This is a small HO Scale switching operation (Milner Siding Interchange), on the Glover Road Diorama, or Shelf Layout if you prefer. Atlas GP40-2 and MP15DC action. Music: Come With Us - Nat Keefe & Hot Buttered Rum
A small, yet operational switching layout enables attention for details, weathering and real switching speeds ! Perfect ! I have a fairly large HO layout, but I especially enjoy being seated close to local switching action and watch the beauty and the details on my rolling stock.
Hi Robert. Thank for the compliment. We are all in this together. I used to like "logging" steam (On3) back in the day. Steam locomotives are impressive with the sound options that are now available . . . especially in "O" scale with larger speakers, etc. Cheers.
I do like a nice switching layout, and this is certainly one. My layout is 8ft long and I to get a lot of pleasure out of just switching a few cars around just as you do. Keep posting your videos.
Thank You. After having a few large layouts, in different scales, from the past, I find the footprint size makes little difference to me. I get all the "rail-fanning" I want, just as it is in the real world in many cases, depending on one's perspective. But then this is all subjective for each individual.
Thank You. I never had the space for anything much larger. Therefore, I asked myself the question; "What can I achieve in Eight Feet by Sixteen Inches?"
The sound install on the Atlas MP15 really surprised me. It has the smallest speaker enclosure but sounds as good as any other application. Strange . . but oh well - Boomer.
I really enjoyed watching the switching action. Everything is extremely realistic from track-work and scenery to weathering to the moves themselves. Wonderful, and thank you for sharing! -John
Well sir. I'm starting a 2.5 Ft by 16Ft. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. I think I will make it up as I go. I will be looking back at a lot of the things you have done to make it as real looking as I can. Thank you for all your tips and tricks.
I am building my layout so I can operate it from a wheelchair. I have 3 ATSF Zebra Stripe locks, 2 GP9s and al FM switcher and a UP unit. About 12 pieces of rolling stock. I get a lot of ideas from your videos, thanks.
Thank You Bob. That is fantastic that you can operate in the way you described. It sounds like you have a nice little roster to work with there. Cheers.
I had the pleasure of operating a real switcher for about 15 minutes, at a friends work (pulp and paper mill). I was switching some pulpwood cars. It was awesome , they are so powerful. Your layout looks great for HO. Keep up the great work. P.S. I model in 1/18th scale on G gauge track...it equals 30 inch gauge. I scratch build most everything.
Great operating and operation. I really like this layout and just might copy the track plan. I am retired and only have my bedroom to build it but what the heck.
Beautiful layout and great scenery! ! You could even fit more rolling stock in here if you use 40 ft. boxcars and small hoppers or reefers!! The videos are really great!
I'm really considering doing this or something similar. Been in this hobby my whole life practically and at 34 I'm ready for a layout. I just don't have the patience to build some empire like alot of others do, I've tried. Something small like this would not be overwhelming and I could really enjoy detailing. My only problem with it is you can't really run your big 6 axle locomotives and that's a bummer. But your layout looks superb and looks super fun. Also that MP15 sounds killer!
Thank you for brining this important point up! Yes you can run your MU'd six-axle locomotives! I have six-axle locomotives I can't wait to run on this layout. It's all perspective my friend. Here is an example: Would you watch two Dash 9's idling on a siding and wait for them to pull away? Would you watch them run by in the background, or park on a siding at scale speed, etc., etc. I can't wait to run my fully sound equipped DCC six-axle locomotives, as actors on a stage, on the River Road layout. A five or ten minute operation on a layout like this feels like a one hour fix for me. The layout feels huge when you change your philosophy about miniaturizing the railroad scene you love. Cheers. ~ Boomer.
Great show: Very good weathering, scenery, grass, backdrop, grade crossing, switch stand, details and great overall feel of the layout. Excellent sound and lights - I like the ditch light on the GP-40 just as a note CN does not use pulsating ditch light. The MP-15 sounds very good as well, nice flange squeals. You did your magic on that one too? The fence is fine :) Excellent video.
