I recommend that you start a Manor Model Railway Club. Members could pay a reasonable fee to help clean & restore the collection. Visiting school groups & other clubs could be given tours. It should definitely be saved as part of your Grandfathers legacy. It's another reason for me to follow your journey. Great twist to the tale. Thanks for sharing..
Agreed. I'd be tempted to help out with something like that. Don't know all that much about model railways, but I have an interest, am reasonably local, and have time on my hands!
Your grandfather was a member of Tetbury Model Railway Club for a while. Unfortunately the club had to fold a few years ago when we could no longer afford to rent a room for our layouts. There are still a few of us here in Tetbury who would be interested in helping you out.
This is so beautiful and incredible, it should become an exhibit and be part of the manor tour. Get the trains to run and the whole thing cleaned. Paint the walls of the attic rooms white and display posters of trains, train stations throughout along with pictures of your grandfather working on his train sets. Advertise it. I think it would interest alot of people including train enthusiasts.
Dad would be thrilled to see his beloved trains running once more, I am sure he was looking down from above. Congratulations to Alex and of course James.
As someone who has and works in Tourism for years, consider keeping and opening to the public. It is uniqueness that interests others and sets your manor house apart from others vying for visitors.
It’s not practical to have general public in the attic. Maybe specialist tours where the visitors sign a waiver. Plus this looks like a fire hazard too
And things would start disappearing with especially drooling little kids who'd 'really love to get their hands on THAT loco, or THAT coach, hee hee', standing so close to the tracks...
This channel is fantastic. The way you described your granddad sneaking in trains made me laugh, as I do the same with bikes and bicycling accessories. Hopefully, you get it running fully for future generations to enjoy.
This is SO worth its own Patreon channel to build its own ground floor building, well lit so every detail can be admired, with a club of model railway enthusiasts and an engineer or two to supervise the renovation. I can imagine a group of carefully supervised children helping with the restoration. Maybe an few extra feet of track to bring it all into one cohesive entity, around the perimeter of a space large enough to receive visitors. It is its own little museum. I used to build model railway buildings as a little girl, and as an adult, I typed (only the typing!) the operating manual of CP 4744, a prototype 3-phase locomotive which took the place of 6 locomotives. It's a thrilling hobby.
You turn that railway set up into a tourist attraction! So many people would come to see it. You could do a " STAY & PLAY" package where people can stay two nights and get to play with the set . It's a money-maker. Or a "FIXATION STAY" where model train enthusiasts could stay cheaply for a week and work on re setting up the set again in another building.
*The first person who came to mind was SIR ROD STEWART the singer, his is also a huge train enthusiast, as he too has a huge train set-up in his home. Contact his wife Penny via the police station that she works out of, as he would love to see this set up too.🙂 But I have to say that your grandfather was amazing to set up a trainset as long and as big as the attic.🙂 Is there a photo somewhere of him with the trainset... or even holding a train... cos that needs to be put up on the door to the entrance going up to the attic.🙂 I would love you to do a series of getting this all cleaned up and all working again... 🙂 what an amazing find and it is so HUGE.🙂 If you were thinking of moving it.... then you need to build a very long building the length & width of the attic that will be warm and dry etc before even attempting to move it all. Then you can set up tours where people will pay to see it all working again... yep this will take time & money... but this really needs to be seen by the people... then name the new building after your grandad...🙂 There are train enthusiast around the world who would travel to see the biggest train set up.🙂nz*
Just what I was thinking! Only a few days ago I read about him and his interest, together with Jools Holland. But Rod lives in Beverly Hills now, doesn't he? Or maybe he has an old manor in UK too, for a summer house?
@@percronholm8536 *Sir Rod's wife Penny works as a police officer in Britain.... so Sir Rod spends heaps of time in the UK with his wife and the youngest of his children. I think he also owns a football (soccer) club too in the UK. So the USA home is probably where they go on vacation & a base for when ever he is there on business etc. 🙂.*
@@percronholm8536 There is an article werein he moved the layout to the UK. Found it in Dec 2024 'Model Railroader'. A US publication so have to look for it in UK.
@@Tanyalakergurl *Sir Rod has lived in many homes in different countries depending on each wife he was married too and what jobs the wives had. 🙂When he was married to Rachel Hunter (a kiwi super model) he had homes in both USA & England. Plus when ever he came down to NZ, which was heaps of times and he even insisted when in NZ that the media called him Mr Hunter 🙂 He probably has a home up in Scotland too.🙂nz*
I'm not into trains, but I would really enjoy seeing train enthusiasts get that setup up and running again. Seeing that train was moving. To think the last time it moved, it was by your granded. He'd be so pleased to see being played with again.
That is absolutely astonishing! My father built us a model railroad set when I was young, well over 50 years ago. We loved watching it run as did all our friends. How wonderful would it be to restore it in the attics and then have times when train enthusiasts and their families could come and observe it in operation. Could be a money maker and a huge legacy to your granddad. Simply blown away at what he has done!
Wow. This was a tearjerker. Seeing this touched my wife and I both. It was such an intimate and amazing thing to share about a man we could never know, but now feel connected to in a way. We are grateful to you for sharing this with us, and in a way, sharing the memories of all of our grandparents who leave behind these incredible legacies that still touch our hearts all these years later.
