You know what would be really badass? Put a mini go pro on one of the trains and record the train going over the whole layout from the trains perspective
Adderall vs that would be spectacular. Seeing it go through the tunnels with the lights on and stopping and going for signals and overall just running realistic. I dont care if it took 45 minutes but it would be awsome to see that layout and all that beautiful scenery from that prospective. Good idea bro!!!
Absolutely love it, I’m glad to finally find a true scale modeler there isn’t 10 tracks side by side, trains and rails stuffed in every nook and cranny its perfectly proportioned more scenery than rails like real life. Two thumbs up on my end.
I would add that the top of the video basically cut off half the layout. I kept ducking down trying to look up higher. Most the video was aimed down, which did give good detail. I also like to see the long view for perspective.
I would love to clear the lines and take the smoothest running freight car and put it at the highest elevation on the layout. And see just how far it will go.
We have just suffered an major series of earthquakes in New Zealand, but your videography is much more nerve-wracking than the shaking scenery on our South Island main trunk railway.
Really sad that you move the camra way to fast, one cant see everything without pause :-) And next time take a huge drink before filming so no shake :-)
Mitchell Whitney I have LOTS of videos from last weeks operating session. I have a ton of editing to do, but stay tuned for a video from the Modern Ops Session on the layout with lots of BNSF, UP, and some NS. ;)
Sound for model locomotives leaves so much to be desired. It's always way too loud and the speakers are too small to produce even mid-range frequencies. So all you get is an ear-piercing cacophony that sounds far different from what you would actually hear if you were watching from the vantage point you show.
I know!!! why can't locomotive audio be broadcast bluetooth and played back thru 1000 watt theatre system with subwoofers???? Low frequency is non-directional so let the squeaky little speakers provide the directional clues... if directional ID for the sound source is a factor...
Thanks for this!!!! I haven't been to La Mesa in over 10 years... LOTS of changes! I'd give BODY PARTS to run my Pacific Belt RR on THAT!! I'll look through your channel for a video of trains RUNNING on this amazing Layout! :D
It is sad that you move your camera so fast, it is very difficult to see anything properly. You swing around and make one more confused than enlightened. So practice with your camera as it's a shame that a 30min video recording is so blurry. Tip set the speed down to 0.75 or 0.5 it helps a lot.
@@henrystrainsandmore3546 Actually... I would have loved an hour long video. Since I probably wont see this in real life, I'd love to see every detail in an hour long video :) But I can understand if the uploader doesn't want to hold a camera for an hour, it would have been cool though.
And this video is a perfect example why I hate DCC Sound. It sounds dreadful and detracts from the whole experience. Everyone who has DCC Sound equipped locos always has them turned up full volume. Why? Are they trying to make it sound like the real deal? Newsflash for those that think this, it never will sound like the real deal. Having the volume up so loud makes it sound tinny and is dreadful. Turn the sound down so you hear it as it pass by, not so you can hear it 3 blocks away.
And for most people's information (those who don't know the ins-and-outs of digital sounds) there is very little one can do about the volume of the sound. There is no electronic volume control, so there! DCC sound is indeed the best that can be generated by such small speakers. If you can do better then go for it you wingers; I'll pay for it if you can!!!
I don't have any sound equipped locomotives. Then again, I model N scale and the speakers are so small that the few sound locomotives we get sound like crap.
Great Video. Thank you! I've been to the layout many times, but have never gone "behind the scenes" as you do here. Infrastructure-wise, this layout is simply mindblowing. Thanks for the video!
I'm pretty sure Le Mesa models mainly the steam-diesel transition period, which would've been ATSF/SP... if you look at the layout itself, most of the structures and vehicles, as well as track alignments, are accurate for a 1950s setting, not a modern one. What I'm saying is, even though you see BNSF and UP trains in the video, the Model Railroad itself is pretty much a Southern Pacific model railroad with ATSF trackage rights.
Amazing layout. Sadly I had to stop 1/2 way through, nausea was setting in. You should maybe slow down a little bit. Would love to see it at a more visually pleasing speed. Sorry for the comment, but I really had to stop watching.
I'd love to see a revisit to the railroad, to see how things have progressed since this video. These things are always so amazing to see, even if it's something that we could never achieve at home on so grand a scale.
Wow keep on going n make it a lot better n investing more money n add more scenery to the layout on the new sections it's worth the investment everyday great job
The video documentation of a set up like this deserves the best video. Less shaking is required & I would love to see it done better. Some image stabilization perhaps. But I'm being critical , but this project deserves it. Excellent video overall. Good work. An inspiration for all.
I don’t know about you guys, but I know I got into this hobby to watch a guy’s arm point around a layout for 21 minutes and never see a train run! Sheesh. 21 minutes down the tubes...
