I love the layout. Inspired me to do more ops on my own layout and take a break from building scenery. Thanks for the post.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

I love your layout! And your videos are super funny! If you ever want to do some kind of collaboration please let me know. My first freight car between layouts seems to have stalled but would love to do another.

Great video, and the locomotive looks and sounds just sweet. Wonderful job!

@SouthDown

18 күн бұрын

Thanks for the kind comments! I had a veteran modeller show me how to do it. A lot to cram in not a lot of space especially when you try to put as big a speaker as you can.

I love that locomotive

@SouthDown

18 күн бұрын

Thanks! The recycled Rio Grande orange and the light grey combined with cranky engine sound really give this little runner a fun look. Combined with the slug, it certainly is an eye catcher.

I am the same way. Drop everything and run some trains. The layout is looking great. That Athearn runs and sounds great. Thanks for the share.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Always appreciate having your feedback! Running smooth and reliable trains is the best part. And they seem to run better when the environment is closer to complete. I’m happy you like that little engine!

Love lance’s designs.

@SouthDown

3 ай бұрын

The layout is his canvas. Thanks for the feedback!

That is very impressive. The joy of switching -reliably - can be very addictive. The blue box loco looks, sound and run great! You are 100% right: it outperforms some very expensive current book holder available on the market today.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

As always, a real treat to get feedback from a veteran champion of modern railroading on my channel. Everything I do was inspired by you. And yes, reliability seems a lost word in the hobby’s dictionary.

@MLWQC

5 ай бұрын

@@SouthDown That is very generous , thank you, however give credit where credit is due: And that is you! You created an excellent switching layout, well thought out with extremely reliable rolling stock and loco. Plus your video are second to none. Always a pleasure to hear and see what you are doing. Quite decent of you to share and to take us along with you on your journey. I am glad you stuck it out despite some shaky beginning in this hobby. Well done Sir.

Lance, your track work is awesome. Train runs smoothly & the sound is very nice. Thank you. P.j. Carpinteria Calif

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your feedback! Lance is truly a master.

Well filmed Leo. Keeps the interest up on what can be boring for some. Those different camera angles really work well.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Thanks! I wasn’t expecting this kind of response to me blowing a horn up and down the tracks but your feedback is always a hallmark of approval in my books. Thank you for your support!

A nice little switching session. There's a lot to be said for older, smaller locomotives. First, there are a lot of them out there, and they're inexpensive. Secondly, they are easy to upgrade with new sound decoders, speakers and LED lighting. And most importantly, their small size works much better on small switching layouts. Thanks for sharing your switching session.

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

I won't lie, as a newbie, taking a model apart and installing a decoder is still a daunting task, especially for someone as clumsy as me! So many things that can go wrong. But when I get it right you are left with perfect little gems like this switcher that make switching (and blowing the horn!) so much fun. Really appreciate the kind feedback from a model railroading veteran such as yourself!

@michaelsmodelrailroading7665

2 ай бұрын

I’m still learning, as well. What has really helped me has been watching YT videos of decoder installations, of which there seems to be an endless number. No matter the make or model of loco, someone has posted a video of a decoder installation and related upgrades. Often there are a number of videos detailing installation of different types of decoders and related accessories. accessories.

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thank you,@@michaelsmodelrailroading7665! You are correct! I've replaced all my locomotives with legacy Life Like Proto 2000 models and installed sound decoders in them. Their performance is spectacular, especially at slow speeds. I have a couple of switching videos coming up in June/July showcasing both slow speed performance and the high quality sound. Thanks again for your advice!

I do love watching slow moving , realistic running models. I used to repower my older BB Athearn models, to make them run slowly, but these days, with DCC well advanced, the decoders do the job instead of repowering them, especially if you spend a little more for a good decoder. I spend a lot of time on my layout just doing switching.The track has to be spotless & loco wheels also, & I have a lot of fun.Just to add more prototype running, I program momentom & braking into my decoders. Takes a little practice, but it gets better with use.Thankyou for the vid, sir. Michael NZ

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your feedback! It’s nice to hear from others who appreciate slow moving models running on smooth track. I especially love consisting two engines and have them slowly start or come to a mutual grinding halt.

@scotabot7826

19 күн бұрын

Yes, to me, the momentum and braking is EVERYTHING. Quick starts and stops as well as jerking is a major turnoff to me. It's all about scale movements and real train handling in my modeling.

@SouthDown

18 күн бұрын

I appreciate your feedback! Nothing makes me cringe more than watching model trains jack rabbit on a track.

Love the paint scheme on that switcher . Nice trackplan also!!

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thanks! This oldie ended up being a fun little engine and the Lance Mindheim inspired track plan really lives up to his philosophical promise! Thank you for your feedback!

I have, amongst my 28 other locos, an Athern blue box GP30 which is still running well, despite its 61 year old life! I also have a Tyco F9 which is also 61 years old. I replaced the plastic wheels with metal and despite the fact that it is only 4 wheel drive, is quite useful in multiple unit lashups and for running the track cleaning car.

@SouthDown

Ай бұрын

That is absolutely incredible! Something to be said about models of yesteryear. With some loving, they can still provide hours of entertainment. Thank you for your support!