As an experienced modeller I would suggest you look at the scenes. They will be done for a reason, this will tell you more about your grandads life. We all model things from our lives into our layouts. Did he used to go skiing? The snow scene looks Swiss maybe? Alex is right the value is all in your heart, grandad put his heart and sole into the layout. Look closely and he will tell you stories still.
As a tourist, I would happily pay to see that “hobby” put back into motion, up and running. A very unique feature in your historic home. It represents an era of your family’s past time interests, but is perhaps one of the most prolific personal collection of model trains, in that it’s “run” is under one roof in a private home.
That’s absolutely wild-talk about a runaway hobby! Alex was spot on when he said this was done purely out of love for the craft, not necessarily to be seen by anyone else. I love that you’re working to restore it-keep us updated!
Amazing! Might be worth it to build especially for this. A place where the local train enthusiasts could have meetings as well as additional way to entice visitors to the manor and cafe. Could become a revenue source. I can imagine a train set especially for younger children to control as well as an area for the 10-14+ set to have more sophisticated trains to run. Something for all ages.
OMG! My Grandfather worked for Lionel decades ago. He had access to so many trains and other items. So sad that they were all lost over the years. I'm SO jealous!!! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Priceless on so many levels! Best wishes...love your channel. Indianapolis, Indiana USA
This is a HUGE PASSION project, it MUST live on. You CAN'T destroy your grand dad's project. Just stumbled on this site, and Hank I used to follow GNC a lot, I know you can be a passionate guy, so go ahead and get this show on the road. I'm thinking of some micro cameras attached to a few trains that go around that huge loop would make a superb video.
Yes! Lots more please! You're not that far from me I don't think, I'm just the other side of Cirencester. I'd be happy to come and spend a bit of time helping
Love your channel! You need to get this out of the attic and exhibit it where people can see it. Tag the train enthusiasts to assist you in fixing it up and moving it where people can see it. I am sure there are a team of local enthusiasts who would love the opportunity to assist.
You don’t need to be into trains to appreciate how amazing, and awe inspiring that whole set up is. That is a museum piece in its own right 😮😮 PHENOMENAL
Omg, keep it going, its amazing and i am almost sad to see it sat there doing nothing!! Open the Attic up and knock it through to make one of the biggest railway models in the UK.
That’s awesome, I definitely want to see it restored to its glory. The amount of love and dedication and work your grandfather put into it is an incredible and to continue its legacy would be a wonderful way to honor him
Bonjour de France. Malgré que je sois français j'ai pu comprendre toute votre discussion. Je suis sûr que des gens bénévoles qui n'ont pas beaucoup d'argent serait très heureux de vous aider à remettre en route ce magnifique réseau. J'espère qu'il y aura une suite à cette vidéo pour voir l'évolution de cette restauration. Bonne continuation à vous et votre future équipe. Best regards
It's such an impractical space for people to come and see it - so why not get a crack team of train enthusiasts to recreate it in one of the farm buildings? Then you could replicate the current layout-ish and turn it into an attraction that people could actually visit - because you'd never get the attic past health and safety. Wonderful thing, great to watch
I agree, take a step back. Work out what is there. Make a plan and relocate with help. I think it’s wonderful. I am hoping to relocate to the country this year to build mine. We plan to buy a farm with outbuildings to put my workshop and layout in. I think at some point you may need to maintain the roof and while that is there you cant do that. Also it’s a fire hazard. Relocating will mean you can replace anything that may be an issue. Big job. All the best. Great video
WOW....... WOW...... That is so amazing, and so LARGE a setup. YES, please try to get it up and running again. It's part of your heritage just hidden in the attic.
Maybe Pete Waterman could help. He and a team broke some kind of model railway record. You are my new favourite channel. I love the variety of what you show us and your obvious love of the place.
Honestly, this is so great a mans life passion, the hours spent fettling away, tweaking and fixing, It would be great in the future when you get it working if you could open this to the public, so many people would love to see this work of art up close.
I think that the comment "this work of art" really captures the value of the layout. As Alex noted in the video, many, many of the pieces were chosen, painted, and placed specifically. It is a life's work no matter the dust and age and clutter, it is a life's work as is any other "artist's" and deserves to be preserved.
This reminds me of my grandfather, who was also a model train enthusiast. I have an old train magazine article about his layout, which was the largest on the east coast in the USA at the time (1960s). When he passed away in the 70s it was dismantled and is now lost to time. I can only imagine if it was still around and could be restored. I think you should restore it where it is and open it up for tours.
I second the idea of a model railroad club to refurbish and build the scenery for this historic layout. I’ll bet you can find an interest from the people around your estate. Do a build session bi-weekly and in no time this layout will be a real gem. Then hold an open house for other enthusiasts. Too bad I am so far away to assist. Plus I have my own attic layout with Union and Western Pacific. It you need any tips let me know. Cheers from Texas.
Wow .. outstanding ! My grandad did the same. I’ve often thought of having a model railway around the rafters of my shed workshop .All the best, cheers Rob
That is an amazing space! With all those old electrics running hither and thither please make sure your fire detection and protection systems are up to date! 🙏🏻
Such a cool hobby your grandfather had,Hank! I'm a plastic scale modeler but am always fascinated by scale train layouts. Hope you can save it all and would love to see the outcome of it.