I've visited this amazing layout and it is prototypical of the area it is depicting. . Unfortunately the person taking the video needs to learn how to make and take videos. YOU NEED TO MOVE SLOWER WITH A VIDEO CAMERA THAN YOU EYE SEES NORMALLY. You DID NOT give this amazing layout justice with your fast pans and blurry closeups.
Mike Fifer. Agreed, fabulous layout. Childish camerawork hardly does it justice, sir. We didn't all have the priviledge to be there but the cameraman did and should have treated all that astounding work with a little more respect. Hardly whining, sir, just disappointment at a wasted opportunity.
Say after me AMATEUR. The cameraman was not a professional, nor did he have a $20,000 Steadicam. He did the best with what he could, and personally I think he did a marvellous job. Top marks camera!
This layout is a work of art. The distances involved are staggering. What type and shape of building contains it? I cannot imagine the amount of work involved on a layout this huge. The track work also looks very fine scale - great work. Compared with the Miniatur Wunderland layout it is far superior owing to the scenery's realism and the sheer scale of the thing.
The building that houses the La Mesa MRRC layout also contains 5 other model railroad clubs and _their own huge layouts too!_ The building is in Balboa Park in San Diego, California ....I think the buildings were constructed more than a century ago for a World's Fair or something.
I am a member of the Balboa Park Railroad Museum and this building replaced a building that housed the Aerospace Museum that was burned down in an arson fire with a total loss of all exhibits. They moved to another building and this is a large building housing many museums including us. Our museum is 25,000 square feet with an N scale layout, two HO layouts, one O layout and a Lionel layout. We have occupied the space since 1981 and if you come to San Diego, I highly recommend dropping by.
That's a pretty impressive layout you've got there mate! This came up in my suggestions, wasn't going to watch it right away but I'm glad I did. It's magnificent! It's so good I've subscribed. Looking forward to more videos of this layout. Best wishes from South Australia. Cheers Caleb :)
I get a catalog every month from Micromark (because I bought some metal years ago) and until seeing some of these videos, I never noticed the pages of HO model stuff. Now I watch these videos and realize these layouts must involve hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of track, rolling stock, engines, and such a wide range of building types in kit form. The typical engine averaged about $300 and rolling stock seemed to go for about $25 a piece. Building kits could range from $20 to well over $100. If the manhours involved are added in, as well as the materials for the landscape and all the lumber and metal for the tables etc, I wouldn't be surprised if that setup was worth millions of dollars, if such things could be easily sold. Now I know why one seldom, if ever, sees old model railroad items at garage sales, junk shops or Goodwill stores. This stuff is man jewelry. I am amazed that technology like railroads also requires the modeler to pay so much attention to the landscape. In some of thee layouts, the railroad itself seems almost like an excuse to model the landscape. It can be so evocative and even poetic. I don't have the money or space for even a small layout but have started to love watching these big setups. I have one question I can't find an answer to online. Do the clubs own the stock or do the members pool their own resources and equipment while they are members? According to the comments below, this layout has been around for decades. The club must have accrued some serious value in all those years and it looks like it requires some serious responsibilities on the part of the members. Model railroads at this scale are the toys that aren't really toys anymore from the looks of it.
Inside the basement at La Mesa Museum complex. www.lamesaclub.com/ Also: www.sdmrm.org/ I was told if the layout wasn't stacked on itself, it would need about 6,000sqft of floor space. There are 5 indoor layouts in the basement of this old building. Both HO layouts have roughly equal floor space to use, but are two different clubs. "...Spanning over 27,000 square feet of trains, trestles, and tracks..."
I visited there on New Year's Day when I was home in the Civilized San Diego area for the New Year's weekend. I have been to to the San Diego Model Railroad museum since the summer of 1975 when I was stationed aboard the USS BlueRidge LCC-19 when I was in the Navy & thee ship was homeported there. The San Diego area will always be home to me, the very best metro area I have ever lived in. I enjoy the model railroad trains when I visit there.
It looks like a fantastic setup. Being brutally honest, unfortunately the video footage shown here is too awful to do any justice to the layout. It's absolutely dreadful! It requires redoing it with some thought and directorship please; with slower panning (rather than flitting and jerking about all over the shop), better quality camera resolution and colour settings and with a some form of picture stability function activated, thank you. Shall we say it will be done sometime in the next seven years or so?
The famed Mojavi Sub Division, a route that I had in Trainz 12, and in trainz a new era. The HO scale version at La Mesa does not look all that different.
A cab ride would've been much better, and you could 86 the narration. Maybe go back when it's complete, and film a cab ride, and do it on a day when there aren't kids there talking in the background.
What's wrong with you people!!!! "Great Video" / "Love The Video" / "Excellent Recording Job", etc., etc. The only worthwhile comment about the video was Murray from New Zealand!! Please don't get me wrong... the layout is Beautiful!! The layout is Gorgeous!! The layout detail (especially the hills and greenery) is Superb!! However.... has your videographer ever heard of a tripod?? I would almost donate a tripod with wheels if I knew you would use it! LoL I agree with the comments about no running trains; and a cab-ride?? Oh Yes, that would be Great!! Be that as it may: La Mesa Model RR Club... You Guys ROCK!!! Excellent Layout!!!
