I cannot believe Bruce was willing to sell the building for warehouse space after he put a tremendous amount of money, effort, passion, and especially time into this model railway. I’m glad the new owners are taking care of his work, I will have to see it someday! Great video as always!

@Lisa1111

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately folks are having to part with their creations, treasures and even homes anymore, due to today's expenses. I pray that this was not his situation! The new owner sure scored a treasure!

@gp40railfan44

Жыл бұрын

I know I don’t know why he sold the building.

@RichardHartness

Жыл бұрын

I'm assuming this gentleman started this hobby project after retirement. So if he started when he was in his 60s, he could've been in his 90s around 2019 when he sold. So, at that age, he might have had ailing health and might have even had medical expenses rising to where he had to re-evaluate his priorities. When you're 90 years old and having to decide to move into an assisted living facility, that $1,000,000 building might be your only ticket into a nicer living location. It's sad, but it's life.

@Lisa1111

Жыл бұрын

I can't assume anymore. It seems to backfire worse than ever Richard ♥️

@musicman8942

Жыл бұрын

@@RichardHartness Bruce started this journey into model railroading in the basement of his home when he lived in the Three Bridges area of NJ. As his home was being built he excavated extra basements for the layout. It was pretty much an individual effort except for when they had an open house around the Holidays. The local fire department was the beneficiary of any donations that were made. I'm talking back 40+ years ago or so. People moved into the area and complained so Bruce looked for someplace to go and that's when Northlandz happened. A lot of the bridges you see here are direct transplants from that basement layout. THAT particular setup occupied 5 total basements under his house before he moved - all HO. The gentleman's full name is Bruce Williams Zaccagnino.

I was wishing my father was alive to see this. I'm 72, back in the 1950's, he filled the basement with a large layout, including bridges, mountains, turntable and roundhouse, all made in his cabinet shop, in his spare time. He was a mill-shop foreman at the local lumberyard during the day. Thanks so much for posting this wonderful video!!

@ickleshouse

Жыл бұрын

wow, thanks for sharing that. My uncle had a layout in his loft ( i was about 5 at the time) and ever since seeing it i have wanted to build one. His also had ho scale slot cars on it, it may have been minic motor ways but i cannot recall, was many years ago. Now our child has grown up and moved out i am starting to collect bits for my own...

@cschuh4695

10 ай бұрын

I had an Uncle Bob Schuh in Buffalo, NY that did the same thing... It all started when he built a small room on the back of the house for the washer/dryer/water heater, so he could claim the entire basement of his HUGE North Buffalo home for his model railroad... 40 years later, the train layout still wasn't finished, but quite impressive, nonetheless... He also owned a pattern/cabinet shop and WNY's best model train hobby shop, KVAL Hobbies... His was the GOTO model train shop for 100's of patrons for 6 counties around, plus Ontario... Unfortunately, my Uncle Bob passed away a couple years ago, well into his 80's... Any body who knew Bob Schuh or shopped at KVAL Hobbies is welcome to reply to me... Thanx...

@FRLN500

6 ай бұрын

@@cschuh4695 Most model railroad layouts are never finished. As they near completion, we decide to expand. Or, as our skill level increases, we become dissatisfied with our earlier efforts so we decide to redo. The layout becomes progressively more intricate and impressive. The fun is in the building, not the operation and maintenance.

@mikeallen5291

4 ай бұрын

My dad did the same thing, but in the 1990's. I'm in my 40's now and preparing to build my own. I just put up a 48x64 foot pole parn with 18' ceilings to house it and I'm using HO scale. It is to be my retirement projsect although I'll be working it as soon as I can. It was his dad who got him into it and now I'm on the same path. I hope model railroading never goes the way of the dinosaur.

@mjac8373

4 ай бұрын

Rock on, dude!! Long live Lionel!!@@mikeallen5291

The bridges are…mind blowing. The builder/creater’s skills are off the charts. What a legacy, what a gift.

This needs to be put in a National Registry and protected at all costs.