Thank You for the confirmation. I figured CN did not use pulsating ditch lights. The decoder came programmed this way . . . which is why I will have to acquire a programming module eventually since I am pretty much sold on Loksound v5. On the other hand, if Sound Traxx offered me a "demo" decoder I would be happy to do a build with one. Cheers.
@@jamesbraxton6132 Yes I sure do. We live in quite a world right now. Unfortunately Canada was sold down the non-democratic river long ago. I hope you guys can still hold the fort. Cheers.
@@Zack_JL There are five #8 scratch built turnouts. Four right and one left. The sixth one at the shops is a #10 left-hand curved. Six in total. The two foot staging is just tangent but there is room for three track wide there if one wants. I just use the extra space to fiddle cars and locomotives.
You have a really stunning layout. On a separate note, I wonder when someone will develop sound chips for rolling stock to emulate the wheel clicks and brake squeals. Thanks for sharing.
Thank You. As it stands, the "brake wheel squeal" works quite well as (F7) on the Loksound DCC Decoder. But it is coming from the locomotive. Up close with a few cars it sounds O.K. Cheers.
@@Panzermeister36 Think how much a Tamiya Tiger tank costs after photo etch, etc. Comparatively speaking, the hobbies have a type of equivalency factor as well. It wasn`t difficult for me to defect from Armor models, back in the day, to trains once the former ran it`s course. Cheers.
I love the realism and the sounds really enhance the layout. As a Brit, detail parts are not easy to come by but I must get some of those crossing units however long it takes. Could you please give me the supplier's name? regards Terence
The " flashing" ditch lights of that Geep is to remind us that´s a layout. Not real world😊 If you had chosen E&N on Vancouver island, not so far you would have been stuck with Baldwin only. 2 models ! The DS4-4-1000 and DRS4-4-1000, that can´t be mued anyway with any other locomotives builder. Pneumatic control instead of electric... When CP dieselised it choose different plans that evolved in time. Switchers in yard was the begining. Steam were the worst in that application. Then it went by train run. Whe´ enough power was available, it diselised by territory. Trying to keep the same loco builder in a single territory, to simplify maintenance and parts inventory. MLW/ Alco in the east. GMD in the west. Why Alco and not MLW in Vermont, Maine ? Well at that time, duties had to be paid for any Canadian locomotives in the US for more than 48 hours. The same for US builted staying in Canada. Having turnaround roster per 48 hours being nonsense, Alco was choose and stay in the US. Exceptions ? Sure for their Alouette, Montréal-Boston, CP to match with calculated load and B&M purchased 3 E8. The only E8 to run in Canada. One for each run and one spare. Even if GM got the west, they couldn´t produce fast enough. That´s when Baldwin, went in the scene. With light tonnage they ended up on Vancouver island where 1 000 HP was enough. Again to avoid duty, CLC buited under licencees FM and later Baldwin. What and where to use those big mounstruous 2 400 HP of Trainmaster ? That illfated model was sort of too much in advance with railroads marketing philosophy. 2 400 was too powerful in their mind. Funny cause the horsepower race will be a must in the 60´. Back to CP, 2 400÷6 traction motors means 1 Trainmaster equal 2 Geep or MLW. Finally they got a niche on Trail run with heavy grade, tonnage and switchback. They were even match for that run with old wood vans or cabooses that have been cut to being 10 feet shorter to fit the switchback lenght. Yep small details like removing 10 feet can accomodate one regular freight car. I was lucky of seeing one of these 2 shorties in Montreal, far from their original duty in late 1979, still in service and got it in photo in Moreau yard where is the cruel climb betwen Harbor, passing next to defunct Angus shops for transfer run to St Luc yard. I even was lucky enough in the same summer to be on board of the legendary CP MLW M640 4744 when it completely stall on that grade. Unable to move a single inch with sleeping wheels constantly on. Yep good souvenirs of youth and far far more friendly railroads. On that run, miscalculation of train tonnage