N scale locomotive steam DCC sound – Hall of fame member, Arnie has been in touch again with his American Railroad Heritage Week video:
“Hi Al,
Seems that posts since the beginning of the year have increased in number and diversity; with some great examples of readers coming up with more creative tips and modelers with some really interesting small layouts.
I’m contacting you at this time because I decided to come up with a new video.
However, on a small layout like mine, I don’t want to overdo the same views.
So as you may have noticed from my past videos, I always try to come up with a somewhat unique story line to keep the viewer’s interest while viewing trains and listening to railroad sounds (and a musical soundtrack where possible).
The story line I’m considering is: the region is celebrating American Railroad Heritage Week; and the local railroad historical society is bringing out their superbly maintained trains for tourists and railfans to enjoy…through photography and excursion trips.
The plan is to depict trains from the steam into the early diesel eras, with sound – N scale locomotive steam DCC sound.
However, at this time I don’t know how long the video(s) could end up being, or if the project is truly feasible and worth doing.
So I’ve created a sample video that could possibly serve as the intro to the more comprehensive video.
So would you consider posting this brief video so I could get readers’ feedback to help me decide if I should go on with the project?
This brief video is entitled, “Crossroads of Railroads.”
Thanks,
Arnie.”
N scale locomotive steam DCC sound:
Now on to Mike, who has been in touch again with his progress (his last post is here).
“HI AL…..Here’s the progress report on my new On30 layout….Remember the Shay foto with box in background?….Here’s the box now sitting over the log pond…There are more openings coming on the pond side when walls are done…All wood is glued with super glue…The flatcars are HO frames from cheap car buys on ebay then built up….
Mike”
Thanks to today’s contributors – especially Arnie for his N scale locomotive steam DCC sound. He does an amazing job on all his stuff – we’re lucky he found my little blog.
Don’t forget all the Hall of Fame members have helped out with the Beginner’s Guide.
That’s all this time folks, please do keep ’em coming.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Fantastic video! I can only hope to get my scenery to look as wonderful! Cheers! NJ Mark
For what it’s worth, I think you should stick to it and proceed with and finish the project, for a project is not worth much if it isn’t finished.
You are doing a great job Arnie, and I only hope my layout, although has an Australian influence, would look as good as yours.
Keep up the good work and I hope to see the end result.
Chris Mac.
Arnie’s video was very good just turn down the music. It was over powering, almost drowning out the loco sounds in places. Still enjoyed it though.
Wow!!! What a fantastic layout, I liked the passengers ‘view’ from the coach windows with the river and valley down below. The description of the locos and the soundtrack were also beneficial. Well done again.
Gordon Taylor, Scotland UK
Arnie, I like your short video and would suggest the topic is worth continuing. However, I did find the duration of the titles was a bit short – by the time my eyes moved to them, they were gone. Good luck. Bruce
Arnie absolutely go for it. My son and I are just about to embark on a layout based on the whole idea of Heritage trains. We already have a track plan and are just finishing up the tables. At the end of the day, if you have the rolling stock then run what you want. It’s your world, it exists as you see it. And if you happen to make a video there are hundreds of us who I’m sure would love to watch it. I know this household will. Good luck with it. Mark J
Keep on producing these video`s as it enables us to admire your excellent railroad. Every time you show SuzieQ I drool. Brian Devon UK
Great video Arnie, I would like to see a longer version, please do not give up it would be such a shame. I am constructing a N Gauge layout my self and it is great to Look at what You have done.
David UK
great layout , am really jealous of your skills and room for this lovelly layout. please continue with finishing and it would be great to see any futther videos if you get the time.
geoff
Arnie, I look forward to seeing the full production. Your layout looks fabulous and I’d love to see it from every angle.
I love you’re creating a story to show us your layout. Great stuff.
Mike, that is a great shed and those flat cars look fantastic, albeit in need of a little weathering. Can we please see it all when it is finished.
Gary O’Connor – Australia.
Arnie, this is fantastic stuff and in N gauge! Wow! Is that the Nicholson Viaduct? You must be joking about wondering if you should continue!? If you are serious, the answer is YES! Your video gives me the sense that it is much bigger than it is. Being a 60+ year old Pennsylvania, makes me realize how lucky we were to grow up watching the Steam/Diesel era. Love the music. JD
Hi Arne,
Great video and layout, scenery is absolutely fabulous, I’m going to pinch a few ideas off you if that’s ok? 😊.
Keith (UK)
Loved both bits from Arnie and Mike!