@chedahmob6636

5 ай бұрын

Please put a go pro on the front of one it will get lots of views i would love to see that

@DidiGrooves

3 ай бұрын

YES

@user-wm2hv2mh9b

3 ай бұрын

I DEFINITELY agree...This should be preserved no doubt about it !

@benjaminbachtle2933

2 ай бұрын

then u have not seen the Miniatur-Wunderland in Hamburg

@mrxman581

2 ай бұрын

​@@chedahmob6636Great idea.

Reminds me of Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg Germany. Whenever you're back in Europe, I highly encourage you to visit it. It WILL blow your mind. The level of detail and automation is just incredible.

@royreynolds108

Жыл бұрын

Yes, the airport alone is incredible, the planes land, taxi, and take off.

@bookie5667

Жыл бұрын

​@@royreynolds108 Even the plane engines sound like the real ones. I spent ages waiting for their model Concorde to take off and land! Sad, I know!

@frankweiser3895

Жыл бұрын

Ja, nur dass die Hamburger ihr Fach beherrschen.

@buckfi1109

10 ай бұрын

@@frankweiser3895ja dachte ich auch - ist schon ein anderes Level zur Detailverliebtheit. Das hier ist irgendwie einfach gross.

@spacelemur7955

9 ай бұрын

I am sitting here planning a two-moth EV roadtrip from Stockholm to Portugal and back in Autumn 2024. Hamburg is damn near unavoidable. Thus, I thank you and have added it to the ever-growing list.

Grew up just outside of Flemington and spent so many hours here. I don't exaggerate that to me it was better than DisneyWorld. Thank you for bringing some spotlight on this beautiful place.

The man had a quirky style and a sense of humor that shows through in his modelling. I like that there's a little fantasy in his scenes. They were built to amuse and amaze rather than be absolutely prototypically realistic.

@musicman8942

Жыл бұрын

Talk about quirky - if you ever get there check out the toothpick factory - it's a direct transplant from his original setup when he had the huge HO layout under his house.

@ricomon35

Жыл бұрын

Could do without the buttercream frosting plasterwork though. That stuff just looks so icky, LOL.

@buildintotrains

Жыл бұрын

@@musicman8942 Bruce also played the pipe organ for anyone who came through the doors

My grandfather had an N scale model train layout that took up about a third of the basement. He had it walled off, and all the buildings had lights in it so when he turned off the main light in the room and turn the lights on all the buildings, it look like a small town. It was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I ever saw.

Jesus that was AMAZING!!! For art lovers AND model train enthusiasts combined, that is starting my day off WELL today! TY!!

Some peoples' passions are truly amazing. This is a work of art and should be preserved for future generations to admire.

My grandfather always loved trains but as a young orphan in west Germany during the 50s he couldn’t afford any. Fast forward 20 years or so later after gaining citizenship and a free ticket to Vietnam upon coming home he finally started a collection of all the German trains he never could afford as a child. I’m glad that I have them now to remember him with. I hope to have them up and running sometime this year. They meant a lot to him & they certainly mean a lot to me too. Thanks for making this video.

@voldeficient

Жыл бұрын

Guess you follow Mark Felton as well ?

@OleMisss

Жыл бұрын

@@voldeficient yes lol

@studebaker60

Жыл бұрын

Please document with videos on KZread

@77thTrombone

Жыл бұрын

@@voldeficient saw your comment and thought, "how _in the [world]_ did he (and/or she) get to _that_ conclusion?" Then I saw the name... Ok. 👍

@77thTrombone

Жыл бұрын

Sounds similar. If I wasn't a workaholic, I'd be a rail foamer. So much cool stuff.

As a cartoon caracaturist I really appreciate this level of detail. I bet I could hours and hours just soaking this in, in the flesh, so to speak. When I was a child in the 60's my parents took me and my brothers to a miniature world here in the UK. We felt like giants there, but it was nowhere near the scale of this place.

@joachimb5721

2 ай бұрын

You are a caricaturist and you don‘t know how to spell your own profession?

