I’m an old (68 years) model railroad fan with irl connections with the past and I must compliment you on your layout and your video presentation. Your scenery detail is excellent. I enjoyed watching ( and learning a few techniques) and will forward the link to others interested. Thank you 👏🏻👍🏼😁
So you might be old enough to remember the dreadful Athearn rubber-band drives, and the 150 mph Hustler? I miss the old Varney locos and rolling stock, and the wonderful ads for PFM locos on the back of Model Railroader - way too expensive for a kid, but what scenes. How many of us pulled a six-car streamliner around the patch with an 0-4-0 L'il Joe? Oh, and John Allen - 'nuff said..
Thats going to be one happy youngster. Your definitely a great member of the model train community thats bringing people together and inspiring the next generation of enthusiasts.
Fantastic job on the layout. I’ve said it before, you keep model railroading simple and fun. You keep it old school with your scenery and how you build(and you’re not old). This layout proves that anyone can get a layout going without tons of money. Just build it and have fun. Keep up the great content. Looking forward to seeing more projects in the new year.
my 2 year old has become fascinated recently by trains. If he keeps loving trains as he gets older i will for sure keep this lay out in mind to build him a layout to run. this looks amazing very well done.
Outstanding !! Happy New Year Bud.. I'm 72 and I've been collecting trains since I was 8. I have miles of track, 30+ engines and tons of rail stock & accessories. My basement is FULL of old Lionel Trains. And a few old Marx too. Some dating back to 1928. My wife thinks I'm crazy~~~~~..But I love my trains almost as much as I love her and she knows that and she loves me and doesn't complain. After being married 39 years. She's used to it now.. LOL.. She helps me build my Christmas Display Trains now ! We are Tom & Jerri and the neighborhood kids love to come see the Tom & Jerri trains at Christmas.
Great job on the layout and showing each step along the way!! Your 4 part series is my first to watch and learn how to do each part. I'm getting the model train Fever!
Came out fantastic Harrison. Sounds like it's going to a young fella and he is absolutely going to flip his stuff when he sees that. Belated Christmas greetings to you and a happy, prosperous train filled 2024 to you.
You are so aware that to keep this hobby "up and running", the next generation must be involved. For that I say "Congratulations for your efforts!". It looks great and I hope it is valued more by the fellow who is the recipient of your hard work.
Enjoy your videos! In this one you gave to most concise, reassuring demo for laying ballast that I have ever seen! You have dispelled all of the fears learned by watching the experts! Looking forward to more content from you!
I'm glad I found this layout video. You certainly make it look easy. When I retired 11 years ago, I said I was going to build a layout. And here we are 11 years later and i haven't started! I want to use 2 4x8 sheets in an L shape. I have a train, some track and some buildings that were given to me. Just have to make room in my basement!
This layout sat for 3 years until I started and then completed it within nine months. I find it can be difficult to know when to start but once the ball is rolling it gets quicker.
Nice job! I haven’t been into model trains since I was a kid, however 2024 I want to start again. My son is getting old enough and loves trains. Thank you for the inspiration!
It was my dad who got me into model railroading with his original train set. We had a lot of fun setting up the layout and testing out different locomotives.
Well im From the UK and was Impressed how you Found Some Very Cheap Ways to make the Layout Since COVID my Club Closed and had No Were to Run My 3 grand of Trains and Trucks my Mate Who Is Very Clever at this Built Me a 12 Foot x 5 foot Lay out Now i gotta Do what you Just Did lol Great Vlogs Thanks
Thanks so much for these 4 instructional videos! I am brand new to this but have wanted to build a train layout for years. I decided after watching your video that I'm going to pull the trigger on it! I'm eagerly anticipating the 2 videos you talked about at the end of this one. Limited space and budget are 2 issues I'll definitely be dealing with! Thanks again!
well done! the hobby world owes this fellow a debt of gratitude for sharing his knowledge. my bias prevents me from delving into HO. when I see HO, I see a toy. when I see O scale, I see the potential for modelling.
