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Hi Patrick, seems like a fun and creative way to go! Differences between the vision and how things end up are also part of my modeling experience and my other artistic pursuits like photography and music. In each case I've had to come to terms with embracing uncertainty and imperfection. It's not always easy to do so and I'm not 'above' getting frustrated. I find that's a call to step back and to either practice what I need to learn in a lower stakes way, or to just take a break and enjoy what I have for a while. I made a video about the 'when is it done' dilemma not long ago and I think the answer there is really when you decide it's done - either it doesn't inspire joy to continue or you feel satisfied by it, or that you find yourself wanting to do something else.

Hi Keith - likewise I'm amazed by how N scale has matured since its early iteration. My first N-scale stuff was also from that era (I was just a little kid). The narrow gauge stuff never ceases to impress me. I feel like the folks who head down that route tend to be really mature modelers who know what they want and do a great job with all sorts of challenges.

Hi Peter - thanks for the kind words. I really enjoy the process of making everything look as it does in the 'real' world, it's part of the fun for me, and a lot of the challenge. Most of my channel's focus is on those elements rather than 'big builds' though that'll probably change up as I hit some scratchbuild projects in the near future.

Chicago's largely a grid - however near the river there are some angular bends in roads to match the topology.

Thank you!!

Hi Carol, so far nobody :). Smaller vendors like Miniprints and the occasional eBay purchase seem to suffice for now. I suspect going forward no company is going to take on the infrastructural problem of 3D printing to order (vs. 3D printing their own stock models), versus selling the files. It may be time for me to just get my own printer!

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Thanks , Yeah I'm Fighting The Idea of Buying A Printer , But May Happen 😕 A Company Named Manuevo Bought Shapeways Bankruptcy But is Wading Through The Process!! Again Love Your Layout !! Oh and This is Bill , My wife and I Share Utube !! Thanks Again 😁

@@user-jv1qv2wr1l Got it thanks Bill - I don't hold high hopes that Shapeways will ever return. In the meantime looking at resin printers and weighing all the mess and safety issues against having as many wooden pallets and barrels as I'd ever want.

Hi Scott - thanks for writing and I am so sorry to hear about your wife. That's truly devastating. I wish I had something better to offer in terms of consolation, but certainly glad that model railroading can provide a bit of a lift. My team works on a set of deadly blood cancers that have taken decades to find better treatments, and please know that every day we walk into the lab we are doing so mindful of the personal stakes involved for our friends and loved ones. Keeping you and your family in my thoughts as we go.

Thanks Andrew and yeah, I was thinking of “Lady Madonna” as well 😄

For sure, thanks Mark!

Thanks, that was one of my favorite scenes!

Thank you Cathy!

Thank you!! I’ve been enjoying your layout quite a bit recently - I lived in LA for a number of years and it’s really underappreciated as a great railroading city. I love that you’re capturing so many locations in model form.

Yeah I suspect the tinny reproductions of an EMD or GE prime mover just don't scour when you run the real thing ;). Thanks for dropping by Thomas always good to hear from you.

Hi Robert, thanks for sticking with it. I've got some (my father's old set) Lionel, I've pretty much just kept for display given the tiny space I have to work with. I'd love to set up all the trains I've got but like you, just never quite enough room. I really enjoy Dave's channel as well. While I've never felt like modeling the desert regions (or mountains even though I live in CO) there's nothing better than seeing a layout that does so masterfully.

Always great to hear from you Brooklyn. Hope your summer's been great so far! I suspect the eBay sellers may also be the ones making the 3D prints (mine all showed up in a baggie which makes me think it's a home operation). Believe it or not I'm actually looking forward to the wheel paint-a-thon since my plan is just to make a jig for 25-50 wheels and just hit it all with the airbrush :). We'll see it my attitude changes once I'm going on that. I've been thinking back to our email conversation about 3D printing and whether I should get a printer to use in the garage during good weather. It would be a dream to print as many pallets, tires and other little bits as I'd like!

Appreciate the feedback :) You know I don't currently own a printer, but I've been thinking a bit about whether it would be worth it to do so. My preference if I got one would to go with resin for at least as long as I can use the garage in good weather (fumes are a problem it seems). The stuff I see done with filament printers at train shows and the like had ridgelines in it from the filament layering that were noticeable - though please correct me if there are actually newer filament devices that resolve that problem, I never want to espouse an opinion without a good body of knowledge behind it.

