Nice to see how the layout went from a concept, to computer generated plan, to actual benchwork, trackwork, some scenic work to an operating session. Nice journey. Thanks for sharing.

"This is where the fun begins!"

The mistake you made resulting in a need to sort cars is not unprototypical. I grew up in a small Michigan town along C&O's Port Huron sub and noticed as a kid that westbound freights often did not come out of Port Huron well blocked. (This may have been a result of the order in which cars were pullied from the St. Clair river ferry.) They would often stop at one particular swiotch and spend considerable time reblocking their trains just as shown in the video- fouling the main and all. Nice video. Thanks for posting.

Wanted to say thanks for hooking me up with the band Heartland Nights... They got some damn fine songs..

That was interesting Jimmy. Also lots of hard work and planning. I enjoy the filming and editing that you do. This production must have taken you forever. Thanks for your hard work. It is appreciated.

Norfolk and Southern. I see those locos every day around my house and workplace

Back in my days when I was a boy, we lived in Brookville and my Dad worked at Brookville Lime. one Sunday CN with a long haul from Moncton to Saint John stopped to pick up loads at both mills. whom ever set up the freight put the empties 25 cars back into the 130 car train. they had 4 c type MLW locomotives. watching them switch was fun to me but hard work for the crew. you got a great layout. thank you.

Good to see it in an operating session I am presently rebuilding my layout.

Ah yes, the rogue coupler routine - the bane of any videographer! I enjoyed that a lot because you did a whole heap of things there. I also get that annoying jump when the slight displacement of rolling stock after uncoupling seems to be a scale yard or two longer than you meant it to be. I hope you'll make a few more of these as time allows 👍

Like the idea of running the intermodal on a regular basis. Nice video

Being an ex-railroader, my major needs are 1). recreate a known subdivision, 2). model a 50' to 480' wide path of the rails, 3). model every turnout, every spur, every industry on the subdivision of the interesting part(s) I'm modeling, 4). half-scale sized industries, three-quarter scale sized yards, full-scale bridges, 5). track length between 'interesting switching areas' one and a half to two modeled train lengths. Working from actual track charts from the year(s) I'm modeling affords me the opportunity to be as faithful to the prototype as possible and still fit it all in a good-sized space. Like the prototype, it's single track, mostly dark (no block signals on the northern 3/4). It sees two sets of mixed freight each way, one unit train coal drag for the power plant and the returning empties, and another unit train of empty gravel cars to be loaded and the loads out. The subdivision has its own hidden staging and set of helixes for continuous running and mixing things up. However, two train lengths out of the southern helix the northbound trains encounter the diamonds of an east/west double track main line of the same railroad, which provides lots of action even though the main line has only one yard (1/3 of the tracks modeled) on the east side of the diamonds. The track on the west side is hidden. (Each quarter of the diamond has a pair of turnouts {per prototype} which allows a wide variety of subdivision/mainline interaction.) The main line has its own hidden staging and set of helixes for continuous running and creating a wide variety of consists. Located in a river valley, the river scenes give ample opportunities to distract the eye from the relatively short distance between the interesting parts. The hardest part of designing a layout is trying to reduce the overall length of yards when you really can't do much to compress the length of turnouts. Everything is a trade-off between many factors.

Hey Jimmy, I really enjoyed this one, especially liked that you narrated what was going on as you went. Thanks!

Hey Jimmy… I remember unloading boxcars of plywood in the early ‘90s. Sometimes a door would “accidentally “ come off a car. I think you need a utility truck in your switching yard:-)))))) Great job man.

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

I have been thinking about a lot of this. I am definitely going to have a more game-like operation when I am done and it will include MOW and other items like that.

Nice away to start out the New Year running trains. I am more simple no yards will just have the trains run around. Will have train station for passengers trains to drop people off at the lake to go fishing.🎣 But that's just me not wanting to work to hard and just relax watching trains run around. As long as we have fun doing what ever layout we choose that's what counts. GOD BLESS 🚂❤🚂❤🚂❤🚂❤

I have never had anyone actually explain what you do with a model railroad, yet alone put it on KZread so this is great! Thank you for explaining and documenting it.

You could use some randomness in tour intermodal train. Some 20ft, 45ft, & 53ft containers in different schemes will make it pop out against the scenery (as it passes, it blends into the scenery).

Just remember a clean room is a sign of a sick mind thanks for sharing the operation Jimmy and a Happy New Year to you and your family 👍👍

That was fun to watch, very cool!

Really awesome 😎 video Jimmy!!!! I had lots of fun 🤩 watching it !!!!

