Greatest Private Model Railroad H.O. Train Layout Ever? John Muccianti works 30+ years on HO layout 

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I am 7 years late at finding this. Better late then never though, this is awesome! Really enjoyed watching this.

I don't understand how there can be any dislikes on this video. The man obviously has turned his passion into a work of art for himself. This is an amazing accomplishment for anyone!

You can just see how proud this gentleman is of all his hard work!! I cant imagine the hours he has put into this. He was as excited as a kid at Christmas to tell everyone about the details!! Make's me wish I had somewhere to build a new layout. Trains don't belong in boxes put away!!! Thanks for sharing.......Darryl, AML.

My 2 year old has recently become obsessed with trains. He loved this video. My dad would be so proud to see his grandson loving trains. My dad was an engineer and had a great model train setup in our attic--complete with a snow-capped mountain! My dad died when I was a child but I still remember sitting up there with him while he worked on his trains. My uncle also had a great model train set-up in his basement and he passed away a couple years ago. Trains remind me of these two wonderful men. So glad my little boy loves it too.

This video got me into model railroading years ago, and now I got it recommend to me!

"A model railroad is never finished." This guy is a frickin' Boss.

Have you considered attaching a Go-Pro camera to the train to give a different perspective? It would go where you can't physically walk and video. I'm sure Go Pro would gladly give you a few cameras! Amazing job!

WOW! Now as a Modeler of over Fifty Years I will say THIS Is a DREAM LAYOUT! Just... WOW! VERY WELL DONE John! I saved this video to show others AND to use for reference! :D

hobby goals. I've always wanted something like this in my house!

This just brings joy to see someone so passionate about what they've done, I'm not a big enthusiast but I sure can appreciate the detail and dedication put in it! And sure as hell would love to own the set.

It amazes me how anyone can criticize this guy, it's a fabulous layout with many great features. He said it isn't done and he's always got something to do. Perhaps the wires are going to go in as he wires the buildings and so what if they never go in it looks great.

Your time, patience, and attention to detail SHINE from within your work!

I don't like how you keep cutting off the owner. Let him speak and show it off in his own way.

Very very nice, so much work is in every detail, congrats to the Builder :)

2 words, Just so amazing.. Got to be the best display in the whole world. My mouth was open the whole time, could not believe the detail..

"Beautiful work. This video was listed in recommend section; glad I clicked it. Enjoyed watching." -Tom

Dang this guy took a lot of years to make this incredible piece of set 👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏

that dude is nice as hell, and you can tell he loves his layout...i personally dont see it as one of the best, due to how unrealistic it is, but he loves it and thats all that matters.

Having read some of the comments hereon it is noticeable that the vast majority of viewers are truly impressed and that this video has given a great deal of joy to over half-a-million people. That must surely say it all. However, I fear the title asking if it is the 'greatest' will make many squirm and, in particular because he is such a real nice guy, John Muccianti. No two people will ever agree what is the 'greatest' because the parameters are so wide and it is a case of 'each to his own'. Congratulations to John for building it - he is the perfect example of the hobbyist who does his own thing and gets such enjoyment from it. Model Railroader calls this 'the World's Greatest Hobby' and I believe that all of us who are involved in it in any way are the luckiest people alive. I think this is the Greatest Private Model Railroad ever to John and I admire and envy him the deep feelings of pleasure and well-being he must have. There may be anachronisms and things that don't appeal to some individuals (it's not my personal cup of tea, but I'm not trying to say whether my views are better or worse)) but it sure is a hell of a lot better than most of us can aspire to in our lifetimes. It's people like John who show the the less-fortunate (those who aren't railway/railroad modellers) what they are missing from their lives. It is the World's Greatest Hobby. Jeremy English

What a really nice guy. Hope he continuies his labour of love for another 30 years.