Looking great! The engine is perfect (and clearly has a very effective horn!) Nice neat video, thanks! (editing it down is always a task, but worth it I think?)

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

You are the inspiration for this whole channel, down to the editing. Even the eBay finds are a testament of your early videos. Here’s to doing something creative with my hero.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Thank YOU! I appreciate your taking the time to show support.

Always gotta make time to run some trains. Great video and share making great progress

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Huge accolades from a veteran railroader like yourself! Thank you!

@tracksidemike

5 ай бұрын

@@SouthDown thanks

WOW, so cool

@SouthDown

Ай бұрын

Thank you! I greatly appreciate your feedback and that you took the time to provide it.

do you have a video of the DCC install in the switcher? That thing sounds sweet

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

As I followed the much better and clearly more skilled videos of others on how to do any of this I only have a photograph of its innards which I’ll share in my next video.

Excellent operations session, looks fantastic, you need to show me how you installed your ground throws , great video

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

I’d be happy to show you but you will laugh at how simple my method is!

@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-jam8267

5 ай бұрын

I like simple

Do you have a track plan of this? I would love to see the dimensions.

Do you have a video of you installing the DCC and sound in the Athearn bluebox SW1500.

@SouthDown

3 ай бұрын

I do not. I simply followed this tutorial I found on KZread, which is much neater than what I did: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZH9orJOkp7XelLw.html Albeit I used a different decoder, isolating the motor is the same.

Great layout and video! Just curious as to the sound file you used. The engine looks like an EMD SW1000, but sounds like an Alco S series! Just curious! Great layout!

@SouthDown

4 ай бұрын

I don’t know what an SW1000 sounds like! I went with the most rickety about-to-break sound file I could find to honour the grindy vintage Blue Box. Thank you for the kind feedback!

@TPW900GP35

4 ай бұрын

@@SouthDown I’m not a modeler, currently. Just a former railroader and railfan. I’m not familiar with the programming process for the decoder. I guess I just assumed that it was preprogrammed and you just clicked on the sound you wanted. A SW1000 sounded somewhat like a SW1500/ MP15/GP15 but with a slightly different sound due to having four fewer cylinders. A faster speed (two stroke) compared with an Alco’s slower sound (four stroke).

@SouthDown

4 ай бұрын

It sounds to me like you’re the real deal! I’m just having fun slapping modern day electronics into legacy models and give them a run-down feel driven mostly by ignorance and “what sounds right”. I’m sure I’m throwing prototypical out the window with this practice but I won’t tell if you won’t. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

@TPW900GP35

4 ай бұрын

@@SouthDown You’re welcome! Everyone has their own way of enjoying the hobby! I try to respect that! I was trying to be helpful and let others be themselves at the same time! I know nothing about DCC and decoders and all that stuff! I have quite a bit of model train cars and engines, but haven’t messed with it in years! To give you an idea of how long it’s been, my stuff still has the old “horn hook” couplers!

As you say, nothing wrong with a "Blue Box", plenty of space for speakers, keep alive etc.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

This one was a tight fit due to the motor and mechanism, but despite that there's a massive 17mm speaker in there and the decoder was neatly tucked inside the cab. It's such a fun little engine to use.

@andyknott8148

5 ай бұрын

@@SouthDown Only problem is the Engineer wakes up the neighbourhood by keep playing the bugles.🙉

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Hah, he certainly does! Fortunately household management hasn’t passed any by-laws yet to tame the excessive bugle usage.

Whats the dimensions of your shelf? What Kind of Locomotive is that and where did you get it from?

@SouthDown

Ай бұрын

It’s 245 cm long and 35 cm wide or about 8 feet long and 14 inches wide. The locomotive is a very old Athearn Blue Box. You can usually find them very cheap at train shows. You don’t want them too too old as those older motors are going to blow your decoder with its 2 amp limit.

Hi, what type of uncoupler is used? I see a disk type in the first shots where you uncouple the caboose. Nevertheless a nice video.

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Just a barbecue stick. The circle you are seeing is from the AnyRail trackplan printed to scale. You can see it better here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/nK6Ws5h9mdSaXZM.html

May I ask for the dimensions

Very enjoyable. Maybe need more horns? 😄

@SouthDown

5 ай бұрын

Maybe more cowbell. The bell sounds like something a cow would wear. Hehe.

The angled camera really doesn't work here. It's used in cinema to create a sense of unease, which surely isn't what you're looking for. Alternatively, it's used in still photography to create interesting geometric effects, like lining things along the diagonal of the frame rather than parallel to the edges -- again, that doesn't seem to be what you're looking for, as your compositions aren't putting anything strong along the diagonals.

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your awesome feedback! I didn’t realize trying to fit more in the frame by tilting the camera had this powerful effect. Would you have any other constructive criticism and suggestions on shots that would be more friendly for the theme at hand? Thanks again for watching with such a professional eye!

Can barely hear your voice, then get BLASTED! With train noise.

@SouthDown

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the heads up! Not sure what to say. Watched the episode again and it sounds fine on my end on any device I tried.