I had a little oval Maerklin trainset from Germany from my Grandfather. It was special every time my Dad set it up before we were big enough to do it ourselves. A quarter century later when I finally got to go to Germany, I found a way to take my parents to Maerklin HQ and their museum. Now 60 I display my train cars with my Christmas decorations to recall those memories. Imagine the memories you could give other grandfathers, fathers, sons - daughters too - being able to take trips to visit your grandfather's project.
Hi, what a beautiful project, it would be wonderful to see it all up and running. I think your Grandfather would be so pleased to see his life work being cared for and used. Regards Tony
I started watching this channel because I am a cyclist and GCN viewer. However, my other passion is model railways and it is so wierd watching Hank do a model railway video 😂 its like a 'worlds collide' situation or like when you introduce two friends from different parts of your life, only to find they already know each other😅. I'd love to get involved with this and help you decide what to do with it. It looks like a mammoth task for even a team to take on! 😮
I immediately wondered if anybody else had that context. 😂 I assumed I was recommended this because I also follow a lot of model railroad channels, but I’ve always liked Hank on GCN.
Yeah I say keep it up in the attic and get it running then start tours for the $ to fix all the attic up to make it a dust free, ventilated and enclosed space. How amazing for your children and their children. I build miniature houses and it is so relaxing so I bet your grandfather was in heaven working on his trains up there for hours. What a way to decrease your blood pressure. Amazing!❤
This had to have been the most emotional time to see your grandfather's train running. I believe you should leave it in the attic, I can not see how you could move it and keep it intact. Marksutton... has suggested a way of using this to raise funds for work on the Manor. Can you isolate an access to the attic in order for train enthusiasts to come and not have to walk through your whole home to reach the attic. There is great potential there, but not in moving it. Good luck with what ever you decide. Ronnie in Saskatchewan
Every attic should be full of train tracks. When I was a kid, my dad and I made my set up on a plank so that I could roll it under my bed for storage and roll it back out so that I could use it because we had a lack of space.
Showing this has gained you a subscriber. Definitely deserves it's own channel. People would pay to see this, even as it is. Absolute work of art and decades of love.
I can totally see the parallels between train enthusiasts and bike enthusiasts. Think of how you bicyclists feel about your custom road bike - it’s your baby, or at least my husband’s is. There’s a huge untapped throng of people either personally interested or who have a sentimental reaction to trains - a huge opportunity to increase your subscribers and feed the algorithm without having to debase yourself with extreme click bait headlines and such. Sorry, I don’t usually comment - complete lurker - but something about this train set has really touched my heart. You know he probably had representations of all of your family - at least one of those little people is you and maybe even Emma! It is so rare that someone is able to leave such a pure representation of their passion. It’s very touching. I hope you are able to find a way to share it with many many people. Also, I think it may be easier than you think to find parts if you’re creative where and how you look. Unfortunately, your grandfather’s generation probably represented the height of the model train community (sorry if that’s wrong - I forget how he wanted it described) and I don’t doubt their are many heirs who have this stuff and just don’t know what to do with it. If you started a museum, people will show up with stuff to either give you or sell to you. I’m sure there are tons of train people on UA-cam- many opportunities for collaboration. Sorry, I’m a marketer at heart. If you ever want a FREE, REMOTE, OFF-CAMERA intern for BRAINSTORMING - I’m your girl. I’m also a mom of three and a business owner so I’m watching your videos through many different lenses. My house is only 100 years old, and the largest event I’ve hosted only drew 1500 people (perennial plant exchange in the spring). Oh my goodness, the possibilities. My mind is literally exploding with ideas. You have the most amazing situation I’ve seen and as an architecture and history freak, I’ve watched many videos of people trying to make their stately homes support themselves. Yours would be so much fun to run - having your extended family involved and the respect you show the past while still being open to future change is just such a different vibe and it’s a joy to watch. I think we do events differently over here, but the intersection between new/different and comfortable/homely could be an entirely new event that is different from what others are offering and can generate news and bring more people to the estate - or even encourage return visits. You could get the same people coming five, six times a year - the house tour, (do you have an outbuilding tour - if not I’d bet you could develop one with a little research) can be the possibilities are literally endless and a lot of them wouldn’t take much monetary investment, seeing the trains - which they could do seasonally if you played up the seasonality/holidays, and then again for various events such as a plant exchange (anyone who has perennials has to split them in the spring, people would pay a small fee to enter if they bring plants to exchange and others pay a larger fee if they don’t have plants. Plants are free to take within limits, leftover plants go to a charity in some way. Garden centers or other garden related businesses sponsor and there can be a large education component as well about things like invasive and native plants. It could also be an annual event. Early spring - not quite sure about your seasons, but mine has to be in early May - I think yours would probably be April, around Mothering Sunday), or one of many other events you could host. Sorry, I’ll just watch the rest of the video and shut up now. 🤦🏻♀️ 17:42
You guys do such a fantastic job of showing the world modern royalty and the everyday challanges you face and conquer, you are all such a class act! Plus you are so much fun to listen too, you both remind me of my playful six month old puppy! LOL
There is a lot of Continental Rolling Stock on that layout. If your Grandfather has collected over many years, do not throw away without valuation. There were some interesting items that could be useful for collectors.