If AND WHEN I GET THE MONEY, I'd LOVE TO GET ME A LAYOUT BUILD REPRESENTING THE TEHACHAPI. I know them engines, cars, and tracks can cost a bit. The tracks, I'd and layout, I'd do myself. The buildings, I could do the majority myself.
must have taken years to build that , the one thing I want for my next layout is the real set up for the St Thomas conrail yard in the 80,s, cant find anything online for it , BUT I hope after a couple years I can match it up , half as well as your club did, great attention to detail , if I can ask , where is this layout located , basement of a factory? wow for lots of room
3/12/2023 If you haven't noticed, the La Masa Model Railroad is trying to accurately reproduce a huge division of TWO railroads, which use Tehachapi loop. When finished it will be the largest CLUB model in the world and the most accurate, right down to where trees are placed etc. 7 years have passed since this video. I wonder, how much is done now? ;-)
This is such an amazing layout. The detail is awesome. At 8:10 the building on the far left is now completely gone but I have a picture taken on 3/20/2004 of the pyramid shaped part of the building still standing. I think that was a water tower. At 9:20 you call this control point Allard which it probably was originally but today it is called CPSP338 Bealville. At 10:54 is the remains of Tunnel 4 so this has to be after the Tehachapi earthquake in 1952. Plus the shoofly around Tunnel 5. And at 19:45 in the corner of the CTC board is where the earthquake happened on the White Wolf fault that runs right under that area. I hope someday to get down their to San Diego to see it, I'm not that far here in Bakersfield. I sure wish I could add pictures to these comments.
Sorry to burst La Mesa Model Train Club's bubble, but I don't think this is North America's largest layout. Don't quote me, but I believe that the Northlandz layout in New Jersey is the largest, with over 50,000 feet of track and a stand alone building over 40,000 square feet.
Very nice!! just wondering, I am hearing radio chatter through out the video for example at 7:34...is this recorded or the people controlling the models like in real life?
Hi! I am from Austria in Europe. I like to see more about that RR Club. Do you have an idea where i can find them on RU-vid and Google+? Thanks for your help. I wish you a nice day. Goodbye Georg
Hi UK viewer. This looks amazing. Is it usual for american railways to have single track? It seems it would cause problems for passing, considering how long your trains can be.
I don't usually such kind of comments, but the video is horribly filmed, I got actually seasick of watching it. I had to stop watching. Since I always give advice: Buy a tripod.
Beautiful set-up but your camera work was so blindingly fast, no details could be discerned. Put your camera on a tripod. Slowly pan each approach and hill. Put a miniature camera on the train and run it through. Otherwise, couldn't make heads or tails of the high quality model project nor discern the splendid work missed through such frantic camera work.
Largest layout in north America? I could lay out 1 mile of 2x4's with a track nailed on it and call it the longest layout in NA. most of it just seems to be track nailed down to plywood and benchwork, no scenery, no detail.
That layout definetly needs a professional video and not some shaky walkaround with a handheld smartphone...... if you`d just stopped every now and then and let us watch a still for a few seconds- the constant motion makes me sick while watching it, couldn`t hold out for more than half of your upload!
It is very difficult to watch because the camera is very unsteady and moves too fast. I could only get through half of it before I had to stop. I'm pretty sure you would get many more likes if you fixed that in future videos. Your current likes are less than 1% of the total views.
WOW, those guys need to turn down the volume on all those locomotives. Dang Man, it's louder in there than it is in a full scale train yard! Whew.....Weeee........
This looks to be a fabulous layout. My comment has to do with the video. The camera is moving so fast, darting here and rushing there with such ferocity, that it is impossible to focus on anything long enough to take it in and enjoy it. Pity. I would love to have a good look at this layout.
I agree with Mikko that the camera is moving way too fast to pick up the details of what is obviously a terrific layout. Please try again, and following a running train might help.
Tried to watch this,could not,the focus was never right,could not get the monitor to correct it. bummer. Looks like an awesome layout. Need to find one that's as clear focus.
Wow, Hi, my name is Gil Rebilas. I live in Mesa, Arizona. I am a Motorsports Photographer and have traveled past the Tehachapi Loop about 4-5 times every year over the past 10 or more years. I have stopped several times, when time allowed to capture images of the trains both in the loop and some really dramatic shots of the Locomotives. I'd like to donate some of the images if you could promise to display them with credits of course. I would be honored to donate some! Of course, if you don't feel that the quality of the images were good enough to display, you're not obligated to anything! Email me and I will send you a couple of samples! I believe the quality surpasses anything you may have. Thanks, Gil