I absolutely LOVE the mixture of prototypical railroading, whimsical/fantasy & comedic operations here. You can hear this guy's PASSION and purpose for this railroad. It's 30 years of his life. There is a spectacular representation here - Tyco, Athearn, Hot Wheels/Matchbox, Wiking, Herpa, Walthers, you name it...this guy uses it. It looks FUN. Great job, John!

Fantastic!

As a model railroader I watched this when I was 6 and it fueled my inspiration. I was sad then because my allowance was only a quarter and that ment I couldn't do this stuf

Wow...the spirit of John Allen was DEFINITELY smiling down on this builder!!! This is FABULOUS WORK!!! And Mr. Muccianti is 100% correct when he states a model railroad is never finished...

Absolutely awesome! Forget all the losers claiming to see bigger... of course, there is always bigger and better... blah F'in blah! This layout is amazing and the guy should be extremely proud of his work. Anyone that thinks otherwise, has no F'in clue what is involved at this level.

It's funny to see all the critical comments from people who don't even HAVE a layout, lol. The guy who made this film is obviously a fan of the guy who made the layout. So there are imperfections and things aren't all in-scale. It's still a very nice layout, and represents a whole lot of work. It's more about fun and less about rules, so chill out!

Lou you can see John's layout is a work of passion. He is totally into every inch of the layout. Nice job John...it must be nice to have a 30 x 30 area to work with. May John have many more years of enjoyment. Thanks for sharing.

This guy is so nice. I've spoken to so many long-time model railway enthusiast who are so arrogant about their layouts, and patronising to beginners. This guy is so humble. It's lovely

Great job, John Mucciauti!

Very nice, large Layout. As we MRR'ers know, a Model Railroad is NEVER done!!! There's always upgrades, enhancements, improvements.... That's what keeps it a HOBBY! ;)

One of the more attractive features of the American Dream is that people have these large basements to do this sort of thing in!

Wow. All I can say the 30 years have been worth it. Thanks you for sharing this video!

Yeah, that's very impressive!

Hello. Very nice video. Your world of train is really pretty. I enjoyed the walk along the rails. Congratulations!

It's not work, it's not recreation, it is a labor of love for anyone to build something like this. I salute you and all of you that put these things together. I had a layout when I was a kid and loved it for years. Then a divorce happened and it all went away. That was too bad and part of the fallout that lasted a lifetime. I still enjoy looking at these things and going to the railroad museums. Great job my friend, great job and a true labor of love !!!

I surely hope you let visitors come and browse around. I had my first model 50 years ago, but that was it. Its just beautiful.

Very nice layout.

A true labor of love, great job!

I am in awe of your layout,Sir. My father and I have just started to work again on our HO layout that he originally purchased for me for Xmas 1976...It won't take up quite as much space,but we're already working on two levels,LOL...To see your work is inspiring. Pay no mind to the trolls and keep up the excellent work!

This guy is one of the best I've seen. I stumbled across this and anyone who puts that many years into something like this is a freaking icon in my book!

Great train layout."thumbs up from me"

Sir....this probably is the best railroad model in the world. Hats off to your enthusiasm, dedication and creativity.

John, this really needs to be moved into a museum before ya get too much older. Your passion is wonderful, and this layout is exemplary. It really needs to be preserved as it really is a piece of historical art. Hats off to you John, you're a terrific artist.

wow... that is amazing. The only pathetic bit of criticism I can manage is that there are an awful lot of cars and trucks, but other than that, amazing. 30 years well spent!

WOW,Now this is what you call a train layout,every inch of space theres something to look at, and I really like how it all blends in together,I have never seen a layout like yours ,some might of been closes,but the others still have along way to go,Thank you JOHN for posting the video,this is just one of its kind,and theres no other like,I can see how every thing came together with the time you had on your hands, and this is the results of that time,Again thank you,I have placed this in my favorite folder so I can look at it and get so many Idears for my layout,You are definatly one of a kind, ALL THE BEST TO YOU AND YOURS BBTIMS

A good 7 years ago this video made me want to have a model railway, thank you so much, although I dont think mine even in 30 years will be as detailed this, you have done such a amazing job! 👍

Silly question... how do you keep it dusted? lots of work...

