thanks for watching. Im guessing you can keep up I’m not moving that fast, lol. Good luck on your layout.
@@WhiteRiverLine that's all right!! It's all in good fun!!!
Merry Christmas Drew! When you think about it, you have accomplished a lot in a year but I do get it when it feels overwhelming at times. Your inspiration has gotten me out of my comfort zone and is allowing me to do some things that will benefit my layout in the long run, rather than just making it work and dealing with it. Therefore, I'd like to say thank you for what all you've done, and taught me through your videos. I'm looking forward to see what all you accomplish in 2023! - Jason
Merry Christmas to you too, Jason. I feel really flattered that my videos have motivated and helped experienced model railroaders like yourself. Meeting you and the other STS crew has been one of the highlights of my year.
I’ve been spending my evenings the last few days binging your videos, and I absolutely loved them! I’m curious though if you plan on getting more locomotives and doing videos on painting and weathering them? I’d especially love to see you repaint and run a model of Frisco 1630, as I have a lot of fond memories of riding behind that one and am therefore a bit biased
I do plan on getting more locos when I can fit it in the budget. I was looking at a brass 2-10-0 like the 1630 recently, but it really needed work and I don’t have any experience with brass locos.
@@WhiteRiverLine fair enough, I look forward to seeing whatever you do end up doing, both on n the near and distant future.
Been following since day 1!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Drew!!!
Merry Christmas, Yukon. I appreciate all your support and encouragement.
I don't know how far you have gotten but i like the track plan and I am going to "obscound" with some of it. i have a 12 X 12 space that I will be using in my basement for this road. I use the cans of food also and I use them to hold down the track by laying them on their sides. the track keeps them from rolling away. So far I've gotten all of my switches from rail road swap meets. Used is about all I can afford being on a fixed income. I want to build this last road in sections that can be easily taken apart so when the time comes for the family to get rid of the road ( i seem to be the only one that is interested in railroading ) the road can be removed from the room and either given to a relative or sold. If I were to make my own turnouts, I would use the Fast Track system you are using. I test my track the same way you do. I run an actual small train through all of the new track work. Not just one car by hand. With the small train I feel that it will show me more that just one car being pushed through the turnouts. The fact that you are using a water based glue will help if you ever have to remove some trackage for a redo. All you have to do is soak it and the glue will release. I like the way you are using minimal solder in the making of the switches. For a very great web site for modeling look at "Boomer Diorama". He is great and a good teacher.
Thanks for all the tips, David, and thanks for watching.
Great video. Great track work. Hand laying track is an art in itself. That was a great tutorial. Looking forward to seeing other videos.
Thanks, Michael. I’m looking forward to a new year of projects and getting out more videos for everyone.
What a thoroughly enjoyable video to watch on Christmas day! Your videos look like they're professionally done. I like the way you've combined several different projects. Something for everybody. And you sir, are no amateur. (pretty mighty praise coming from a Bengals fan here.)
Thank you very much. Merry Christmas!
Your videos are incredibly enjoyable to watch and your scratchbuilding skills are impressive. Subscribed. Good on you mate.
Thanks very much! Welcome aboard.
Your weathering techniques are fantastic! So realistic. Right down to the cracks and stains on the concrete sidewalks. Great job with the video editing and music as well. Please keep the videos coming! Merry Christmas! Sincerely, your newest subscriber.
Thanks so much, Chris. Welcome aboard and Merry Christmas!
Superb! You were my inspiration for getting started on my yard ladder today. So relaxing to handlay and spike the first section of rail. Looks like we have a lot of fine work coming in 2023, along for the ride on a fantastic journey. Thanks Drew!!!
Glad I could provide some inspiration. I'm excited for the work I've got coming up.
Excellent video !!! You always inspire me from your artistic talent !!! Merry Christmas 🎁
Thanks, Kraig. Merry Christmas!
Very nice! Things are coming along. Great to see the progress!
Thank you very much.