Awesome video update. I was a model railroader for about 25 years until I moved into a small apartment. Still have some of my locomotives and rolling stock. Nice to see the passion your grandfather had for that hobby. I really appreciated the amount of work he put into that. Only wish I lived in the UK as I would come and volunteer for sure to help restore that. Again thanks for the share. I loved every minute of that. 🤩❤
You have your money maker right here. Move the model railway to one of the buildings you’ve emptied and set it up there. Hire a muralist. Set up a small museum and charge admission to tour. You could put in under plastic domes to protect it. Have a gift ship that sells like items in it with your family brand on them
LOVED THIS! 👏🏼 My dad had a model train display that took up half of our garage growing up. We loved helping him with it as we got older. It was passed down to him from my moms father ❤ Very memorable times made together as a family with model trains. Would love to see more of this throughout your UA-cam journey moving forward 🫶🏼💯🙏🏼❤️
This has to be preserved. Not only is it an incredible model railway, but one man’s 60 year project and dream. I’m sure you will find many willing volunteers to help you.
Another fantastic LatM video! I look forward to more videos on the restoration of Grand-dad's RailWorld. Don't move it from the attic! My brother is a massive model rail enthusiast - German HO scale. Studied Architecture and City Planning at University in the U.S. because he was always interested in rail corridors (the U.S. is lousy at offering education in rail). My brother lives in a fantastic one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco and dedicated his 2020+ lockdown time to building a small rail circuit in his living room to finally run his model rail engines and cars that saw no action since the 1980s. I am excited to share this video with him. Alex offered great advice that the biggest impact you will have to restore operation is to simply clean the attic and rail system. Do it! Cleaning is a low skill level to-do. Are there any local elementary schools looking for an activity to spend the endless energy of kids looking for a hobby? Best of luck restoring the system. It may not generate revenue for efforts to restore and maintain the Manor but there is priceless value in bringing it back to life.
Thank you for the comment, yes I totally agree I need to start with clearing it out and getting it clean up there! Ill keep you all posted with my progress!
I do love trains, very nostalgic for this old Canadian Army brat. Alex is the sweetest, his cheeky grin says everything about how much he loves trains...and his Grandfather. Cheers guys.
James, there are so many wonderful full videos you can do about the treasures of the manor. Shoot, your grandfather’s model train world could be its own channel-restoration and refurbishment. When you all got that one train powered at the end, I was over the moon for you guys. This has become one of my favorite channels. Thanks for sharing yours and Emma’s journey!
With such a massive layout im sure he would have had a least a few track cleaning vehicles. I would not be surprised f there was a form of electrostatic track cleaning. The best way to tackle such an extensive layout would be to map it out one line at a time cleaning each track as you go. Run a train with a FPV camera wagon on the front to get a lovely drivers eye view of the journey. Wishing You many many wonderful hours of enjoyment,
I recommend that you start a Manor Model Railway Club. Members could pay a reasonable fee to help clean & restore the collection. Visiting school groups & other clubs could be given tours. It should definitely be saved as part of your Grandfathers legacy. It's another reason for me to follow your journey. Great twist to the tale. Thanks for sharing..
Very well said!!! 👏🏼❤️ I agree!! Can’t wait to see how they honor his love for trains and hopefully turn it into a beautiful tour!
Excellent excellent idea!
Agreed. I'd be tempted to help out with something like that. Don't know all that much about model railways, but I have an interest, am reasonably local, and have time on my hands!
Love that idea 💡 ❤❤❤❤❤
They would pay to clean and restore it? Surely the other way around..!
Your grandfather was a member of Tetbury Model Railway Club for a while. Unfortunately the club had to fold a few years ago when we could no longer afford to rent a room for our layouts. There are still a few of us here in Tetbury who would be interested in helping you out.
Hi Judith and David - that's so sad to hear.
Love it go on
Thanks for inviting me guys! Loved every minute 🚂
Fast forward 50 years and see Hank's grandkids showing Alex's Dura-Ace component collection.
This is so beautiful and incredible, it should become an exhibit and be part of the manor tour. Get the trains to run and the whole thing cleaned. Paint the walls of the attic rooms white and display posters of trains, train stations throughout along with pictures of your grandfather working on his train sets. Advertise it. I think it would interest alot of people including train enthusiasts.
I agree. 😊❤
Totally agree.
This could be another channel - the restoration of this room and space. There are people who would watch and subscribe. Seriously!
Logistically impossible and not good for the trains. They need a big new space.
Fantastic idea!!!!! 👏🏼💯❤️
Dad would be thrilled to see his beloved trains running once more, I am sure he was looking down from above. Congratulations to Alex and of course James.
It’s such a beautiful thing and quite the labour of love ❤️
I have this mental image of model train enthusiasts arriving by bus loads and climbing the drainpipes to get into your attic!
One of the outlying barns or "extra" buildings could be put to good use and charge a quite-large entry fee.
😂😂😂😂 the boffins have arrived 😂😂😂❤️👍
Jeeves, Alfred…… open the gun cabinet… the trainspotter have infiltrated the grounds & are mounting the Wisteria 😂😂😂😂
As someone who has and works in Tourism for years, consider keeping and opening to the public. It is uniqueness that interests others and sets your manor house apart from others vying for visitors.
It’s not practical to have general public in the attic. Maybe specialist tours where the visitors sign a waiver. Plus this looks like a fire hazard too
And things would start disappearing with especially drooling little kids who'd 'really love to get their hands on THAT loco, or THAT coach, hee hee', standing so close to the tracks...
This project needs its own channel and patrons
This channel is fantastic. The way you described your granddad sneaking in trains made me laugh, as I do the same with bikes and bicycling accessories. Hopefully, you get it running fully for future generations to enjoy.