Holy Crap!!

John's passion is so heartwarming. You can definitely feel a sort of childish "You're not playing with it right!" vibe coming from him as a result of the rushed tour. You can tell he wants to talk for hours about each detail, yet he repeatedly sidesteps his own personality for the sake of entertaining at the speed of his cameraman guest. What a lovable guy! This video just boosted my mood. :) Keep it up, John!

I like how we talk about the layout like it’s all live action. It’s like igniting my childhood quality imagination.

i've read a lot of comments here, & a lot were negetave even though they may have been true, but this guy likes it, has had fun so why bash him? it's his, & he's happy so let it be! some people can't do any where near this nice. i enjoyed it anyway! yes i've seen a Lot of highly detailed layouts including the ones mentioned here!

How do you keep everything clean? Dusting alone would be a major on-taking it would seem.

This man seems so genuinely kind and charming. Its so fun just to see how much he loves his layout.

Call Guinness world records this guy's wins 🏆

Now before anyone goes mental here, while it IS a life-long creation as we can all see, I would have to disagree that it's the GREATEST HO layout ever? Again, I'm not knocking it because you can see the man has put a great deal of dedication & love of the hobby into the layout but, if you want to see the greatest layouts ever, check out the layout by Vic Smith who calls his layout "City Edge". Or, check out the layout MA&G RR by Cliff Powers. It's a coin toss as to which of those two are the GREATEST HO layouts out there today! This one is cool, but far from the greatest, sorry. Please understand I'm not being mean or negative at all, just my opinion on this particular layout.

You move the camera way too fast. I thought you said you were going to take your time?

I love this layout. It's realistic. And it looks very professional. Great job John.

I noticed he has one of those very old Texaco Tanker ships Texaco used to sell at their stations. That's very cool. Also the big gray tugboat! Ships really make a layout special.

I would never begrudge anyone a hobby they have enjoyed for decades, but to be honest, this is neither exceptionally large nor very well done. Check out some of the Kalmbach "Great Model Railroads" videos to see what some of the really talented among model railroaders have done.

Our videographer's assertion of "Greatest..........Layout Ever" reveals the distinct possibility that he has not been exposed to many other great layouts. My complements to his professionalism, but the veracity of his claim is in serious doubt compared to what I know to be out there.

I had a small H O train set that took up about half a bedroom. My friend had on set up on a ping pong table. We had many adventures and stories we made up about our towns. One engine I had would make smoke if I put the oil in it. It smelled bad so I didn't make it smoke that often. This guy's setup is fun to look at and brings back fond memories. Thanks!

This is spectacular. I spent three whole days at the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg GA and *STILL* could hardly get it all in. They had just completed the new airport section and it was just too cool. The skill and dedication of the whole army of artist and modelers is top shelf. This is one of the nicest private sets I have seen.

I think it's a very nice model layout, very impressive and must have taken a very long time. Only thing I would remove (but that's a personal choice), is the Hot Wheels, mostly because Hot Wheels are either fantasy cars or the measurements are wrong, Hot Wheels are either too wide or too long or too short when compared to real cars. Matchbox cars are closer to the real thing, but the problem with both Hot Wheels and Matchbox is that the scale usually isn't 1/87 but 1/64, which makes these cars look too big and kinda fat when they are in a 1/87 landscape, especially when parked in front of a 1/87 house, or when a 1/87 train passes by. The trains and buildings in this video are very nice, and good background images that create a lot of depth. The boats and the circus are very nice too.

That look very interest! Good job! Here you can see a Model Railraod in a german museum: Modelleisenbahn im DB Museum in Koblenz

You could probably make a movie using this layout and get away with it. So wonderful.