This is really great running 2 trains on DC without crashing and you can switch which track they are on. Since this is my 1st view have to go back and look at the other series. This will get lot of ppl started to build.
I am impressed with your end project! In the next couple of months I am going to attempt to build my own layout…. Mind you, I haven’t even purchased a train set yet. But I am looking forward to making this my hobby. I have wanted a train set and layout for the last 30 yrs. Now I am going to do it. Your video vs. so many others I have watched, has given me more confidence that I can do it. Thanks for sharing your layout, ideas and opinions!
Wow. First of your videos I have watched, but will look now at others. Great presentation, well spoken, good background music at the right volume, good filming too. And what a layout! Someone is going to be VERY happy running trains on that. Well done.
I have watched all 4 of your videos building this layout and I have to say I really enjoyed watching you build this. I enjoyed the music and learned a LOT about building layouts. You have patience, a good attitude, and you sir are not just a hobbyist, you are also an artist. Liked and subscribed.
I have a train collection that is all DC. I haven't done much with it do to the fact that i don't have much room. I like this 4x8 lay out and soon will be building it. I will have room for a little bit bigger of a layout, but with this lay out here i can expand on it. Thank you for inspiring me to get my trains out again and do something with them.
Just bought a Bowser challenger from eBay recently and plan to restore it, your videos are helping figure out how to fix and clean the motor and contacts, thanks for all the videos
That’s a wicked cool layout! Thanks for sharing. I can tell there’s a lot of craftsmanship going into it. I hope the intended user gets plenty of enjoyment from it.
I enjoyed the series of videos you presented in the building of this layout. I particularly lke your papier mache approach rather than expensive traditional and more expensive products. The ONLY criticism I have is not aimed at you but rather the customer. The best part of the journey is often the 'getting there'. My daughter lets me build the trackwork. But she wants to be the artist and decorator of the small layout we are building. We do it together as father and daughter. Then we play trains together. Something is lost in just provided RtR to a kid. Just my 0.2c.
Outstanding I will attempt to re create your fabulous layout my 1st ever … as we are empty nesters now we have the space and the grandkids thanks for all your videos and instructions you are the Best,
Great job. Thanks for posting your layout building process. There are two suggestions I would add for the next layout. First, before ballasting the track I like to like to solder leads to the outside each section of flex track and feed them through holes to the under side the layout. You may not use them now but in the future if you have electrical issues then it is easy to wire a buss line under the layout. This can eliminate the reliance on rail joiners for electrical conduction. Second, also before ballasting the track, I paint both sides of the rail with a flat dark brown paint. This reduces the visual height of the rail. If I use a spray paint and it gets on the ties that is not sn issue as the ballast will cover the painted ties. The paint also hides the wire drops. Before the paint fully dries use a track cleaning eraser (I use a Briteboy) to clean off the rail heads. Make sure you DON'T paint between the insides of the points and stock rail or metal frogs as these area need clean metal for electrical pickup.
Awesome. Thank you so much for this series. My wife and i are building this same layout (we dont have a town so we might try to make the town area i to a small backwoods trainyard. Either way just wanted to really thank you for giving us inspiration/ideas and your process on making a small but fun layout for our son.
SMT Mainline hi !. Getting a fully built layout must be magical for a kid. This builder is so deft with his hands and imaginative with cows , scenery and Hispano Suizas. 😊😊. Thanks guys. Welsh Dave
Happy new year, SMT! The layout turned out amazing! Just shows how much you can do with a 4x8 setup. The youngster you’ve built this for is going to be over the moon with it and it’ll be a great start into the hobby for him. He’ll cherish it for years. Thanks for sharing the process! I learned some new things for my layout too.