Got emotional watching this…there was a lot of love put into this wonderful set of trains.
This is SO worth its own Patreon channel to build its own ground floor building, well lit so every detail can be admired, with a club of model railway enthusiasts and an engineer or two to supervise the renovation. I can imagine a group of carefully supervised children helping with the restoration. Maybe an few extra feet of track to bring it all into one cohesive entity, around the perimeter of a space large enough to receive visitors. It is its own little museum. I used to build model railway buildings as a little girl, and as an adult, I typed (only the typing!) the operating manual of CP 4744, a prototype 3-phase locomotive which took the place of 6 locomotives. It's a thrilling hobby.
You turn that railway set up into a tourist attraction! So many people would come to see it. You could do a " STAY & PLAY" package where people can stay two nights and get to play with the set . It's a money-maker. Or a "FIXATION STAY" where model train enthusiasts could stay cheaply for a week and work on re setting up the set again in another building.
Brilliant idea as well!!! 👏🏼❤️
*The first person who came to mind was SIR ROD STEWART the singer, his is also a huge train enthusiast, as he too has a huge train set-up in his home. Contact his wife Penny via the police station that she works out of, as he would love to see this set up too.🙂 But I have to say that your grandfather was amazing to set up a trainset as long and as big as the attic.🙂 Is there a photo somewhere of him with the trainset... or even holding a train... cos that needs to be put up on the door to the entrance going up to the attic.🙂 I would love you to do a series of getting this all cleaned up and all working again... 🙂 what an amazing find and it is so HUGE.🙂 If you were thinking of moving it.... then you need to build a very long building the length & width of the attic that will be warm and dry etc before even attempting to move it all. Then you can set up tours where people will pay to see it all working again... yep this will take time & money... but this really needs to be seen by the people... then name the new building after your grandad...🙂 There are train enthusiast around the world who would travel to see the biggest train set up.🙂nz*
Just what I was thinking! Only a few days ago I read about him and his interest, together with Jools Holland. But Rod lives in Beverly Hills now, doesn't he? Or maybe he has an old manor in UK too, for a summer house?
@@percronholm8536 *Sir Rod's wife Penny works as a police officer in Britain.... so Sir Rod spends heaps of time in the UK with his wife and the youngest of his children. I think he also owns a football (soccer) club too in the UK. So the USA home is probably where they go on vacation & a base for when ever he is there on business etc. 🙂.*
@@percronholm8536 There is an article werein he moved the layout to the UK. Found it in Dec 2024 'Model Railroader'. A US publication so have to look for it in UK.
He lived in Beverly Hills when he was married to Alana.
@@Tanyalakergurl *Sir Rod has lived in many homes in different countries depending on each wife he was married too and what jobs the wives had. 🙂When he was married to Rachel Hunter (a kiwi super model) he had homes in both USA & England. Plus when ever he came down to NZ, which was heaps of times and he even insisted when in NZ that the media called him Mr Hunter 🙂 He probably has a home up in Scotland too.🙂nz*
I'm not into trains, but I would really enjoy seeing train enthusiasts get that setup up and running again.
Seeing that train was moving. To think the last time it moved, it was by your granded. He'd be so pleased to see being played with again.
Pete Waterman and James May are huge model railway fans, I see a collaboration coming up......
Jools Holland is a model railway enthusiast too with with a huge amount of knowledge.
And Rod Stewart
Get James May on it
I don't even like model railways, but I was grinning with joy to see the train running.
You absolutely need James May on the case! I bet he'd absolutely love to get involved with this.
I think that Pete Waterman is an enthusiast also Rod Stewart
That is absolutely astonishing! My father built us a model railroad set when I was young, well over 50 years ago. We loved watching it run as did all our friends. How wonderful would it be to restore it in the attics and then have times when train enthusiasts and their families could come and observe it in operation. Could be a money maker and a huge legacy to your granddad. Simply blown away at what he has done!
Wow. This was a tearjerker. Seeing this touched my wife and I both. It was such an intimate and amazing thing to share about a man we could never know, but now feel connected to in a way. We are grateful to you for sharing this with us, and in a way, sharing the memories of all of our grandparents who leave behind these incredible legacies that still touch our hearts all these years later.
As an experienced modeller I would suggest you look at the scenes. They will be done for a reason, this will tell you more about your grandads life. We all model things from our lives into our layouts. Did he used to go skiing? The snow scene looks Swiss maybe? Alex is right the value is all in your heart, grandad put his heart and sole into the layout. Look closely and he will tell you stories still.
As a tourist, I would happily pay to see that “hobby” put back into motion, up and running. A very unique feature in your historic home. It represents an era of your family’s past time interests, but is perhaps one of the most prolific personal collection of model trains, in that it’s “run” is under one roof in a private home.
The model railway looks beautiful. You should honestly make a series on your grandfather's model railway, I think it'll be really cool.
give James May a ring
That’s absolutely wild-talk about a runaway hobby! Alex was spot on when he said this was done purely out of love for the craft, not necessarily to be seen by anyone else. I love that you’re working to restore it-keep us updated!
will do!
Amazing! Might be worth it to build especially for this. A place where the local train enthusiasts could have meetings as well as additional way to entice visitors to the manor and cafe. Could become a revenue source. I can imagine a train set especially for younger children to control as well as an area for the 10-14+ set to have more sophisticated trains to run. Something for all ages.