Really enjoyed taking a look around Johns railway there, I have moved my dad in next door to me as he has dementia, Im going to be building up a railway with him as he is not using the living room for anything so we are going to get some pasting tables and build up a O gauge layout. Thanks for sharing...

He should put a little Batman in that setup somewhere

You know, I think it's a toss up as to whether this is really a model railroad, or a die-cast toy collection disguised as a model railroad !!

We loved seeing your railroad layout. My husband has some of the same buildings in his model railroad but has a smaller layout. We thought your scenery was so interesting and colorful. It was really enjoyable to view and we wish we could see it in person. It was great to see a fellow model railroader who enjoyed railroading. Thanks for sharing all of your hard work!

dedication to a hobby can keep a man alive well done john ,lou

you need to spend a afternoon on youtube and see more layouts if you think this is the greatest in the world? I'm sure he is a nice guy. However this is not even close.

No detail missing 10sec's into it an I notice the power lines are missing WHATS UP with that

Hi Lou • John has a first class layout & I agree a layout is never finished. With is skills he will always have a project. Thanks for doing this detailed tour.

30 years!!!!!... this guy only looks to be 40 what the hell. If I knew I was going to live in one place long enough, I would have started 15 years ago, but I seem to move every 3-4 years :( What I love about this layout is that he did it his way. This layout is as exciting as the craftsman who built it. Thank you for sharing John. I better get to work I'm a late bloomer.

Airplane crash isn't a natural disaster.

Hate to burst anyone's bubble here. But...You really should investigate before making such statements. Just the beginning of your video shows toy cars, trucks, and busses that are NOT...NOT HO guage. Place any HO engine side by side with that bus, and you fail instantly. ATTENTION TO DETAIL is what makes the GREATEST HO layout. Not somebody who has never seen other layouts that Exceed all expectations. 30 Years is commendable. But DETAIL comes first. Anyone who visits RU-vid knows...there are many more realistic layouts.

It took over THREE DECADES to build all this? Dang, his patience really paid off! That is one heck of a creative work!

Wow! What a fabulous layout! Does he ever sleep? Teacher, painter and model railroad builder! Thanks John, for letting Lou film your layout. Thanks Lou, I love model layouts, they remind me of my cousin and the fun times we spent creating a layout in his basement. Thanks again Jess

Not even close.

Cool but all the automobiles are way oversized

This bring me back to my childhood memories with going to the yankie candle during winter holidays, this definitely yearns me with precious times. Thank you for this video!

John, you sound very happy and proud of your work...and you should be. This is better then going to a museum. Lol

Very good but hardly the best there are much better ones in England and Germany with half the time put it.

Whoever filmed this made it very difficult to watch. It was like being on a bad roller coaster ride, with the up and down movements to his camera. Maybe if he had used a tripod, or had a Go-Pro camera, which really would have helped improve his video coverage of an above average layout.

Very detailed building trees and everything must take hrs to set up a set up like this so beautiful

What a treat!! Sir, you did a brilliant job of setting up this train layout. The Train collectors union should highlight your accomplishments in a magazine/periodical for everyone to read about and be amazed at your work, sir. Congratulations on a job (more than) well done, sir!!

The greatest private model railroad ???? You sure need to look around some, This layout is not even close. It is big,

Now I know my comment is going to be taken as being negative and picking apart the layout but I assure you (anyone) that I am not doing that in any way, I'm simply being honest as to what I see here in the video presentation. IMHO, the whole layout looks very much like a toy train layout rather than a realistic model railroad. There is so much clutter I don't know where to begin and I'm at a loss for words when the gentleman who built all of this actually calls it a realistic layout when that couldn't be further from the truth as I see it. It simply looks like a child's toy train staging area rather than a realistic model railroad and I can't stress that enough. The roads look nothing like realistic modeled roads and trees are plastered everywhere like one would do with an annual Christmas train set-up. Now, while there are some amazing builds like the curved trestle he built and some of the mining areas looking somewhat real, for the most part it looks like a bunch of tables of sectioned layouts all put together in no real sense of order and rather chaotic to be perfectly honest. Again, I'm not picking this apart, rather I'm being honest about what I'm seeing in this video presentation and to compare this to many, many very real looking model railroad layouts, this still looks like a child's mess of toy trains laid out all over the room. I'm sorry if I've offended the gentleman who spent thirty years at this hobby but I'm just being honest as a model railroader myself for some 45+ years in the hobby and one who has built countless layouts throughout the decades.