Having myself just completed an N-scale layout in a 3'x 6' space, I am impressed at how "easy" you made this look. I will say that there were several times I was stumped on how to proceed, but intuition (and a LOT of creativity) gave me results that I am very pleased with. My layout is also one that uses risers to support the track, etc., and that made it possible for me to include bridges and underpasses on it for the train. In my space a have (1)a full town (streets recently asphalted) with 15 buildings (all scratch built), (2) a housing development in one corner (4 completed homes and 3 under construction) with a fishing pond to one side, (3) a small mountain (in what would otherwise have been a blank space) complete with evergreen forest interspersed with trees already going fall gold and topped with a small chalet, (4) in the similar space kitty corner to the mountain there is a parking area for the railway station as well as a church and (of course) a graveyard. A highway divides the layout side to side, and the tracks run alongside it, with an appropriate safety barrier to prevent accidents. My train set is a Kato modeled after the famous California Zephyr that makes regular stops when going between "San Francisco" and "Denver." But my all-rime favorite scene is the baseball field back of the school where a lively game is in progress and buses are waiting in front of the school to take the players home afterwards. And, yes, l I have many vehicles and people "populating" the town and its environs. There is even a highway crew making repairs to the highway with construction equipment after a major accident caused a serious fire that pretty much melted the pavement. To make night activity possible, several street lamps have been installed to keep people safe downtown when using the hotels, restaurant, garage, and service station. And, of course, there are the ubiquitous telephone poles spaced along the right of way with "wires" mounted on them to deliver phone messages and electricity. Since the layout is supposed to represent a typical Midwest community circa 1933 (about the time the Zephyr became fully operational), all the set pieces (people, buildings, and signage) reflect that time period. Thank you for being an inspiration to me. My layout is something I have wanted to do ever since I was a boy (I'm guessing several more years ago than you have been alive) but couldn't because my dad was in the Army and we frequently moved to wherever he was stationed next. Not exactly the best environment for having (or even keeping) a working layout!😞 P.S. How do you manage to paint such straight lines without the use of a straightedge. I'm lucky when I can manage to make anything that approximates straight lines because =my paint brush seems to have a mind of its own!👺
A few more recommendations: a guy fishing in the river (or in a rowboat), a gas station or a fast-food joint (McDonalds, Wendy’s, Whataburger, DQ, etc…), and finally some park benches in the central area. 😊 Little details really have a big effect on the enjoyment of the layout as a stage for the trains.
absolutely love the subtle blues brothers reference, also- one thing that I find that really helps a layout pop is mixing a bit of different colours of turf together aswell as adding lights. That said, it looks amazing and I can’t wait to see your future videos on layouts. I am currently working on building my own and have used some of your tips on it(or at least plan to)
Fantastic job in doing the train set layout landscape and trees on the train set layout looks great !! 👍👍👍😍😍! The roads look great that you painted! The buildings in town too ! 😊😊 Keep up the great work!!
@SMTMainline, This is a good looking layout. However, I seem to recall when my oldest son was just 6yrs old in 1982, and my mother bought him an HO scale Bachmann set with a Chessie System U36B locomotive with a matching wide vision caboose that included the Bessemer & Lake Erie coil coach gondola 31002, a Swift Premium reefer, and a Minneapolis & St. Louis coal hopper. A few months later, a Virginian coal hopper by Tyco was added to the set. Starting in 1990, he decided that he wanted to build a layout of his own, but income difficulties and other dilemmas have stood in his path. Ofcourse, he is planning on building the layout to include many of the towns from classic movies and tv alike, for example, the town of Mayberry from the classic sitcom known as “THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW”, even though it means a lot of mix and match of HO and S figures and structures with S scale vehicles and HO locomotives and rolling stock all mixed together. Do you possibly have any advice since most of the Mayberry buildings on the layout will be those from the Hawthorne Village set of Mayberry buildings that were made for the 1995 holiday season with the only exception being Wally’s Garage, which is why the J.L. Innovative Design lasercut HO scale kit known by the name of O’Lary’s Garage comes in handy since it looks more like Wally’s Garage from the old b&w episodes of “THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW” itself, design wise that is.