To leave something this beautiful behind to face your eternal rest must be heartbreaking. Sorry for being morbid, it faces us all
OMG! My Grandfather worked for Lionel decades ago. He had access to so many trains and other items. So sad that they were all lost over the years. I'm SO jealous!!! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Priceless on so many levels! Best wishes...love your channel. Indianapolis, Indiana USA
This is a HUGE PASSION project, it MUST live on. You CAN'T destroy your grand dad's project. Just stumbled on this site, and Hank I used to follow GNC a lot, I know you can be a passionate guy, so go ahead and get this show on the road. I'm thinking of some micro cameras attached to a few trains that go around that huge loop would make a superb video.
Thanks so much Richard and yes I agree camera on the front would be incredible
Yes! Lots more please!
You're not that far from me I don't think, I'm just the other side of Cirencester. I'd be happy to come and spend a bit of time helping
Lovely Railway, Shame to dismantle it , your dear grandad would be upset 😢
DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE MODEL RAILWAY ❤❤❤
Love your channel! You need to get this out of the attic and exhibit it where people can see it. Tag the train enthusiasts to assist you in fixing it up and moving it where people can see it. I am sure there are a team of local enthusiasts who would love the opportunity to assist.
You don’t need to be into trains to appreciate how amazing, and awe inspiring that whole set up is. That is a museum piece in its own right 😮😮 PHENOMENAL
Thank you so much!!
Omg, keep it going, its amazing and i am almost sad to see it sat there doing nothing!! Open the Attic up and knock it through to make one of the biggest railway models in the UK.
have no trains. 100% would watch a series on this. absolutely crazy! i love it.
Glad you enjoy it!
That’s awesome, I definitely want to see it restored to its glory. The amount of love and dedication and work your grandfather put into it is an incredible and to continue its legacy would be a wonderful way to honor him
Bonjour de France.
Malgré que je sois français j'ai pu comprendre toute votre discussion. Je suis sûr que des gens bénévoles qui n'ont pas beaucoup d'argent serait très heureux de vous aider à remettre en route ce magnifique réseau.
J'espère qu'il y aura une suite à cette vidéo pour voir l'évolution de cette restauration.
Bonne continuation à vous et votre future équipe.
Best regards
Yes, get it all up and running. Awesome.
It's such an impractical space for people to come and see it - so why not get a crack team of train enthusiasts to recreate it in one of the farm buildings? Then you could replicate the current layout-ish and turn it into an attraction that people could actually visit - because you'd never get the attic past health and safety. Wonderful thing, great to watch
I agree that it is impractical for people to visit. But half the charm is it winding its way through the Elizabethan roof beams.
I agree, take a step back. Work out what is there. Make a plan and relocate with help. I think it’s wonderful. I am hoping to relocate to the country this year to build mine. We plan to buy a farm with outbuildings to put my workshop and layout in. I think at some point you may need to maintain the roof and while that is there you cant do that. Also it’s a fire hazard. Relocating will mean you can replace anything that may be an issue. Big job. All the best. Great video
This is absolutely phenomenal. Please post updates - the railway should definitely stay - I will watch all the model railway content!
It is purely and very simply a British National treasure that should be added to the National Heritage register. Totally mindblowing.
The smile on James's face tells me this model railway is not going anywhere
WOW....... WOW...... That is so amazing, and so LARGE a setup. YES, please try to get it up and running again. It's part of your heritage just hidden in the attic.
Maybe Pete Waterman could help. He and a team broke some kind of model railway record.
You are my new favourite channel. I love the variety of what you show us and your obvious love of the place.
Honestly, this is so great a mans life passion, the hours spent fettling away, tweaking and fixing, It would be great in the future when you get it working if you could open this to the public, so many people would love to see this work of art up close.
I think that the comment "this work of art" really captures the value of the layout. As Alex noted in the video, many, many of the pieces were chosen, painted, and placed specifically. It is a life's work no matter the dust and age and clutter, it is a life's work as is any other "artist's" and deserves to be preserved.
This reminds me of my grandfather, who was also a model train enthusiast. I have an old train magazine article about his layout, which was the largest on the east coast in the USA at the time (1960s). When he passed away in the 70s it was dismantled and is now lost to time. I can only imagine if it was still around and could be restored. I think you should restore it where it is and open it up for tours.
Makes me want to get my Dads model railway up and running again..😊
I second the idea of a model railroad club to refurbish and build the scenery for this historic layout. I’ll bet you can find an interest from the people around your estate. Do a build session bi-weekly and in no time this layout will be a real gem. Then hold an open house for other enthusiasts. Too bad I am so far away to assist. Plus I have my own attic layout with Union and Western Pacific. It you need any tips let me know. Cheers from Texas.
Thanks so much for the comment Robert!
How wonderful Alex was able to get the train moving again. What a wonderful legacy your grandfather has left.
Wow, I thought i had seen it all! Call in the railway nuts team immediately !
I cried! So many wonderful memories of my Dad hiding away in the basement, it gave him such Joy! 🥰
Definitely invite Pete Waterman to come and see it. I'm sure he would be very enthusiastic.
I think this is amazing. Preserving this would honor your granddad's memory and if there was a way to share this with others - I would.
Wow .. outstanding ! My grandad did the same. I’ve often thought of having a model railway around the rafters of my shed workshop .All the best, cheers Rob
Thanks for the comment Rob, and glad to hear your Grandad had the same hobbies and interest!