​@@ChicagoCrossingRR I am by far not very versed in printing: comparatively first semester in my college freshman year with a bit of high school level knowledge. What I have seen in regards to layer lines is the slicer settings, print speed, filament type/quality, and of course the abilities of the specific printer. Evidently Bambu came out with a filament that decreases layer lines... according to them. Resin unfortunately for me is a no go.

@@Piouhgd-in3kc Thanks for that info. Is resin a no go due to cost or production issues? I'm interested to learn more.

@@ChicagoCrossingRR small home, no space for the larger amount of equipment and no basement or garage to deal with the fumes.

Hi Mel, always great to hear from you!! The good news is those accessories are inexpensive and nearly weightless, hopefully air mail or something similar won't be too expensive. Was just writing another viewer from Indonesia who brings a couple suitcases to the states every time he visits :)

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Interestingly enough, no matter what ebay site I go to I cannot find the 2 main sellers that you quoted. Either way shipping, or postage, from the good old US of A to Europe is prohibitively expensive. I suspect that postage would be greater than the cost of the items. Then of course comes Portuguese customs who have to have their cut. I will be better off buying from one of the famous Chinese sites who ship very fast and often for free and who seem to have some special arrangement when the goods arrive here. Sadly the quality of the stuff your end looks far superior.

Hi Sam, thanks for stopping by and thanks for the cautionary tale. I've become much more aware of how burnout can become a thing in a hobby, particularly if there is an audience and perceptions of expectation that turn it into a 'should' or even a 'must' do activity. In any case a huge congratulations and welcome back to the hobby world. 17 years is a long time. Glad you're back to doing it for you and your own joy and relaxation.

Hi Vincent, for reasons that escape me pretty much every city has their own unique hydrant designs. I've lived in Chicago, LA, San Francisco, and Denver and visited plenty more. They each have their own unique hydrants. The hydrants currently on my layout are more like what you'd find in New York (though the wrong color). Will be nice to swap them out with the more prototypical models here. Take care and look forward to hearing from you down the road!

Hey Paul, glad others are happy with that seller's products, it was sort of a 'try it and see' moment but everything came looking pretty good. I do need to check out what else that seller's got in inventory - I'd love to get one of those small wall-mounted public phone kiosks for the currency exchange, time to go hunting. Take care!!

Hi Tommy, thanks for supporting the channel! Likewise, hope you had a great weekend!

Thanks Daniel, will have a look!

Thanks Andrew, glad you've found the content to be useful. Ultimately that's what I aim for. While I haven't conceptualized it as such I think the 'learn 1+ things' is probably the criterion I use for when to actually make a video. Hope you had a great weekend and good catch re: Paul Simon ;). Graceland is a fabulous record.

Thanks much! My philosophy is that there are already tons of channels that talk about laying and wiring track, etc. I figure this is where I can offer a more unique contribution to the community at least until I decide to start building the next.

​@@ChicagoCrossingRR I really admire your easygoing style as you show off parts of Chicago that I grew up around , I have always love railroading and have had many 4x8 plywood ho scale layouts growing up, Chicago I think is somewhat unique in the way spur lines snaked around neighborhoods in order to get to some warehouse or factory especially around the pilsen area , back in the day around the cook county jail too, I enjoy your historical explanation and look forward to more of your tours of the layout😊

@@spaceman063 thank you!! My family had a long history on the South Side in Bridgeport and Back of The Yards. I lived in Ukrainian Village for a time and at least got to see a few of the active spur lines going in Goose Island before all of that shut down. I love all the old photos of SW's street running a few cars to the Peerless candy factory or Finkl Steel, and the next layout will represent that area in shelf format.

Hi Michael, thanks for stopping by and glad you've enjoyed the channel! I love the point you make re: Shep Paine. Shep's dioramas were masterclasses in making simple, compelling stories. You always knew what was happening in those scenes, whether told as a direct or implied action. Something for all of us to live up to if we want to make our scenes truly immersive.

Thanks Anthony!

I would love to. The toxic fumes associated with resin printing are the one big drawback that has kept me out of the game (that and I have no idea how to design stuff, though I notice a lot of folks share their files). Have you been doing your own? I'd love to hear from someone who picked it up recently about the pluses and minuses. It would be amazing to just get all of my stuff on demand and print as many garbage cans as I'd like ;)

Thanks Louis!

Thanks Will - exactly the info I was looking for. I've been thinking I can put in enough holes to do a decent number of wheels at once via airbrushing.