I'm from this county! I had at least 4 of my childhood birthday parties there. 24 years old now and super relieved to see that this place full of personal memories is still alive and well. Will have to take a trip back up there to see it again

I am totally blown away by the scale of NorthlandZ and all the hours and attention to detail it took to build it. Especially the attention to detail. Those bridges look like they were built with not-quite-toothpicks, but pretty close. It's hard to imagine building just one of those intricate bridges, let alone 400 of them (I think you said). I pray the area never has an earthquake. Thanks for showing this and thanks to Jim for allowing you to document it. Without it, few would know of its existence.

Been there many times when I used to live in NJ. It is an incredible place to visit. It is great that someone with a passion for trains purchased the property and saved it from becoming a statistic like Roadside America in Shartlesville, PA did. The story of Grandma who owns the house in the middle of the mine is a running story throughout Northlandz. She apparently is quite rich and owns lots of property throughout Northlandz.

@petemcintire4339

Жыл бұрын

My dad took me to Bruce's home basement a couple of times when he opened it to the public back in the early 1980s. Great memories.

I'm so excited you went here! I'm literally half a mile from this place! It is an amazing hidden gem in NJ! Glad you got a chance to enjoy

@jamesridoni

Жыл бұрын

What exit do you get off at, and what is the name of the town

@jamesp13152

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesridoni I'm near Philly and want to go there too! Try googling Northlandz. I'll do it now.

@steve-0493

Жыл бұрын

​​@@jamesridoni 495,off rt.202..River road exit..its in Flemington

Some commenters compare this layout with the miniatur-wunderland in Hamburg. I think it is something very different. The one in Hamburg was aimed from the very start to be the largest Model-Landscape in the World. No matter at what cost, no matter how many people have to work on it. THIS however is one man realizing his dreamworld all by himself. And you can see that it's done by one artist alone. There is a certain "handwriting" to it. You can clearly see that he adored building bridges! Sure, the one in Hamburg is on a much higher level of proficiency. But this has character. This is art.

@TinusTegenlicht

11 күн бұрын

Well said!

@viquezug3936

10 күн бұрын

The absurdly steep and tall mountains are what Miniatur-Wunderland lacks

Wow! Unbelievable!!!! I'm glad the new owner of the building decided to carry on the legacy.

When this attraction opened in '96, I lived only about a 25 minute drive away. Would take my house guests over here to see the layout. It was impressive then and remains so!

The control room deserves a video of its own.

@ACE324MINER

Жыл бұрын

There really isn't that much to the control room besides looks, its more or less a very impressive shelf for all the power packs. Besides the small square amp and volt meters above each packs the rest is just for show

Glad someone stepped in for the retiree creator. Being a former NJ native, nice to know something this monumental was created amd continues to exist.

@MeMeDaVinci

Жыл бұрын

You are always a NJ native.

@jhandle4196

Жыл бұрын

@@MeMeDaVinci What a bummer

Made the trek here with the family in the early 2000s when Bruce Williams was still very hands-on with this place, what an interesting guy! he even took us for a ride on the outdoor railway on the property, and gave an organ recital in the theater there! So happy to see that this place still exists.

No comment I could say could express the awe I have for this.

Incredible, hard to believe. Amazing what someone can do if completely driven.

@rocknewtonfilsterwilly7364

8 ай бұрын

Reminds me of the guy that built the B-29 homebuilt aircraft. Some guys have a vision and just take it to a whole-nother level. Driven is where they start then it rolls into driven obsession.

That's too cool. Can you imagine how accomplished he must've felt after it all came together!?

This is a work of almost biblical proportions! I especially loved the factories!

I’ll bet that Bruce decided to leave his obsession behind him and decided to go travel or do anything not in this building. Lots of hours spent there and a lot to show for it. Very cool he could move on. Even more cool that the person who bought the building saw the value of his work. Great Video!!!

one man's dream world, saved for future generations to experience and hopefully find the same joy as he did.