Absolutely stunning layout John!! The attention to detail is incredible!! Thanks for sharing. I love it! I also love model trains, as well as real trains. I hope to have a layout even 1-10th as good as yours. Thanks John!

WOW! When I was a lot younger (raised in the '50's 60's) I had an HO scale layout on a 4x8 board. Not even close to this. But I appreciate big time what you've done here. Congratulations. I retired from a Steel Mill near Harrisburg Pennsylvania that specialized in railroad rails and related products. I actually straightened these railroad rails and inspected them too. You mentioned Union Pacific. UP was one of our customers (as are all the major Class 1 railroads).

I suspect the biggest let-down was the title of this video--"Greatest Private Model Railroad Ever?" That's a hit on Lou who apparently is out of his comfort zone describing model RR's. Lou is more familiar with full-sized automobiles rather than model trains. There are more, better, and legendary layouts than Lou even suspects exists around the world. He didn't do his homework and that is an embarrassment to him and against his host, John. Next comes the old arguments of "artistic rendering vs. technological mastery." This model RR. is an artistic impression. It is NOT an engineering feat. Using scale and non-scale models in the layout might be a problem for the more technically inclined model-builder, but lots of folks are fine with having toys mingled with their models--different strokes for different folks, ya know? Probably last comes one of the cultural problem of our time, that of just plain rudeness since we all sit in the privacy of our homes making hurtful and un-helpful criticisms of other people. Most folks wouldn't do that if they were face-to-face, but the anonymity of the computer age makes it a routine feature of our cultural landscape. Each person should follow their own version of Happiness no matter what that appears to be to other people. John enjoys model trains and he has been having fun with them for a long time. Good for him. Now, we should be good guests at his house when he is kind enough to share his home with us and say nice things about his passion. If folks want to be rude and crude...well maybe they should stay out of other peoples' lives.

this really isn't that great. you should never put "hot wheel cars" on your layout. if you want to see an impressive layout go here: Jack Burgess' Yosemite Valley Railway part 1

i remember having a basic oval tracked train. had a lot of fun with it. this setup is incredible.

People going on about the level of detail saying it was bad. For a 30 yeat old project its very good, dont forget 30 years ago they didnt have the sort of equipment that we do nowadays. In 30 years from now people will look at our model railroads that we think look amazing and think they look bad. Personally i think the whole thing is amazing. It takes years to perfect a much smaller railroad and that is huge, hats off to you Lou. Brian from Liverpool, UK

it's a nice layout but it doesn't look like it took 30 years to build

I had to switch it off at 3 minutes. The level of detail is decidedly novice.

This is amazing ! So much detail and thought was put into this train set-up.👍

So amazing. Thank you for sharing and all hard works for over 30 years to build it.

This video and more importantly most of the comments demonstrate that most will rarely be honest, even when one is not face to face but between computer screens. The size and scale is commendable, but the poorly executed scenery, buildings and schematics make it look bad. I see way too many unpainted buildings. This is what happens if you do not paint structures--they look toylike, too bright and plastic. Some other critical comments have pointed out mixing wildly out of scale *TOY* cars in this layout. As others have said, these and other defects make the layout more like a toy. Take out some of the el cheapo, unpainted tyco buildings, get rid of the toy cars, redo the far from realistic roads. Get rid of the gimmicks like the plane in the mountain, and this could become quite respectable. As is though, it is an eyesore. The channel's arrogant boasting about possibly being the greatest layout ever just incites resentment and scorn.