Just watched this series a couple of days after Father's Day 2024 and .... well it would have been wonderful to see the joy in the little boy's face when he was given this gem of a gift and as he operated it for the first time. (Realize that the parents probably wouldn't want him "on camera.")
Great to watch it come together to its final piece. I am under design of a layout plan, and have all images of each track piece to size scale in EXCEL, so I can add, place and mix to make the design work to scale 👍
Ha! That's actually what inspired me to add that detail. I've seen it there several times over the years and thought something similar would make a nice centre piece for this layout. I never expected anyone to notice.
Slot guy here thinking about getting into trains. I have a Carrera Digital 1:32 setup whose track can accommodate 1:24 cars, so you really need a lot of room which I don’t have. I don’t want to have that same worry with trains, so I’m thinking either N or HO. A 4x8 space is doable which is what brought me to this video. I’d rather go with the larger than the smaller size, my grandson might destroy N scale, but I didn’t want to sacrifice a nice layout just so it would fit. I’m happy with your layout and now leaning towards HO.?Thanks for documenting your journey, it certainly helped me.
When I was a boy my best friend had an HO layout and we had lots of full with it. Then he got rid of the HO train so he could have an HO slot car track. I was disappointed. I'm big time into trains ever since.
Great video. I have used a very small amount train oil on the moving parts of switches before ballasting to prevent sticking when dry. The glue will not adhere to these parts. I have also done this too rail tops on a industrial siding with dirt almost to rail tops just clean rail tops when dry.
Nice job on the layout. With the inexpensive plastic trees try spraying them with adhesive and coating them with different ground covers - it really spruces them up . Pun intended.
Good job. It was very helpful. I am getting back into the hobby after a 38 yr absent. I have found 4 tubs full of equipment that I had and among the 8 engines only 2 do not work.
Great video! I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I have always wanted to build a layout. I hope to one day. All my stuff is in storage at the moment since I don't have any room for a layout. Hope to do one with open fields and farmland as well as a small town. Keep up the awesome work!
Would have loved to have that as a kid! I hope to start a paid job at the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad in February, should help me to get some track and more equipment.
The box with the 25 cents cars n trucks are realistic because they are manly German brands. The red box car you took out is a Ford Transit which was used by the Firedepartment. : ) really nice collection. Greetings from Germany :D
Perfect starter layout! Wish I had something like that when I was a little kid. I just hope it gets used for a train layout and not a basement room catch-all like mine did... At one point I wasn't even allowed to clear the junk off my table anymore and after a couple years, the whole thing disappeared while I was at summer camp. So sad.
I use poster board for my n scale. I use Kato unitrack it works great for me less mess then plaster/ joint compound. You could made weeds or vines on the retaining wall.
You could've put a switch yard in the front and the same at the station, front and back...Oh by the way Holsteins need to be milked.! You need to put Herferd cattle in the fence...All around you did a fantastic job on the layout.!!!😊🎉❤
for the switches when i add ballast around them i splurged in away and bought a small medium soft pain brush. the kind that they uses for painting portraits on canvas. dosnt hurt the rails and its nice getting in the groves to remove from it and you move the ballast to get a natural look if you need that natural look
Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful 2024! 🎉
I will
And I hope you do to
nice new layout SMT!
Happy new year Harrison to you and your family.
Happy new year
Take a bow my friend you inspired millions of people with you knowledge beautiful design a true craftsman it would be a honor to meet you in person
I’m an old (68 years) model railroad fan with irl connections with the past and I must compliment you on your layout and your video presentation. Your scenery detail is excellent. I enjoyed watching ( and learning a few techniques) and will forward the link to others interested. Thank you 👏🏻👍🏼😁
Thank you, I appreciate that.