Went to Northlantz back in like 2018 or 2019 and got to meet Bruce. Very nice guy. He was right at the front, with this little half-open office full of cameras all over the layout. Glad to see the place is in good shape! I will say this. The new owners have a better taste in trains. When I saw it, the trains were shorter and only had F-unit locomotives. Good to see longer trains with more variety.

This is incredible! The artistry... I'm blown away watching the video, it must be super impressive to see in real life.

Absolutely amazing Model Railroad! Bruce really dedicated so much time and effort in building this and such perfection also. Thanks Chris for sharing!

Wow, what a great video Chris! You cover everything, from graveyards to Kensington to the largest model railroad layout in the world! I live in Pennsylvania, about 60 miles away from Flemington, and definitely have to check this place out. I'm a huge railroad fan, both real and model, and was amazed also at the recreation of Harpers Ferry, WV, of which I have been through on Amtrak. Thanks for posting this!

Incredible! I see it, but I still can't believe it! I remember when I was a kid, my friend's dad had his entire basement filled with model trains and things like this. Needless to say, it was nothing compared to this!

@MobileInstinct

Жыл бұрын

I'd love something like that in the future. Can just walk downstairs and play around with the trains.

@HappyDude1

5 ай бұрын

​@@MobileInstinct Do you know the story why bruce sold it ? And how old he was at the time?

Looks like HO scale, my favorite scale for trains. They look the most realistic. When the scale gets bigger you have that center 3rd rail which kills the "scale" part of it. When I was 9-10 years old in the 1980's my dad built me a killer HO scale layout. It was roughly 12 feet by 8 feet with two tracks (can run two trains at once) and was highly detailed with streets, buildings, houses, cars and even working lights in every building. There was even a Kentucky Fried Chicken. The RR crossing gates would lower when the trains approached the road. And amazingly he built it without me knowing it. He made it so it could fold up into the wall of our "play room" and when folded up all you saw was a large rectangle gap in the paneling on the wall. I thought nothing of it at my age. He would work on it when I was asleep at night or if he had a day off work while I was at school. Took him 6 months and he unveiled it one Christmas morning. The way he surprised me was when I opened some presents on Christmas morning and they were trains, HO scale locomotive and 10 rail cars. I was confused until he tole me to go in the play room where the layout was folded down and all the lights lit up in the houses. LOL. I thought that was impressive and it was. But the layout in this video is in a league of it's own. Ironically my parents are from NJ but they moved down to Miami in the 1970's before I was born. My father is still alive and kicking...I'll show him this video. I bet he will enjoy it. OMG...the controls at 15:19...those are the same exact controllers I had, I still have them. The black units with the 3 red switches and knob.

@JoeOvercoat

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking this is N scale which is harder to work with than HO, but buys you a lot of space. attractive folds in the wall sounds so awesome I want to do that to this day but my N scale layout is unfinished…more like barely started… and hanging on the wall.

@richardconway6425

5 ай бұрын

Yeah, I wondered about the scale too. It doesn't quite look like HO, it looks a little bit smaller. In Europe HO scale was very popular because of Hornby, but I get the impression that in the US there were many more scales to choose from. Isn't N scale really small, like miniature, as opposed to 'model' scale? It's a shame the author of the video didn't talk at all about the scale.

@theViomax

2 ай бұрын

@@richardconway6425 Yeah its been a while since I had my father's set out but it's N and I believe the cars and engines are only about 3" long. Honestly loved the scale compared to HO. A well built model feels like you're holding an engine or even house in the palm of your hand.

It looks better now, than it was when I visited about a decade ago. I first visited back in the early 2000's and it was awesome. I went back a decade later and it was run down with big holes in the scenery and broken structures and only a few 2 or 3 car trains running. What a disappointment my second visit was. I'm happy to see it has been restored and in operation.

Very cool video! This place was awesome. I’m a big model train fan so this was nice to see

@MobileInstinct

Жыл бұрын

Gotcha check it out when you come through New Jersey

@AbandonedUrbexCanada

Жыл бұрын

@@MobileInstinct 100%!