Great session. I've been doing a few short operations while continuing the build on my layout. Eventually it will get to the point where multiple trains can run simultaneously. We gotta find you some TWOs and THREEs containers to go with all those ONEs....lol - Jason

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

Lolol I have been looking at different containers

good vid jimmy keep up the good vids thanks lee

Enjoyed your vid do. I am planning a layout and I got several ideas. Keep up the good work.

If those black horses are on the layout I am loving it. Nice video

great operation session.

Thanks for sharing that was great. Just found your Chanel and like what you have to offer. Thanks 😊 Bob from Wisconsin

I've had bad success with a few of those small cube cameras, just used your link and recommendation... Hoping this one is as good as I hoped they all would be! Looks great in your video. Lovely journey and operating session!

Interesting, thanks.

Hey Jimmy, agree that running trains is fun and probably the ultimate goal of our layouts. However, to my humble self the whole process of planning, building, making, improving my skills and just enhancing the creativity is also very much part of the ‘play aspect’ of model railroading.

Very interesting Ops Session. One thing - I noticed that some of your grade crossings are causing your rolling stock to lift and jerk. This may not be affecting the locos, but the freight cars drop slightly as they leave them for the normal running track. I've found that if you use 1mm plasticard (styrene) for road sufaces, it can fit neatly into the groove of the outside of the rail. For the piece between the rails, I use 0.5mm Styrene cut to 6mm width. This gives clearance for all wheels and the freight cars run smoothly over any Grade crossings. This system of working also can be used for covered areas of industries and is pretty reliable. On very close inspection, the road surface leading up to and over the grade crossing does look very rough running for any road vehicles, but we're Railroading here, not running road trucks and family cars, and from normal viewing distance they apper really effective. I have a four feet long lenngth of street running on my layout and this is how I did it. Hope this helps. Alan Morgan, Swansea UK.

Awsum 😎👍🚂

Really enjoyed watching you run the trains and doing all that cool stuff. Hope to see more like this. Since I'm very new at this I have a couple of questions: 1) How many cars is the max to run on a train? 2) When you were uncoupling the cars how was it done? Electrically or some other way? Even though I'm new at railroading I like the Kato's Manufacture's-Junction layout. I think it's a simple layout to start with and I can have some fun with it. What's your thoughts?? Stay Safe & God Bless!!

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

I think that the layout could handle a max of 20 cars, and the uncoupling was done through the magic of video editing haha! A great way to uncouple is with a bamboo skewer.

@MrJohnB-qs6dp

2 жыл бұрын

@@DIYDigitalRailroad Thanks for getting back and answering my questions. Appreciate it very much!!

Addendum - I also run N gauge in US outline.

Just curious. I'm a Newby, and I was wondering, what type of couplers you use, as I thought that was pretty cool how easy they worked and what seemed to allow you to uncouple where and which car you wanted. How is that controlled? Great video!

Nice ops session

Fun video! A Scale Trains Rivet Counter-I’m jealous! I hear they are the best locos out there. Is that your experience?

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

I saved for that one haha! They are really good locomotives. They look fantastic, and they run just like a Kato. I have a couple broadway limited locos and the rivet counters are far superior.

great job moving the freight!

When you say SD-60m what do you mean excellent railroad. What is your favorite railroad

Jimmy I noticed that you had two rerailers on yard tracks 4 and 5. What was your reasoning on placing them? Other than that a very good opps session to watch.

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

Those rerailers may end up being part of a dirt path for equipment in the future. In terms of my model. That is where most of the locos will be put on the track so it made sense even if it took a bit of the illusion away.

@petermenningen338

2 жыл бұрын

@@DIYDigitalRailroad I would have placed them in a line and plan on a gravel road so that high rail trucks can get on and off of the tracks at the yard. That way no illusion lost and it is your RR.

What is your favorite railroad

I enjoyed watching you operating this layout! Are you planning to power the Kato turnouts? I have mine all powered and use the fascia as a control panel. Makes it easier than having to lean over stuff all the time and all I used is a dpdt switch, a push button and a pair of bi-colour LED’s for each one and a 12 volt power supply.

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

I plan on powering the turnouts that are directly on the main. The rest will be manual for now, but I have run the wires in case I change my mind.

I am new to this. Are the many uncouplings done manually and then edited out or is there a way to uncouple that I need to learn about?

@DIYDigitalRailroad

2 жыл бұрын

These are done manually and edited out, but there are ways that involve magnets

@tracytesmer7033

2 жыл бұрын

@@DIYDigitalRailroad, thanks. Great editing

Prototypically pfft question are you a closet rivet counter Jimmy hmm.... i don't think so might be wrong ! aren't model railroads supposed to be fun? as for the prototypical people well if they are that serious then so be it ! don't forget model rairoading is a fun hobby why get so serious?

@davidf9630

2 жыл бұрын

I know what you mean… sometimes I feel like going “Gomez Adams” with my railroad… sometimes it’s all business.