Wargamer Restores his Childhood Train Set 

Thus begins Wib's training arc

"what kind of old guy I want to be...pick my subclass" just damn dude kinda got me there since that is what has basically happened to me hah.

More of this please. Bonus points if you make a warhammer themed model train.

Back in the '90s my wargaming club (dominated by 2nd ed 40K) had a terrain collection that was mostly slightly out-of-scale model railway trees and buildings. Many battles of the 41st millennium were fought over a particular Edwardian shopping district - I recall one opponent repeatedly hiding his Warp Spiders in a greengrocer.

Having your model railway to keep your grandfather’s memory alive is wholesome AF. My late father’s hobby was model railways and Airfix modelling. I can definitely trace my Warhammer roots back to my old man and his modelling days. One of my favourite memories of my dad is myself and him sitting at the kitchen table building a WW2 Crusader tank. Keep it up mate. 🫡

Honestly, with the physical size that Space marines have over standard humans, your Lamenters looked completely in place and pretty kuch to scale alongside the scenery your grandad made. Small enough to *just about* squeeze into the shop to buy a cornetto and a pack of 4 cans of Carling

i'm sorry, but the motor on the old bare chassis meeping and beeping to itself as it blasts around the track at ludicrous speed, is the cutest thing ever

Using that town for a battle report with the train rolling around would be so awesome.

You know what must be done: a Thomas the Demon Engine of Khorne conversion.

If you need ideas for the Dapol van, you could always take off the chassis and use the main body as scenery. Some old vans and boxcars were repurposed as lineside sheds, so it would be realistic. And you can save money by not needed to get a pack of new couplers.

Model trains are a wonderful hobby and I love seeing this along side the wargaming material.

Those Pacers... I had to commute on those about 5 years ago, such hell!

Congrats on restoriing the rolling stock and engines - especially the engines. My late father was also a train guy, and it was that and his collection of unfinished Airfix kits that set me on this gamer path. In fact, I used his enamels to paint my old metal Ragnar Blackmane and he's still looking (mostly) great as a result.

It looks like you've got the right stuff for an Inglenook shunting puzzle layout! (Three short sidings, eight wagons, you have to assemble a train of five wagons in a randomly specified order)

Russel Crowe gadiator meme: Are you not into trains?!?!

Thank you for rekindling some wonderful memories with my dad

An intersection of interests I didn't expect but absolutely love. Yay trains!

I used to have a clockwork railway that my dad painted up. I had hours of fun arranging terrible railway disasters. The advantage of the clockwork models was that they didn't stop when they left the tracks. I blame Jerry Anderson and Derek Meddings for turning me in to a destructive little Mysteron. This video is absolutely delightful.

Warhammer 40k board, but at the start of each battle round you turn the controller on for X seconds, and where the train lands, it's now terrain. Hah, Train T'Rain.

Ah specing into train old man, nice! I'm working on the WW2 model old man built myself...... Might put a few points into model ships while I'm at it.

My mind goes to two places. 1) The sheer joy these trains would feel for being rediscovered if they were in the Toy Story universe. 2) Legiones Imperialis during the siege of Terra, fought over a railway in the English countryside.

A Warhammer guy discovering the costly rabbit hole that is trains is oddly hilarious. I look forward to 5 years from now when the biggest room in the house is all layout.

Setting up the trains on the kitchen table is a time honored model railroading tradition. Also it is better than using the floor.

Hi loved this video! I recommend a youtuber called 00Bill* for help with the 37. He has a lot of videos repairing old models with Ringfield motors. Can't wait for more train videos!! *sorry mixed up model train youtubers😂

_“If I’ve gotta pick [between] being REALLY into military history…”_ I feel called out, and I’m only 25. Also, the pacer sounding horrible on a turn is absolutely accurate to the real thing, only keep it that way if you absolutely want authenticity.

One of my dad's friends had a large railroad setup in his house. One day, I brought over my two friends who were playing 40K. We had a great time!