So you might be old enough to remember the dreadful Athearn rubber-band drives, and the 150 mph Hustler? I miss the old Varney locos and rolling stock, and the wonderful ads for PFM locos on the back of Model Railroader - way too expensive for a kid, but what scenes. How many of us pulled a six-car streamliner around the patch with an 0-4-0 L'il Joe? Oh, and John Allen - 'nuff said..
I do . I had several of those. This hobby has certainly come a long way. 👍🏼
Thats going to be one happy youngster. Your definitely a great member of the model train community thats bringing people together and inspiring the next generation of enthusiasts.
Thank you very much!
Not only has his build quality improved, but his video quality as well. Great job SMT!
I’ve been trying to improve both over the last year so I appreciate that.
Fantastic job on the layout. I’ve said it before, you keep model railroading simple and fun. You keep it old school with your scenery and how you build(and you’re not old). This layout proves that anyone can get a layout going without tons of money. Just build it and have fun. Keep up the great content. Looking forward to seeing more projects in the new year.
Thank you very much!
my 2 year old has become fascinated recently by trains. If he keeps loving trains as he gets older i will for sure keep this lay out in mind to build him a layout to run. this looks amazing very well done.
Outstanding !! Happy New Year Bud.. I'm 72 and I've been collecting trains since I was 8. I have miles of track, 30+ engines and tons of rail stock & accessories. My basement is FULL of old Lionel Trains. And a few old Marx too. Some dating back to 1928. My wife thinks I'm crazy~~~~~..But I love my trains almost as much as I love her and she knows that and she loves me and doesn't complain. After being married 39 years. She's used to it now.. LOL.. She helps me build my Christmas Display Trains now ! We are Tom & Jerri and the neighborhood kids love to come see the Tom & Jerri trains at Christmas.
That’s great to hear. Not everyone understands the hobby but that usually changes once they see a layout.
When I was younger and Model Railroading I forgot about having Fun…You sure seem to be having Fun with your Hobby…
I certainly do. I think some in the hobby have lost sight of that but to each their own.
Your skill is very impressive and I know the recipient of this project will be in awe and grateful as all of us who admire your are
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Thanks, Harrison, for sharing. I'm just starting my first layout and this helps.
It is beautiful. You are truly a remarkable craftsman and pay so much attention to detail. I love model trains. Thank you for sharing !!!
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Great job on the layout and showing each step along the way!! Your 4 part series is my first to watch and learn how to do each part. I'm getting the model train Fever!
Came out fantastic Harrison. Sounds like it's going to a young fella and he is absolutely going to flip his stuff when he sees that.
Belated Christmas greetings to you and a happy, prosperous train filled 2024 to you.
Great job- you certainly made some kids Christmas- very inspirational- as a 76 year old model train guy I am glad to see the hobby continuing.
Thank you very much
Doing a version of this layout for the youngest using unitrack. Thanks for sharing!
You are so aware that to keep this hobby "up and running", the next generation must be involved. For that I say "Congratulations for your efforts!". It looks great and I hope it is valued more by the fellow who is the recipient of your hard work.
Thank you. The layout has now been delivered. Apparently it has been total mayhem but they've been enjoying it a lot.
@@SMTMainline I saw you say Mayhem and immediately smiled. lol I bet that was an amazing experience.
Enjoy your videos! In this one you gave to most concise, reassuring demo for laying ballast that I have ever seen! You have dispelled all of the fears learned by watching the experts! Looking forward to more content from you!
Thanks, I’m happy with the results.
I'm glad I found this layout video. You certainly make it look easy. When I retired 11 years ago, I said I was going to build a layout. And here we are 11 years later and i haven't started! I want to use 2 4x8 sheets in an L shape. I have a train, some track and some buildings that were given to me. Just have to make room in my basement!
This layout sat for 3 years until I started and then completed it within nine months. I find it can be difficult to know when to start but once the ball is rolling it gets quicker.