That was really a piece of art. So much detail it must have been fun for him. It kind of reminded me of the hills of West Virginia. Thanks for showing us. 💞🚆

Is that 8 miles of track or 8 scale miles of track?? From you narrating I’d say 8 real actual miles of track!!!!! AMAZING‼️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇳🇿

Wow! I built my own- 60 locos, 100 coaches, 200 wagons, 300 ft track , mountains tunnels, river, bridges , roads, buildings , 8 controllers, sidings, plus more .That was big enough - sold the lot n moved to Spain. Miss em now 😢.Took 45 yrs. total collecting

Amazing. We should all cherish this. It’s got love written all over it.

I live a few miles from this absolutely amazing wonderland. Have been there many times. A must see.

he was genius for being able to plan this out and build it with the ability to maintain it in the future. just stunning. his skill is quite obvious.

My mind is blown on so many levels! First of all the amount of details is mind blowing! Pretty much every angle tops the one before. Then that it was built by one man! Then after putting all this work into this amazingly detailed art, he was willing to let it go. Thank you for the detailed video! I'm surprised that i never heard about this place. Wish i had a chance to see it in person!

Very impressive. Can't imagine setting aside all the time to build and maintain this miniature world.

Wow! Simply incredible! Thanks for taking me along. Loved your Satchmo impression ❤

Oh my God. Didn't know such a huge Train museum existed. Thank you.

As a TCA member & collector ( HO & O scale )since 2000 this is by far the most impressive layout I have ever seen. One can not wrap their head around the time consumption & visualization of building this enormous layout 👍🇺🇸

I love how impossible and whimsical the bridges are, it feels like this world is so fantastical yet so believable.

Hamburg can give this place a run for it's money, but this is certainly very impressive.

Never heard of your channel or seen anything train related. But holy hell is this cool. Absolutely beautiful

I have been there several times. It is simply amazing!! The artistry and humor is everywhere and fun to see. A must for any model train enthusiast.

Mind boggling. When you mentioned early on that there were over 400 bridges and 8 _miles_ of track, I thought "Yeah, right.." And then 20 minutes flew by and I was left in complete awe of one man's vision and execution. Just.. wow.

Wow this beats my father in law’s railway, which takes up the whole attic, scenery is excellent to! 👏🏻🥳👏🏻🥳

Fantastic tour! Thank you so much for taking the time to do such a great in depth video. 🙂

Absolutely fantastic Chris. This video is so exciting to see very impressive. Many thanks for visiting and sharing. Take care Chris 🇬🇧🇺🇸💯

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless.

2:10 "That's me off to work, Sue." "Don't forget your climbing gear, Frank."

Fantastic Chris! Amazing place and amazing accomplishment. As always, a wonderful job!

Thank you, and thank you to Jim as well. I don't think I will ever get to see this in person, so it's great to see video of it.

That's the most insane thing I've ever seen in my entire life

Over the top Wow...! Living vicariously thru you Chris! Thx for this adventure

"Oh... my... God" "Oh no, no, no... not yet... come on, let's go walk on water." I love this man...

That place would have utterly *ensorcelled* me when I was little. I would've never wanted to leave.

Such an amazing place Chris. Awesome editing as well as the video. Keep up the good work.

What a stunning display. The sure amount of work into it is astounding.

Now that's incredible!

This marvel is deserving of a documentary.

WOW This is awesome no words 😊😊👍👍👍👍

The unique and essential thing I like (the most) with model railroads is being with someone (for exemple my girlfriend) and starting with only one track (the main line)... I have my room and she have his room ; our rooms become our distinct cities. I decide how I want it and she decide how she want it too. The only rule is : all needs must be transported via gondola wagons (camera in front of locomotives) and CB are our phones : "Azumi, I need this and that.. Can you..." .. "Hai, give me 10-15 mins"... "Ok, I am waitng for you on L3 and L4"... We can not see what the orther do but very good project of love "(^ . ^)" 💕

@theViomax

2 ай бұрын

That sounds like a lot of fun.