This video pleases me. My dad has a layout in the loft but his ill health stops him from spending much with it. We have a railway show that happens locally to me once a year and i love to go round it and look at the layouts, something just very pleasing about it all

Totally Warhammer adjacenet, everyone knows the Primarch Lionel O-Gauge Johnson

My paternal grandfather (who I never met) was a USAF computer engineer, but for some reason had the skills of a demigod with steam power. He left behind a whole lot of little pieces of basically steampunk technology, which I grew up around. One of the best was a miniature steam-electric engine for a 1950 Lionel train set, which I loved as much as my Dad loved it. It's slow, slow loss of power as it gradually became more and more desperately in need of maintenance nobody alive knew how to do was profoundly sad. I don't know what Dad did with it, he probably still has it packed away somewhere.

The train is called the Crimson King :D I guess it can never do anything wrong now

My grandfather was a train engineer here in the states. And although I was never into them as a kid or an adult, I still listened to his stories and watched him work on his model railways after he retired. He has long since passed and this video brings back all the feels for me. I would like to see you do more.

This is really heartwarming. When I was really little I wanted to drive a train for some reason and my mom and dad built me a train in the middle of the night on x-mas eve. It's basically a really big oval with a smaller inside turn I can switch between on one corner but it was all nailed down to a single giant plywood board with all the green grass particles that always came off everywhere, and some trees and bushes made from similar things. For a long time it just lived under my bed. I only really had a couple engines, one really tiny steam looking guy and two bigger modern ones and a couple of cars, but I loved that. Also, that Duracel car is so cool.

Pacer! :D If you've got limited room, have you considered a shelf-based layout, or something built on modules you can easily take apart? Edit: Aaaand if you like shunting, you can look into a style of layout called and "Inglenook" which is small and designed as a switching puzzle. Perhaps you can build one of those to have "out" all the time, with a larger layout it "plugs" into when you have more space

I wasn't much of a train kid myself, but my old boss was and I was able to use my warhammer skills to make a few bits and pieces he needed and give them to him as presents.

I have Smokey Joe, the little bastard also doesn’t work… My train set was dismantled so my Dad could store his art supplies in it. Warhammer, Airfix and Hornby train sets are like the power trio of the back of small town toy shops in the 90s.

Ironically, I like to imagine that the world my Chaos Warbands work on is essentially a giant snowy industrial daemon world... with Chaos Trains.Ironic in that this works with BOTH the train stuff andf the Warhammer focus you have a lot of the time. And got into train sets thanks to the Unlucky Tug so I totally understand this.

The little Loch Ness Monster squeaks are hilarious

dem grots you got iz well jellous. TRAINS FOR DA REVOLUSHON !!!

Wib is going through his James May arc

The nostalgia hit I got of spotting some rolling stock my set used to have is SIGNIFICANT.

So, now you have entered into the old Grognard's entry into modelling/wargaming/warhammer. Back in the days when you would you would 'borrow' your dad's model railway paints and terrain for yer marines because the nearest GW store was at least 20 miles away and saving up even the bus fare was a challenge!

maybe a cool little idea would be to kitbash the shops together in your own style to go alongside your granddad's; a nice homage that can still include the original

I also had a love of model trains instilled in me by my late grandfather. I connected with this video at an emotional level and it’s heartwarming that you have your trains running again.

Thank you for sharing this. As a child, my dad (who passed away a little over a year ago) built me a Hornby train set and I had many of the same locos. Seeing the intercity, flying Scotsman, and smoky joe brought back some really fond memories that otherwise might have sat around collecting dust. So thank you for that!

Okay so my favourite 40K channel is now doing train content….this is like the streams converging and I’m HERE for it!

Grandad's building next to those Lamenters looks sooo Rogue Trader!

I’m only 25, but I’ve got a head start on the Military History Buff subclass on account of being into that since I was a kid. There’s an old Lionel train set from the 70s that my grandpa bought that’s been collecting dust for at least as long as I’ve been in existence. As far as I’m concerned, this means I’ve got a great chance to multi-class into both of the Aging White Guy subclasses.

You'll have to get yourself the Oxford Rail railway gun.... combine the hobbies! I slipped into the model railway addiction alongside mini painting but the plus side is the skills in terrain building are interchangeable

With your profound love of shunting, having all the wagons, smaller locos & not a lot of space…..have you thought about making a Ingle-nook shunting puzzle layout? You can make it to a shelf space dimensions for storage and also would be a good way to break back into the scenery aspect too. More than happy to have further discussions & talk railway ideas. You’ve covered my two passions and there’s ALOT of crossover to explore.