Fantastic!
That is an amazing space! With all those old electrics running hither and thither please make sure your fire detection and protection systems are up to date! 🙏🏻
Such a cool hobby your grandfather had,Hank! I'm a plastic scale modeler but am always fascinated by scale train layouts. Hope you can save it all and would love to see the outcome of it.
This is every child's dream Hank! That little spark of excitement when a train starts running is the best feeling!
You need to get Pete Waterman involved in this project!
Elton John?????
I had a little oval Maerklin trainset from Germany from my Grandfather. It was special every time my Dad set it up before we were big enough to do it ourselves. A quarter century later when I finally got to go to Germany, I found a way to take my parents to Maerklin HQ and their museum. Now 60 I display my train cars with my Christmas decorations to recall those memories. Imagine the memories you could give other grandfathers, fathers, sons - daughters too - being able to take trips to visit your grandfather's project.
I love this channel, also I saw you penny farthing past my house in Witney! I thought you must have been a local nutter 😆
Hi, what a beautiful project, it would be wonderful to see it all up and running. I think your Grandfather would be so pleased to see his life work being cared for and used.
Regards Tony
Thank you very much!
Gosh if you keep this set, your son or daughter had this they'd be excited when they get older. Please don't get rid of this set.
I started watching this channel because I am a cyclist and GCN viewer. However, my other passion is model railways and it is so wierd watching Hank do a model railway video 😂 its like a 'worlds collide' situation or like when you introduce two friends from different parts of your life, only to find they already know each other😅. I'd love to get involved with this and help you decide what to do with it. It looks like a mammoth task for even a team to take on! 😮
I immediately wondered if anybody else had that context. 😂 I assumed I was recommended this because I also follow a lot of model railroad channels, but I’ve always liked Hank on GCN.
Yeah I say keep it up in the attic and get it running then start tours for the $ to fix all the attic up to make it a dust free, ventilated and enclosed space. How amazing for your children and their children. I build miniature houses and it is so relaxing so I bet your grandfather was in heaven working on his trains up there for hours. What a way to decrease your blood pressure. Amazing!❤
This had to have been the most emotional time to see your grandfather's train running. I believe you should leave it in the attic, I can not see how you could move it and keep it intact. Marksutton... has suggested a way of using this to raise funds for work on the Manor. Can you isolate an access to the attic in order for train enthusiasts to come and not have to walk through your whole home to reach the attic. There is great potential there, but not in moving it. Good luck with what ever you decide. Ronnie in Saskatchewan
Every attic should be full of train tracks. When I was a kid, my dad and I made my set up on a plank so that I could roll it under my bed for storage and roll it back out so that I could use it because we had a lack of space.
Showing this has gained you a subscriber. Definitely deserves it's own channel. People would pay to see this, even as it is. Absolute work of art and decades of love.
Wow, thank you! and really glad you enjoyed the video!
Fabulous, lots of work but so worth it......what you waiting for !
Many thanks!
I can totally see the parallels between train enthusiasts and bike enthusiasts. Think of how you bicyclists feel about your custom road bike - it’s your baby, or at least my husband’s is. There’s a huge untapped throng of people either personally interested or who have a sentimental reaction to trains - a huge opportunity to increase your subscribers and feed the algorithm without having to debase yourself with extreme click bait headlines and such. Sorry, I don’t usually comment - complete lurker - but something about this train set has really touched my heart. You know he probably had representations of all of your family - at least one of those little people is you and maybe even Emma! It is so rare that someone is able to leave such a pure representation of their passion. It’s very touching. I hope you are able to find a way to share it with many many people. Also, I think it may be easier than you think to find parts if you’re creative where and how you look. Unfortunately, your grandfather’s generation probably represented the height of the model train community (sorry if that’s wrong - I forget how he wanted it described) and I don’t doubt their are many heirs who have this stuff and just don’t know what to do with it. If you started a museum, people will show up with stuff to either give you or sell to you. I’m sure there are tons of train people on UA-cam- many opportunities for collaboration. Sorry, I’m a marketer at heart. If you ever want a FREE, REMOTE, OFF-CAMERA intern for BRAINSTORMING - I’m your girl. I’m also a mom of three and a business owner so I’m watching your videos through many different lenses. My house is only 100 years old, and the largest event I’ve hosted only drew 1500 people (perennial plant exchange in the spring). Oh my goodness, the possibilities. My mind is literally exploding with ideas. You have the most amazing situation I’ve seen and as an architecture and history freak, I’ve watched many videos of people trying to make their stately homes support themselves. Yours would be so much fun to run - having your extended family involved and the respect you show the past while still being open to future change is just such a different vibe and it’s a joy to watch. I think we do events differently over here, but the intersection between new/different and comfortable/homely could be an entirely new event that is different from what others are offering and can generate news and bring more people to the estate - or even encourage return visits. You could get the same people coming five, six times a year - the house tour, (do you have an outbuilding tour - if not I’d bet you could develop one with a little research) can be the possibilities are literally endless and a lot of them wouldn’t take much monetary investment, seeing the trains - which they could do seasonally if you played up the seasonality/holidays, and then again for various events such as a plant exchange (anyone who has perennials has to split them in the spring, people would pay a small fee to enter if they bring plants to exchange and others pay a larger fee if they don’t have plants. Plants are free to take within limits, leftover plants go to a charity in some way. Garden centers or other garden related businesses sponsor and there can be a large education component as well about things like invasive and native plants. It could also be an annual event. Early spring - not quite sure about your seasons, but mine has to be in early May - I think yours would probably be April, around Mothering Sunday), or one of many other events you could host. Sorry, I’ll just watch the rest of the video and shut up now. 🤦🏻♀️ 17:42
Love seeing German, Swiss, and Austrian rolling stock on British home layouts. Reminds me I'm not alone! 😂
That is magical. I'd say put in the effort and make it worth a visit.