BEST Ever 😮😊
Thanks, Ronald!
I really really enjoy your channel. Thanks for posting and keep up the great work and videos! Happy new year!!
Thanks, Rob, I plan to. Happy New Year to you too.
What inspires me about your work is the attention to detail that see in your videos. I admire you for jumping in and hand laying track, I have yet to build my own layout but have helped others and at the club I am a member of, but when I do I will reference back to your videos, I picked up Paul Mallory's book after seeing it in one of the videos. Thanks for the inspiration
Thanks for watching, Gregg. That book from Paul Mallory is a great resource, but it can be a little hard to find sometimes.
Drew you've done a great job so far and I appreciate the overview of things accomplished. The current weather lends itself to getting stuff done on the layout. In my case finishing painting ties so I can lay down some scenery in about a 2" square area and add some details. Buildings are done, so doing some scenery will be a great motivator to keep going. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Much appreciated! It is good weather for staying indoors. I'm definitely going to get some work done this weekend, but I suppose my family wants to spend some time with me too, since it's Christmas. LOL Happy Holidays to you as well!
A very nice video and layout. I have plans to expand my own HO scale layout, though I don't believe mine will be quite as large as this.
Thank you. Sometimes I wish I'd had more space, but now that I'm in the thick of it, I think I'd be overwhelmed with anything much larger.
@@WhiteRiverLine Indeed. Back when I was first designing my layout expansion, I wanted it to be very large, but scaled it back once someone from my model railroad club told me not to bite off more than I can chew and get frustrated/overwhelmed.
Drew-just discovered your channel and am loving the video's ! Starting my own layout myself, so your video's are like a tutorial on how to build a model railroad. You have covered just about everything from trackwork to structures to rolling stock. Hopefully, you will have just as much fun when you tackle the scenery part! Here the day after Xmas, I must binge-watch your whole series of videos! Very inspiring-keep up the great work!
Welcome aboard and thanks for your comment! This is exactly what I hoped for in creating these videos.
Beautiful modelling! Rgds from Holland, Joachim
Thank you very much, Joachim! Thanks for watching.
Great progress.
Thank you
Great looking freight cars
Thanks, Bob. Appreciate the compliment.
Looks like a pro to me. Great job.
Thanks, Jim 👍
I’m really enjoying your videos! Im building a small around the walls layout in a 12x12 room. Your use of 2x2’s for the wall brackets convinced me that I should go that route.
Could you possibly tell me the dimensions of the wall brackets you built and also the spacing you used on the walls.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for watching. The vertical pieces are 26" and I spaced these based on the placement of the studs in the wall. 32" on center should be sufficient. The horizontal pieces are about 2" shorter than the depth of the shelf, although you could probably do 1" shorter and not have it stick out as far. The length of the diagonal pieces will depend on the size of the other two. I cut them a little longer than needed, installed them, and then cut off the excess with a hand saw. I encourage you to watch those episodes for more detail if you haven't already, ruclips.net/video/239e22xDJ7U/видео.html.
Thank you for your quick and thorough response! This is exactly what I was wanting to know.
Thanks again for your great videos!
I'm out to do a layout of it, but more of the areas in arkansas where the white river runs with track next to it. Batesville through calico rock maybe, where the track runs along side the river. Mopac lines.
Nice, it is an area with a lot of inspirational scenery, that's for sure.
@@WhiteRiverLine yes sir. Going to need entire garage for it though, I think. Lol. We're about to move into a bigger house. For now, I'm gathering supplies and parts. Hopefully we find something with a decent spare room.
Best of luck to you. Hope to see it as you go, it sounds VERY nice.
@@chuckythedoll4815 Good luck to you as well.
Hi again Drew, what kind of paint, color and application will you be using on track rails ? From my part, I'm using different shades of Tamiya acrylic paint rust colors using my airbrush. I'm applying primer coat on tracks and ties first. I then use three different tones of brown, flat black and gray colors on ties. I finish the job spraying rails. I'm using Micro Engineering code 70 and code 55 along with their turnouts. I tip you my hat building your layout with handlaid tracks. Needs a lot of resilience... and skills !!!