It's time for the grot rebellion to have a thematically appropriate 40k armoured train like trotsky used to gallivant around in with his red leather clad, pointy-hatted Red Hundred guards

Love it I watch quite a few "lay out" videos despite having never touched a train set since I turned about 9

I live vicariously through Model Railway youtube not having space/time for the owning of a full layout and the overlap with wargaming in that of the Scenery element so I know more about model railways than someone who doesn't have any trains at present and only had fun playing with dad's old O-Scale loop when he was a kid should.

This was amazing. Love seeing non-youtube-related hobbies. Now we need to see Snipe becoming a beekeper and the CIRCLE WILL BE COMPLETE.

When I hit my late 30s I specced into 'Tinkerer' aiming for 'Mad Inventor' prestige class, though now that I've passed level 40 I'm realizing I ended up as 'Frustrated creative with a 3d printer and a stack of half finished projects."

I know nothing whatsoever about Model Trains, but I am here for any content Lord Wibington puts out. Choo choo!

It occurs to me, looking at the granddad's painted shops next to the Lamenters, that those model trains might be close enough to 15mm scale wargaming models that you could, perhaps, run games with them. Set up the trains as a kind of animated scenery around a 15mm battle. I know Vanguard Miniatures, while mostly providers of 6mm minis, sell a couple of 15mm 40K proxies.

This was delightful. My Dad and I (mostly my Dad) had a massive train set when I was little, and I immediately recognised most of those locamotives, trains and carriages. The Intercity 125 and the Flying Scotsman was a particular highlight. How much do I owe you for this session of therapy?

I think you should tart up the shops personally. A joint effort between you and Grandpa Wib. He did a great job on the shop fronts and the rest just needs a little touching up.

Brill Wib! Got the wagon my Grandad built me from scratch, treasured and running on my layout.

Love the vid! I've been flipping through some model train magazines for 40k terrain insporation, love getting to know a bit more about this hobby! Definitely thinking I need more model trains in my life

Musician, Modeler and a Trains person too! Me Too! :) My Dad got me in to both Trains and Military Modelling, my Granddad worked on the trains after the war. :)

Wow, there was a flashback moment in your intro. I had a tiny 00 gauge set when I was a mere snotling. I didn't really get into the "train" thing, but I do still have that "Smokey Joe" engine from that part of my life.

Wish I still had some of my train set stuff from when I was a kid. Got a feeling they all got given away when we moved from Devon when I was 11. There's something real nice about building a little town and making things move on it. Almost a zen quality.

"My father, took me into the City. To see a marching band"

My love of trains goes back just about as far as my love of military history, so it'll be a hard day when I have to sub-class. I started a train layout when I was 7 or 8, and by I, I really mean my dad. It's a 4'x8' table (that my dad built) based on designs from a magazine. The magazine decided to make a little train layout, using the name of a town not far from my parents house, so I decided it was the one I wanted to do. My dad and I got the foam on the board as well as the cork and track layed down. Then it went into storage (a pulley system my dad made to hoist the table to the garage ceiling, moving it out of the way) where it's been for many years. I hope to continue on it when I can have a place to put it. I think I can make something great with all the experience Warhammer has given me.

I used to have "Silver Fox" a silver coloured Mallard A4, and a Smokey Joe along with a wind up Thomas the Tank engine. Had a couple of old diesel shunters too that'd always derail, and a very eclectic collection of rolling stock. It all resides somewhere in some relative's basement or attic space.

oh you're one of those people! yeh, model railways hold a special place in my heart, it got me into miniatures. Once I get my living room sorted, I may dedicate some space to an N gauge layout. And yes, model trains are more expensive and time consuming. As you said, to replace your collection with brand new would be close to a £1000 and you haven't even made a baseboard to put it on....

You have given me Feels, Wib. Makes we wonder what happened to all the dinky tink toys my grandpa had...

My grandfather passed two years ago so this gave me the feels. Great video! Thank you

I smirked and exhaled through my nose greatly at the opening piano tune.