You guys do such a fantastic job of showing the world modern royalty and the everyday challanges you face and conquer, you are all such a class act! Plus you are so much fun to listen too, you both remind me of my playful six month old puppy! LOL
Hank.... You are the life of GCN for me and now you and you whife have made a massive gem on youtube. This channel is fucking awesome🤩🤩🤘
There is a lot of Continental Rolling Stock on that layout. If your Grandfather has collected over many years, do not throw away without valuation. There were some interesting items that could be useful for collectors.
What a brilliant video!!! 😊. There will be endless amount of enthusiastic modellers willing to help im sure! 😃
I hope so!
Awesome video update. I was a model railroader for about 25 years until I moved into a small apartment. Still have some of my locomotives and rolling stock. Nice to see the passion your grandfather had for that hobby. I really appreciated the amount of work he put into that. Only wish I lived in the UK as I would come and volunteer for sure to help restore that. Again thanks for the share. I loved every minute of that. 🤩❤
You have your money maker right here. Move the model railway to one of the buildings you’ve emptied and set it up there. Hire a muralist. Set up a small museum and charge admission to tour. You could put in under plastic domes to protect it. Have a gift ship that sells like items in it with your family brand on them
gift shop
LOVED THIS! 👏🏼 My dad had a model train display that took up half of our garage growing up. We loved helping him with it as we got older. It was passed down to him from my moms father ❤ Very memorable times made together as a family with model trains. Would love to see more of this throughout your UA-cam journey moving forward 🫶🏼💯🙏🏼❤️
This has to be preserved. Not only is it an incredible model railway, but one man’s 60 year project and dream. I’m sure you will find many willing volunteers to help you.
That was a fantastic episode. Yep get Sir Rod or James May involved.
If I had know this was up there when I sang at your wedding then I would have been missing from the band for the whole evening! 😂
hahaha ill have to show you around at some point!! and thanks so much to you and the amazing band!
Another fantastic LatM video! I look forward to more videos on the restoration of Grand-dad's RailWorld. Don't move it from the attic! My brother is a massive model rail enthusiast - German HO scale. Studied Architecture and City Planning at University in the U.S. because he was always interested in rail corridors (the U.S. is lousy at offering education in rail). My brother lives in a fantastic one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco and dedicated his 2020+ lockdown time to building a small rail circuit in his living room to finally run his model rail engines and cars that saw no action since the 1980s. I am excited to share this video with him. Alex offered great advice that the biggest impact you will have to restore operation is to simply clean the attic and rail system. Do it! Cleaning is a low skill level to-do. Are there any local elementary schools looking for an activity to spend the endless energy of kids looking for a hobby? Best of luck restoring the system. It may not generate revenue for efforts to restore and maintain the Manor but there is priceless value in bringing it back to life.
Thank you for the comment, yes I totally agree I need to start with clearing it out and getting it clean up there! Ill keep you all posted with my progress!
I do love trains, very nostalgic for this old Canadian Army brat. Alex is the sweetest, his cheeky grin says everything about how much he loves trains...and his Grandfather. Cheers guys.
Wow. Yes, more of this content please.
What a fantastic labour of love, not only to build but also to restore. God bless
Just WOW!! Perhaps clean up the attic and finish everything around the tracks for the tourists! LOVE!!!
I live in Norway, but I would be more than happy to come over and give you a hand or two! 🙂
Thats incredibly kind thank you!
@ How and where can I send you a message? I’ve been working on building one of north europes biggest layout. Got some experience to share with you.
Please, please make sure you get a valuation. Some of those carriages, engines and etc will pay for a new car with boxes etc.
These videos are just insane, love seeing you guys every week. Best content on youtube! x
What an amazing connection. What a way to honor your grandfather! ❤️
James, there are so many wonderful full videos you can do about the treasures of the manor. Shoot, your grandfather’s model train world could be its own channel-restoration and refurbishment. When you all got that one train powered at the end, I was over the moon for you guys. This has become one of my favorite channels. Thanks for sharing yours and Emma’s journey!
James, you should probably give James May a ring. He would definitely be over the moon with your Grandfather's model railway!
What a joy to watch!
Great video, I would love to see more of this perhaps its own channel.
hope you keep up with it its a wonderful hobby!!
With such a massive layout im sure he would have had a least a few track cleaning vehicles. I would not be surprised f there was a form of electrostatic track cleaning. The best way to tackle such an extensive layout would be to map it out one line at a time cleaning each track as you go. Run a train with a FPV camera wagon on the front to get a lovely drivers eye view of the journey. Wishing You many many wonderful hours of enjoyment,
My thoughts exactly
It would be great to see the layout cleaned and the locomotives and rolling stock serviced as well
I would definitely love to see you restore this fantastic layout your grandfather built.
That's the plan!