was the culprit of that poor 4744, once the unique and more powerful North American locomotive with 18 cylinders, versus 20 for only 6 prototypical EMD SD45XX. Finally we barelly made the climb when 3 RS3 pushers were added in the back... Well that 4744 was more often off than on. Her original 18 cylinders replaced by more conventional 16. From 4 000 HP to 3 600, then like all others M636 to 3 300 to cut on maintenance. With time passing, disliked SD40 in favor of big MLW with better wheel adhesion and availability, making M630 and 636 perfect puller in the Rockies, maintenance costs and lub oil consumption bring back the big MLW in the east. Defects on SD40 and improvments xith SD40-2, made them well suit to conqueer mountains. Age, and a small fleet, put Baldwin and FM on the scrapline. Nonetheless H24-66 were ordered with 1 steam generator. Some lucky or unlucky were modified with a full widht short hood and addition of a second steam generator for long Canadian passenger train runs. Making them not so good fantastic vision for the engineer in long hood application and zero vision going backward. They were later modified again in their original configuration when steam generators were removed and put them on freight service only. Of all Trainmasters builted by FM and CLC, only 8909 made it to museum statut in Exporail in St Constant, QC. 8909 share company with 4744 that survived its later AC conversion in A1A-A1A trucks conversion. Last time i saw her at the museum, i wonder if SHE could remember that stall when i was on board ? Probably not, but me, i do !! Even original E&N Baldwin 8000 ,went to museum and 7069 one of the 7 DS4-4-1000, now privaty owned survived. CP was the only Canadian railroad to have bought Baldwin/CLC. Of a total of 22, 2 survived. A good railroad book can reveal also some curiosity. When MLW put its RSD17 demo to CN, they tryied it...and no sale followed. When it went to CP....not much enthousiasted either. CP had already its headscratching Trainmaster. When it was tryied also on PGE, ancestor of BC Rail....here too. No sale. That poor single ugly ducking slept for a while in MLW Montreal´s plant. Finally, one day the phone ring and a deal was done. Yep....with excess money for new boxcars acquisition, finally that unique Canadian made RSD17 was chosen by CP ! Strange how story and history could happened. How to explain an MLW FA1 have a builder plate that date many years after FA locos where made ?.... A good Boomer show, new or old. A good book. Old age to remember those days. What can better we ask for ?
If you’re looking for video ideas, I need a decoder basics for idiots crash course. I’m trying to convert some dc locos and want to use loksound but seems like most of the options are blanks and need to be programmed, and have no idea what to do. May go with other options that are pre programmed for atlas diesels.
Don't like sound. I've been at some places and the sounds were so bad that you couldn't even talk above them. I've got quite a bit of brand new DCC equipment like yours for sale NCE Power cab stuff... Can't see spending the money for sound either.I'd rather see one using a 30 year old tripod than no tripod like most people do. i hate hand held videos when new tripods are usually very cheep... take a new cheep tripod, hang a brick from the center post, and have a fairly stable tripod without spending yourself into bankrupsey. Really like that you have taken off all of the uncoupling arms. Looks so much better and the magnets are never in the right places. Am using manual throws patterned after yours now... I see all of your turnouts are parallel to the edge of the road table edge. Mine too... Painted fence would be fine, or better yet an older one, well broken in and wheathered a lot... With my battery power, I just have to take my time and project the time it would take for the engines to work. Wow, the siding at the 15:03 time line is close. I once worked at a place that had 2 sidings this close. It was so we could have 4 box cars ( 2 side by side ) and load one through the other. Short dock - no room for 4 cars but we needed 4 at times. So side beside and load the far ones through the near ones. had just enough space so that we had to have a plate between cars to prevent the wheels of the fork lift from getting stuck between cars.