Speaking as an older guy, you can do wargaming, military history _and_ model railways. I am working on a Southern shunting layout set based on a stores depot in1944 just before D-Day - and yes it's an inglenook

This reminds me of a little diorama a butcher in my town used to have (and might still). Just a small thing, hanging out in the glass under the specials spot, but it was a thing that used to make me feel excited to go to the shop.

2 things: - For removing rust, I've used vinegar in the past, and worked quite well. - Did you ever use that train set I sent you?

My first love was, and always will be, model railways. As such last year when Hornby launched their new TT scale, space conscious for a modern era, I jumped on that bandwagon faster than Sonic on a Badnik. I picked up a trainset to get me started, then I picked up some rolling stock and recently I picked up my first new loco, an 08 diesel shunter, and I've even picked up laser cut kits to start detailing the layout as well as 3D printed figures. I'm still umming and arring about layout design, currently got a loop and siding set up on my wargame board just for running a train, but I do know I want to make my biggest layout yet, maybe involving connecting smaller layouts that can even operate as end to end or shunting layouts. Your follow on video was very inspiring. Keep the content coming, it's always nice to expand the model railway scene.

T gauge is a brand of model train that is incredibly small in scale, perfect if you're not working with a lot of space for a larger set.

Watch wib in the next thrilling instalment where he restores the world economy

I think I commented on your twitter post when you first bought these up, but just wanted to say this video is awesome. Seeing you bring all of this back to life is really cool, and your passion for the project is contagious (the good kind... not like Nurgles plagues) I'm definitely in for more #wibdoestrains

Like yourself, I too have a neglected childhood train set which also included Smokey Joe.

The pacer train running badly and making a strange noise is just having it be more realistic to the actual train I suppose 😅. Great vid

This was honestly just a really wholesome video to watch

I used have some that old Hornby rail sets myself and indeed space is a valued commodity for that hobby , I did recently pick up a old bluebird ZeroHour mono-rail set which is futuristic enough to be able to use in a wargaming senario and still have a running train like device lol

This is the exact kind of hyperfixation content I'm subscribed for.

10:36 And there's me, who is living my model train fantasy vicariously through you, so I'm definitely between those two extremes - super interested, with zero expertise of my own!

As limb biscuit put it "keep rollin, rollin, rollin!"

Was transported back to being 10 years old when I saw that Smokey Joe train

Lighter fluid and q tips cleans wheels pretty good. Sewing machine oil lubricates well and is friendly to plastic gears/bearings

Nah, the model train guy is basically the model wargamer but older. Basically same guy.

I have an old Tyco Chattanooga 2-8-0 that constantly goes MEEEEEEEEEEEEP as it runs

I also had a smokey joe and intercity, still have a red and a blue engine that survived the purge from when i wanted a 360, I too now feel the call of the rails.

My grandfather was definitely a influence in railway modelling and modelling in general. It's nice to incorporate something of theirs into your hobby, helps to keep their memory alive.

That was different....and yet still good. Must be Wib, usually can't sit through folks talking about model trains, good on you Wib.

This reminded me about my old train sets as a kid - so glad you could get yours working again and reconnect with something from your past. Always love your stuff, its really great to see people being authentic and enthusiatic about stuff and I also learnt a little about how model trains work.

I was obsessed with...wishing I had a train set (the closest I ever got was one from the 1970s that was in my grandad's loft). There's a now closed shop that used to be near me which put giant ass train sets on the top shelf and I spent hours imagining I was buying them lol

lol i work in transport and listening to the word shunt over and over again get firing that bit of my brain

I, too, started with an HO train set put together by a past-tense patrilineal predecessor. I, too, haven't touched it in about 25 or 30 years. Maybe it's time to get back to it.

Yet another person decently close to my circle joins in sharing my love of trains, or rekindling one they already had. Really wish I had the space for physical models, I stick to trainspotting near my apartment these days.

Aw yeah, shunting. So smooth. My model train experience is mainly from The Addams Family. Though I have some vague memories of seeing some truly impressive and huge models at some point in the 90s when I was a teen. It was cool to see your process and just listen to your voice.

Getting some happy memories from this. I had little bits of Hornby too.

Wholesome content. I have zero interest in collecting trains, but will happily watch any videos like this you upload.

10:34 This video is specifically made for everyone else who played with an older relative's model trainset when they were a kid, but haven't yet been able to rescue it from its attic purgatory