Where can we see a track layout of Arnie’s Sussquahanna?
It’s awesome and I loved the video!
I love it…. would really like to see a copy of the track plan….
Great video Arnie. I think the point of view shots work well. The “passenger view” shot would work better if you mounted the camera on a flatcar and spliced the scene in later. The scenery works well and gives a good feeling of space and distance.
As a Retired U.S.Marine and a dedicated model railroader, I watched Arnie’s video over and over to seek-out all the hidden details ,of course, the inspirational, heart-pounding music made it all that easier. Sensational video, one of the best that I’ve seen’
Fantastic so far, complete the rest. ( nice choice for soundtrack )
Loved it, very entertaining video, there is so much pleasure as well as ideas and inspiration that can be gleened from seeing (and indeed hearing) other peoples layouts, I should very much like to emulate them, but lack the funds to do so 😞. So yes please carry on doing what you’re doing as it is VERY entertaining.
YES! YES! YES! Keep up the excellent work! Loved the video. Would suggest leaving the captions on a smidge longer for our older eyes. Great backdrop as well. I have an N scale layout in progress and this gives me great inspiration as to what can be done in N. I think we all appreciate your sharing of all your hard work and talent, no matter what scale we are in. Lee
I loved the view from the window of the train . How ever it seem a little short but thats the way of some things . I like to ride the caboose on these layout trips and a camera view of the ride in a caboose would be fantastic. I’m thinking of a small enough camera to do that ride with on my layout . I dont have the scenery that you have but just to ride the trains caboose on the run to the coal mine and return would be something for me . the heritage runs are always a great RR excuse to operate a different train . Thanks for sharing. next time I’ll hop on your freights caboose .
This Arnie guy is amazing. His layout is superb and so is his choice of music !! Paul- Ohio USA
I agree with everything the previous others said. Great job, doesn’t look like N scale, Music was a bit loud, etc. One more little thing. At the point where the passenger trains is rounding the curve towards the camera, if you look closely there appears to be some rough track work. The cars look to be rocking up and down as the finish the curve. But overall a very enjoyable video clip and I would really like to see more.
Norton (US)
Hi Arne,
I liked your video But I agree the titles were a little to short! From the video your layout looks large. But you mentioned it was to small. I would like to see a drawing of how big it really is.
Tony
I am relatively new to model railroading. This layout is awesome. I enjoy seeing all these videos, it gives me some ideas. I am amazed at how good these layouts and scenery look. John – Wisconsin USA
Awesome video of your Susquehanna Valley area. Very much enjoyed.
Well done Arnie.
I love the scenery work. The scene of the freight continuing down the valley is as realistic as it gets!
Thanks for the inspiration! And I vote definitely keep going with the project!!
Chuck
Most realistic scenery I,’ve seen. Great inspiration. Agree with the others. Bernie still plays
dear arnie , your scenery is magnificent ! ,mtns valley river etc..i am looking forward to seeing more ..of your layouts dont stop enjoy..conrad( a beginner )
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Arnie , great looking layout and neat video keep going you inspire all of us, & if you get bored you can come help me with my N-scale layout i’m not that good with scenery
Arnie, Keep up the great work. I’ve been working at coming up with a theme where I could run anything and this really works. Great scenery on your layout BTW. The ability and vision to come up with this concept shows creative talent as does the quality of your scenery work. If for no other reason than that you enjoy doing this, continue. We are our own worst critics and should not allow ourselves to judge ourselves for that very reason. I did have one problem with the video, It was too short!!
Arnie, How did you do the rock face at 2.06. Outstanding.
Very nice video, keep up the good work. I liked the low angle shots looking up the river valley as the trains approach. Nice camera work !
Charles M
Thanks Al for all you hard work at keeping up this site. Great video Arnie, don’t stop now. Would love more of this layout and the great music that you choose to go with it. I only hope my new HO layout will look anywhere near as good as your N gauge. More, please.
Jimbo, Fla.USA
Beautiful! Keep going Arnie. Your work is excellent.
what a beautiful layout. You did a great job on the scenery . The mountains and rock cliffs look so real. Keep up the good work and post more. Paul, Buffalo NY
what is d rate of incline N gauge, i.e., 1 inch per 10 feet of track? HELP.
Tanks,
John
Great Video!!! Love the speed of ur trains as it appears to be scale correct. Most trains always seem to be going to fast. Would love to see more and your track plan
Nicely depicted railroad Arnie. You have performed flawlessly on the layout and used ‘N’ scale to showed off the simplicity of steam to diesel era functionality. Great job!