@@ChicagoCrossingRR I've used the same technique successfully as well. Pretty simple and super cheap. Takes away the tedium of doing it by hand

@@marklynn3994 Hear, hear. Thus far I've done metal wheels by hand simply to avoid painting the treads but man I'm looking forward to the airbrush, both for quality and ease of use.

Ah!! Thank you for the pointer. Exactly what I'm looking for :)

Hi Steve, thanks for sharing these stories and my condolences. It's an important reminder of the stakes involved in what we do in the lab and the shared experience of many. Glad you're enjoying the layout - do what you can and most of all have fun. Glad the brushes have been useful!!

Stumbled upon that just a few weeks ago so I'm probably late to the party but really glad I found that seller!!

@@ChicagoCrossingRR he is actually done quite a bit of personal work for me

Hi Rich, thanks much! It seems enough to give everyone the impression of the building. I sometimes think about scratchbuilding something closer to the 'real' thing! The bottle car is the exact model that is run on the South Side, there's a guy on eBay who will occasionally sell them.

Hi Andrew, thanks for writing and always appreciate sharing of learned wisdom :). I'm very careful not to paint the treads for exactly the reasons you mention, plus the wheels just look more realistic without paint on the treads. I also cover the axles with liquid mask to ensure they stay free-rolling.

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Sorry, I should have figured you'd know the score. It's a trigger point for me. 😀

@@andrewpalm2103 no apologies needed. I’m still pretty young in the hobby and there’s a lot I still don’t know. I’m always grateful for the constructive advice and assistance of others.

Thank you! Hope all's well with your railroad!

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Thanks! I actually have a video about it coming up this Friday 🙂

@ApproachMedium looking forward to it!!

Thanks for visiting again Keith, it’s always great to hear from you! Hope all is well.

@@ChicagoCrossingRR By the way, I watch you from Bali, Indonesia. So challenging to model here, as (due to a 35% import tax, plus exorbitant shipping costs) EVERYTHING must be gathered in my visits back to the US, and hand-carried as airline luggage. Wow, but so be it. Keep up the good work, my friend! And let me know if you ever visit The Island of the Gods.

@@keithludowitz9637 yeah I'd bring a couple of suitcases too if that was the case. I suppose it's a good exercise in focusing on what you really need for your models and limiting excess 'stuff' in a collection. I know we've got a trip to Indonesia at some point in the future so I'll let you know if we swing out that way :)

Same deal about being an escape!! Running a lab (and part of a clinical division) is aspirational and fulfilling but can still drive burnout. Undoubtedly this is more so in the clinical realm where demands are often more acute. This hobby has been helpful as a recharge mechanism that lets the science work itself out in the back of my mind while I exercise exactly what you call the 'non-linear' side of things.

I can totally relate buddy, being in law enforcement can be very trying and stressful and being able to escape from time to time using a hobby such as model railroading is ideal!

@@spaceman063 thanks for all you do - glad you can find some time to relax!

Carl! Doing great my friend. Thanks for tuning in, and yeah camera's been rolling so more to come!

Hey Chris, always great to hear from you!! I'll be honest that I'm not a huge fan of Unitrak for the reason you mention (toylike). However, some folks have gotten it to look really good just by paying attention to weathering and ballasting it. StevesTrains is a great example - Steve actually makes Unitrak look really good, he just makes sure to weather and integrate it very well. I'd be sure to check out his channel and have a look at his layouts. If the way his track looks seems good to you, it may not be the worst thing to go that route. Likewise the wiring and continuity on that stuff is solid and approachable. I'd been thinking a lot about Code 55 track for my next layout, and I like the better scaling. I guess it's a bit of a judgement call on your part. If you're building something about the size of my layout, I think laying flextrack and wiring it is actually pretty approachable. I also suspect if you sort of relax into the wiring you'll actually pick it up pretty well. What may be a good test case is just to do a 1-2 turnout small switching layout with code 55, almost like a working diorama, and see if you take to it ok. It's a great way to pick up the skills without going whole hog into a big project.

Thanks for your thoughts Eric. I'm still on the fence, but leaning toward Peco Code 55. I'll take a harder look at Steve's layouts. When I've visualized my new layout in my head it's always been with Peco C55. Plus, I'm concerned that down the road I won't be totally happy with the layout because I took the easy way out and used Unitrack.

@@chrisbarr1359 that is always a concern. I was just watching a video from a guy who made a Code 55 layout and was unhappy with the performance so is switching to Code 80. I gather the tracklaying is a bit more exacting with the smaller rails as pertains to derailments at points, etc. Not a down side, just maybe a thing to look out for (and for me to look out for, I've wanted my next to be 55).