“Hi Al,
Just finished compiling another ‘chapter’ in my proposed video “Exhibition Clips” series: “Diesel Operations on the SV&GS (Part 2 ) — A Fantasy Look at Passenger Trains” which depicts the “California Zephyr”, “The City of Fantasy” and “The McKinley Explorer.” I hope it meets with your approval for sharing with your readers.
And I hope you don’t mind my addressing some questions asked by the readers of the prior submission: My layout is the Susquehanna Valley & Gulf Summit Railway (N-scale) with a locale of roughly rural New York and Pennsylvania. The layout is 8′ x 5′ with two levels, as the name implies, that can operate four trains simultaneously.
The backdrops are strictly portable for photography and videoing purposes. They are photographic lithographs manufactured and sold by Realistic Backgrounds.com (also available from Scenic Express.com and other vendors). I used peel-and-stick lamination sheets on the back of each backdrop so that I coud use tape to temporarily secure them to wooden paint stirring sticks without the risk of tearing the backdrop card stock paper surface. The paint stirers are then taped to the layout fascia (see the 2 enclosed photos showing the backdrop front and rear when mounted).
I’ve also enclosed an illustration of the layout/track plan as many have requested. Again, thanks to you Al and all the readers for their expressed interest and phenomenal feedback.
Arnie”
A HUGE big thank you to Arnie. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
If you’ve sent stuff in and not seen it yet, please be patient. Going as fast as I can 🙂
Best
Al
very ,very nice ,like it a lot.
Fantaskic very well done enjoyed it thanks Peter Norfolk UK.
What a real joy and inspiration. N-guage is so small that modelling a fisherman on the side of a stream is nearly impossible but Arnie has achieved that level of detail – superb!
Al don’t get in too big a hurry.I have saved all of Arnies videos & go back to look at them for ALL the interesting small details.They are JUST WONDERFUL.This one on the CB&Q out of Chicago.The CALIFORNIA ZEPHER is fantastic.Have seen her a couple times on her way to California. THANK YOU ARNIE for SHARING & THANK you Al for putting it on your web site
Smply assume Arnie simply assume
Thanks for the track plan and the scenery information.
Keep up the great work
Thanks Arnie and Al for sharing once again.
Keep on Training,
tom N
Thanks so much for the explanation and the track plan. They help me truly understand what I am seeing! Great layout.
It was a wonderful 11 minutes. I enjoy every minute.
Thank You, for sharing your hobby with us as every body can pick up idears from whatching the video’s of the various layouts shown on this forum so again thank you Arnie.
Arnie: Great layout, including “Gulf Sumitt”, NY as the tracks come up the Mtn. from Binghamton/Conklin yards, NY. There is a blue stone monument next to the xing with brass sign now; I should take a picture of it as I cross tracks 2x going to/from our BSA Scout Camp (Tuscarora). Susquehanna has a great history, and stop by many times just to see the depot and some cars on siding(did have a restaurant too?). I get to see Starruca viaduct on way from Camp to Susquehanna also. Year’s ago the midnight paper train would haul rolls of paper for NYC newspapers, and the engine noise/horns at Gulf Summit crossing would wake me up in my cabin. They normally would have 2-3 engines with pushers behind. Have a good one! Don O’Brien
Arnie i am interested where u got the trestle shown. I am planning on building the B&O Bridge that crosses the Ohio River from Wheeling,WVA to Bellaire, Ohio. It was the first RR bridge to cross the Ohio River and still in use today. It was the bridge that was shown in the latest RR run a away movie. Sorry i cannot remember the movie’s title. Based on a true story.
For being a non-professional, Great Work, Nicely Done! I marveled at the scenery, and the video composition is very well done.
Nice layout you have there Arnie , one to be very proud of.
Very inspirational Arnie. I have enough trouble getting detail into HO scale and admire how you have achieved this in an even smaller scale.
YOUR N GAUGE LAYOUT IS VERY NICE
Beautiful!! Could you show some wider angle shots that show more of the layout in the photo or video? Love the track plan and would love to get a better perspective of how the whole layout looks at once. Great work Arnie. Thanks so much for sharing!
Bill
To my knowledge, the Union Pacific never owned any of the ALCO PA/PBs. The UP was strictly an EMD road, although they did use some ALCOs as yard switchers.
Both trains did look good, but the use of the B-unit, was as a Steam Generator for the passenger equipment, which most roads had with their stream-lined passenger cars. The lack of a B-unit on both trains, made me think of them as “commuter” trains, not long haul revenue passengers trains.
I did like everything, though, but felt constrained to point out that long haul passenger trains usually ran with B-units; or as A+B+B – A+B+B+A sets.
You did present a believable show though, for that I congratulate you.
Simply – Very Nice!
I have ben inspired by many of the layouts I seen on this site. Unfortunately my fledgling HO and N layouts were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. I live in a place called Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn NY USA it is near Coney Island. I will continue to enjoy the marvelous work many do. Thank You and God Bless
Absolutely ASTOUNDING work!!!
I purchased an old SV&GS and have been restoring it to operation, and finishing up a recast of the scene as the inland Northwest of the Snake River/Palouse/Blue Mountain country I so love. I migrated West from Jersey by Vdub and thumb to school as a kid so the time period is the mid 1960s. Park City was a mining town then and Redford was a kid actor who drove too fast.
My SV&GS mostly built to the original Armstrong and Stepek 1970 plan, is wired for three cabs,DC obviously, 23 blocks, manual TOs, and full 2 track mains on both levels.
The SV&GS is not an “easy” model rr. And I do not think A&S thought their plan was inviolate, or beyond critique. However . . . these guys were artists and the top of their field and game and this layout is an intelligent, challenging, playful and even wry expression of their genius and joy for the sheer fun of running four tiny little trains
at once.
Very nice railroad film. I cold believe that it was actually shot on location the way Arnie set up each shot so as if the train was actually traveling across county. Great videography Arnie and lets see some more of these wonderful train journeys.
I really thought the Alaska was filmed on the real location.
Well done.
Rj