Great video and layout. Looked at times like it was so real !
MIKE — I really like your scratchbuilt structure and flatcars. I’m lover natural wood and of things made of wood. Though I haven’t done any wood scratchbuilding on my current layout. Your creations should look fantastic with weathering using washes, stains and dry brushing with powders and acrylic paints. Great job! Would like to see your finished project with the pond. — Arnie
It would be very difficult to make a video that was too long. The layout has a huge amount of interest beautifully detailed.
When you make your video please don’t make the shots too short; you know your layout and tend to focus on the activity of the trains. But we are not as familiar with it as you and so want to look at the whole scene as well as watching the train pass this takes a little longer.
Please press on with the project
I like Arnie’s video I think you should go ahead with your project
Beautiful video. Enjoyed it very much. Please continue. Would like to see more. Excellent, realistically detailed layout!
Really enjoyed the video. Plenty of trains to see and great music which fitted the visuals beautifully.
Please carry on and let’s see more.
Thanks Gary and Arnie for the comments….Will do progress reports and finished pics….Arnie..”.Fantastic”!!!!!!!!!….. is allI can say….
Oh Boy!!! What a joy to watch your video. The photography was superb and the angles just right. I have to agree with Bruce about the titles; I too found them too short as I was more interested in watching the trains running through your spectacular scenery, especially in N gauge. Looking forward to seeing more of this heritage weekend in the future. Douglas in Devon UK
Arnie`s layout is something he can be very proud of , but like me you get so far then its what do I do now to try and be a little different ..the Heritage idea is a good one for you to pursue Arnie …I think a lot like myself will be very interested .
Mike`s building work is looking very good …..
Dangerous dave
Great layout and video. Love to see the Doodlebug incorporated in your layout. You don’t see them very often. I have one and it will be running as soon as the layout is done.
Arnie WOW what great layout and pleasure to watch! I could watch a video like this and be interested and entertained for hours! And learn a lot too. Go for it Arnie, carry on with your project.
Les
Great job! For the longer one, I would recommend a longer “passenger view” and a little steadier, if you can. I also liked the “rail fan” view over the water. (Great water, by the way.) I find the eye level shots lend a more realistic impression. With your multi-level layout, try shooting an eye level shot down on lower levels, including a bit of the highest level ground. This will anchor the shot and identify where it was taken from. I prefer this to the “airplane” or shots. I too am looking forward to your feature length production.
Keep on training,
Carl in Kansas
VERY well done. Thanks for running your trains at a realistic speed.
Sheldon, PHOENIX Arizona
Very nicely done Arnie. Your scenery is truly outstanding and quite realistic. A cab ride view would be a great addition for future videos.
Mike, your structure appears to be coming along nicely. Just wondering if you’re using popsicle sticks. 😀😀😀
Jim AZ
Arnie, You’ve done a fantastic job my friend. I have N Scale myself and I find that it may be small but the detail is fascinating. Keep up the good work as there are an infinite number of ideas of layout designs.
Wow! What a great set up, the likes I’ve never seen in a private setting. Great job, Arnie!
Nice work from both of you.
Arnie I would suggest a tight camera shot showing the train passing and then cut to the inside-out shot for the passengers view.
You could even do a bit more by shooting the train with a figure waving to it, cut to the inside view of the same figure, then come back to the initial outside shot but move the figure slightly so it looks as if he turned as the train passed.
Just a thought.
Terry/Idaho USA
Kudos to Arnie, very well done video, cheers
The ground-level shots fooled me into thinking it was larger than N…extremely realistic.
The passenger eye view of the river below gives the impression that the water is actually moving!
I am using the heritage railway idea within my BR (steam to diesel era) layout as a justification for some of more “exotic” purchases over the years 🙂
Great stuff.
Semper Fi,awesome!!
Great video Arnie, lovely scenery, very nice layout.
Brian, Wokingham, Berks, UK
Dear Arnie,
Liked your video very much.
Especially the passenger view that is supposed to be from the coaches.
I guess you had a separate car to make that view/shots.
Kind regards,
Ruud
Looks pretty kool.!!!! I hope mine turns out that good.
Arnie- great video! I especially like the last shot, through the valley. The length of the video is just right- it proves the old axiom- always leave them wanting more!
Nice work Mike! Thank you both for sharing!
A W E S O M E !!!
I put clear chalkboard coating on engines and train cars, and it takes the shiny look away.
Some talented guys! Love em!
Love some of the POV shots in the video, a real “Rail Fan” look.