@azumi-osaki

2 ай бұрын

​@@theViomax sure it is "(^^)"

i live 10 minutes from Northlandz and can confirm it's an amazing space to visit, way more crazy in person

WOW.....Thanks for taking us here.

The work is incredible, some of the Arch Bridges are not accurate but they look cool.

This is a wonderful video and this train setup is amazing. I could spend hours and hours there. I don't remember you saying was it all HO gauge? Those bridges are really a thing of wonder. So creative like real bridges. I remember when I was about 12 living in Albuquerque they would have the state fair there every summer, this was mid 70's. They have a train club go there and make a big setup that took up an entire building. I remember spending hours in there in just fascination. My mom and stepdad was so mad at me when they finally found me.

@musicman8942

Жыл бұрын

Northlandz is a mixture of gauges. Bruce originally was into HO.

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk.

2:22 I see a head in the grey rock, top center. Short hair, looking down and to the left.

I went there years ago when my kid was young ( in their late 20s now). It was overwhelming and to be honest back then it was kind of monotonous. From the video it looks like that changed over the years, it looks fantastic. Glad it survived.

This is amazing. I have no words for what I'm looking at.

I visited here a few months ago. The place is _massive,_ yet everywhere seems to be carefully detailed. I definitely recommend visiting.

It’s an incredible miniature world, I only wish there was more lighting like in the buildings and streets etc. would have been awesome to see the carnival rides moving and stuff too which I have seen in another huge layout I saw recently I forget where it was but the detail in that place was very impressive too just a different style. Would like to know how Bruce designed it before he started building it?

One huge miniature high five from a maker of miniature armour! The scale here is awe-inspiring. I would love to see some down-low shots with just the models lights... I am sure there would be no way of telling the scale! Incredible work... Especially THAT bridge! 🇬🇧🏆🇺🇲

Salvadore Dali style glued to the mountains. Its like a painting. When you are finished you are finished for good. Very inspiring.

Extremely impressive display!!!! Whoa!🚂🌉🚞

My grandmother took me here as a child and man was it paradise… still is frankly. I need to go back, this place is a treasure and must be protected at all costs. Additionally a documentary should really be made.

No words!! Very Impressive! I don't even want to think about how you maintain something like this. Cleaning tracks, dusting off the models, getting to a stuck train on a bridge! An amazing layout.

So glad someone saved it all ! Should be a museum

This started life in the basement of his house. He gave tours of his layout. He dug a second basement to expand the layout. Still gave tours. When he discussed a third basement, his wife said NO! So, he bought the land and build his 'Museum' quality layout. Marvelous and all DC. No digital command control (DCC) on this layout. 🙂

That's truly impressive, absolutely needed to be preserved.

Absolutely unreal. The crazy part is this video probably doesn't do it all justice. I bet in person its even more amazing.

I was there in the 90's, it's awesome, and hope it is preserved for generations to come. A work of art for sure.

I had the model railroader magazine as kid and remember spending hours on end just looking at photos and reading the story about this place.

Definitely need to see s movie about this guys life and passion for model trains! Chu-chu 🚂

Amazing! What a great job you did! I’ll always have a soft spot for Marx tin trains. As a kid growing up in the 80’s I got to play with boxes of pre and post war trains at my grandmothers house.

What a vision! Imagine Hour 1, just getting started.... Let this display live forever as vital history in our world growing ever more streamlined, factory-built and impersonal.

Time, energy and love can be found in the smallest model-railway.

I got to see this a few years ago, when Bruce was still running it. It's wonderful to see Northlandz is still thriving.

The planning! What a work of art from The Amazing Bruce.

Unbelievable! So much details and love to the Landscape! Wonderful!

Went there twice as a kid. Blew my mind back then. Definitely worth checking out if you're a railroad fan.

WOW, AMAZING!!!😮 SPECTACULAR!!! Thank you for the tour! 🚂❤️😊🙏

Grew up a couple miles from here and went a few times in my youth. Flemington has alot of great history. Glad to see Northlandz is still alive.