I haven't decided yet on the weathering for the rails and I may try a few things before I settle on method and color. I'll likely use Vallejo and I look at few prototype pictures as I work on the color. I'll probably start by applying it with a micro brush, but we'll see.
@@WhiteRiverLine Hi again. You're better than me. I would never work on such a large surface using a brush. What bugs me the most in the process is that even if you're working with Micro Engineering tracks (witch has very small plastic spikes) or handlaid tracks like yours, paint brushing is too much of a task for me.
When painting using a brush, it's hard to apply a thin layer of paint without touching the spikes. That's where the brush sometimes leaves more paint. Brush doesn't hide nickel like the airbrush. And it's possible to come up with many shades of rust color that can be thicker or thinner as you wish. At least, that's what I think.
Brush painting creates no fume and needs no masking on the other hand. It's a personal choice. Looking at you, we are not excatly the same age but I like the way you're handling things. I wouldn't model your era, my modules are made out of Russian veneer, they are at a higher level and I would certainly not make my own tracks and turnouts. I tried Fastracks turnouts and came at a point of using ME turnouts along with their flextracks. But I really appreciate the way you're doing things and the making of your videos. Like a champ !
Really like what you're doing. You're a skilled modelist and someone who doesn't take a good enough as an answer. I'm a modelist too but I like to see guys like you doing such a great job. What did you used as mortar on Walthers Merchant row kit ? Acrylic paint, lacquer, a plaster mix ???
Thanks, the attention to detail is really enjoyable for me. I used acrylic paint, a wash really. I'll probably do it a bit differently next time. If you watch the video for that part of the project, ruclips.net/video/lB2Nl7KKjXc/видео.html, I discuss my dissatisfaction with the result. Perhaps a good example of when I did take good enough as answer, LOL. I think applying a matte clear coat and a thinner wash would yield a more satisfying result (for me at least).
@@WhiteRiverLine Thanks for answering. I live in Quebec-Canada and I'm mostly (let's say completly) modeling paper mills. I got two projects going on. In HO scale of course (what else). I'm mixing modified kits mainly from Walthers, some other kits like Faller, Kibri, Model power and more. I'm also adding scratch to this. Especially when it comes to BIG buildings or customized ones because of the room I got and for my own needs of making it closer to the real things. The biggest one sits in a 8 x 9 room. Surrounding the room walls as one big unit.
For me, getting close to reality is more important than the reality of a good weathering job. In fact, I like them both. Let's say I'm more to trains Ops than a close to finish model railroad. I'm honest with myself. I know it will never be finished but I like doing model trains so I'm still going on with the hobby. I was asking about the mortar because I'm using a lot of bricks buildings in the process. I tried everything and finally bought resin auto-adhesive sheets of embossed bricks to do the job. Very nice result... pretty expensive too... Keep on your good work. I will try to watch your videos on a steady base.
@@lucgagnon5241 Interesting, I haven't scratch-built any brick buildings yet, but I'll keep those resin sheets in mind if/when I do.
@@WhiteRiverLine Hi again. Those brick sheets are from Redutex (from Spain). What I mostly like about them is that they're kind of flexible, stick very well and real easy to work with. They're are also strong and impossible to rip off. A mix of resin and vinyle. Expensive but when you can't make a nice looking brick wall, you find ways to fix it. I'll keep watching your videos.
I like the coloring on the coal tower. Can you tell me what brand and/or colors you used? Thanks.
I used Vallejo acrylics and 502 Abteilung oils for the coaling tower. I go into detail on the technique in this video, ruclips.net/video/_hLxCQ3JF9Y/видео.html. Thanks for watching.
What are the max/min. radius of your turns and what size turnouts do you use? I ask because I am building a layout set in 1954 and I am planning on running 2-8-0 consolidations next to my GP-7's. Obviously, the Geeps can handle switches and curves that the steamers can't. I am working with limited space and I want to pack as much action as possible into the small space while still being able to run my steam locos reliably. Also, thanks for sharing your model railroad journey with us; I have learned a lot.
The max radius is 24”, and the minimum is 18”. I’m using #6 and #5 turnouts. Thanks for watching!
I didn’t know you can make your own track.
Not a lot of people do it and now that I've done some I see why. It's pretty tedious, doesn't really save much money, and takes a lot of time. I think it looks cool and wanted to take on the challenge. I've read a bit about people making their own rail too back in the day, and that seems crazy to me.
Umm yeah…. Im gonna need you to upload more videos in this series. If you could do that tonight, that would be great. Thanks.
LOL, glad you are enjoying them.
How often does Pumpkin "help" you in the train room?
More often than I would like.
Wow excellent work. I'm curious if you save much by building the track versus just buying premade track, I mean you got to borrow the jigs themselves (which aren't cheap at all!), or was it more a labor of love instead of a cost savings.
There might be a little savings, but not much, especially when you factor in the time. It really is just for the experience and how it looks.
The progress so far looks great! How do you plan on painting the rails?
I plan on using some micro brushes to apply the weathering, but as I experiment that might change.
I'm having difficulty understanding why you used L-girder construction if you're laying your tracks on styrofoam. Is there a specific reason, or is it just that you saw or read something recommending L-girder construction?
If I'm not wrong, the advantage of L-girder construction lies in the way it allows for an at-will placement of joists, which in turn allow for an at-will placement of risers to support a roadbed. (The roadbed might be either cookie-cutter style or spline.) If you're not using a roadbed separate from your scenery base, then I don't see the point of the L-girders. Or am I missing something?
I’m really enjoying your videos ! I would like to know what software you were using to plan your track. 4:09
Thanks, Jonathan. That software is called Xtrkcad. To be honest, I found it to be a little cumbersome and unintuitive. I'm a Mac user and my options were limited as was my budget. It is open source software so it didn't cost me anything.
@@WhiteRiverLine I appreciate it! Happy Building!
Just Subscribed, Iam A 4x8 Loop runner On Plywood Plain, Would Not Have The Nerve To Even Try Hand Laid Track, Little lone Try L Girder Benchwork. Watching You Makes It Look Easy, I Have Did My share of track work in 1:1 Scale, Worked system rail gangs for 39 years before i retired, or what some say got "retarded". few aches and pains no injury feel it was a success, at least from a
financial standpoint. being lucky is better than being good. Iam A Lionel 027 operator.
Thanks for watching. Always nice to meet a real railroader.
hi, you are a master mr
Thanks, Marcelo!
Can you add some passenger cars as welll
I plan to at some point.
Exactly which Dedeco discs are you using? TY!
The A/O thins. Here is a link. www.dedeco.com/product/807/AO-THIN-DISCSbr-78-X-009-Br-100BX/5183/
is it cheaper or more realistic to make your own track? Just wondering why you do it.
Maybe a little cheaper, but not by much. I just like the way it looks. Thanks for watching!
Not sure if I wrote this before but:
You didn't need to use 'L girder' framework for a flat table top MRR..
'L girder', and same for 'open grid', benchwork, is for the allowance of 'risers', which support a (usually) meandering, about 4" wide jig sawed plywood sub-roadbed, to be moved across the cross members atop the L, to where said SRB would be atop each movable riser..
With a table top layout such as this you only needed to have standard framing and legs same as a ping pong table but wit heavier framing than...
Tho no harm done, 'L girder' is redundant with your particular application...
This is not to say your modeling skills are not A1 !
When I was building the bench work plywood was about $75 a sheet and I hate cutting plywood anyway. The L-girder was easy, not too many joints to deal with. I was also able to build it almost entirely with scrap wood. Thanks watching and commenting.