Nice job! I haven’t been into model trains since I was a kid, however 2024 I want to start again. My son is getting old enough and loves trains. Thank you for the inspiration!
It was my dad who got me into model railroading with his original train set. We had a lot of fun setting up the layout and testing out different locomotives.
I’m new to motor railroading and your series of videos are not only helpful but very inspirational.. I can’t wait to start building my layout!
Thank you, that means a lot to hear.
Mate just finish watching and it was a pleasure the simplicity of how you explained your process, thank you.
Thank you. I try my best to keep things straightforward.
Well im From the UK and was Impressed how you Found Some Very Cheap Ways to make the Layout Since COVID my Club Closed and had No Were to Run My 3 grand of Trains and Trucks my Mate Who Is Very Clever at this Built Me a 12 Foot x 5 foot Lay out Now i gotta Do what you Just Did lol Great Vlogs Thanks
Thanks so much for these 4 instructional videos! I am brand new to this but have wanted to build a train layout for years. I decided after watching your video that I'm going to pull the trigger on it! I'm eagerly anticipating the 2 videos you talked about at the end of this one. Limited space and budget are 2 issues I'll definitely be dealing with! Thanks again!
well done! the hobby world owes this fellow a debt of gratitude for sharing his knowledge. my bias prevents me from delving into HO. when I see HO, I see a toy. when I see O scale, I see the potential for modelling.
Thank you so much, it means a lot to hear that.
This is really great running 2 trains on DC without crashing and you can switch which track they are on. Since this is my 1st view have to go back and look at the other series. This will get lot of ppl started to build.
I am impressed with your end project! In the next couple of months I am going to attempt to build my own layout…. Mind you, I haven’t even purchased a train set yet. But I am looking forward to making this my hobby. I have wanted a train set and layout for the last 30 yrs. Now I am going to do it. Your video vs. so many others I have watched, has given me more confidence that I can do it. Thanks for sharing your layout, ideas and opinions!
Glad this helps. Although a train set isn't necessary to start, it does help.
An amazing setup and Iḿ sure a joy for the person you built it for. I certainly enjoyed whitnessing you bring it all tyogether. Amazing!
When we see you working, and specially painting, it seems so easy... younever use masking tape. marvellous!
merry happy new old years... can''t wait to see what you have instore for us this year
Wow. First of your videos I have watched, but will look now at others. Great presentation, well spoken, good background music at the right volume, good filming too. And what a layout! Someone is going to be VERY happy running trains on that. Well done.
I really appreciate that. I spent a lot of time producing this one as I've been trying to improve the quality over the last year.
It always makes my day when I hear him say “well folks”. I always know it’s going to be a good video and a good day!
Thank you so kindly!
I bought some of those cheap Amazon cars too. I painted about half of them various colors to mix things up. Your layout looks good.
Hey Smt! The layout is looking great! Happy New Year’s Eve!
Happy new year!
I have watched all 4 of your videos building this layout and I have to say I really enjoyed watching you build this. I enjoyed the music and learned a LOT about building layouts. You have patience, a good attitude, and you sir are not just a hobbyist, you are also an artist. Liked and subscribed.
Thank you so much - your kind thoughts mean a lot to hear :)
I have a train collection that is all DC. I haven't done much with it do to the fact that i don't have much room. I like this 4x8 lay out and soon will be building it. I will have room for a little bit bigger of a layout, but with this lay out here i can expand on it. Thank you for inspiring me to get my trains out again and do something with them.
Harrison great job. The mountain looks alpine like.
Great series , working on my first layout and using a lot of similar features. The instruction and hints have been a great help , thank you.
Excellent job. Very interesting to watch you work your magic! I think the young man will be thrilled with the layout.
Just bought a Bowser challenger from eBay recently and plan to restore it, your videos are helping figure out how to fix and clean the motor and contacts, thanks for all the videos
A great looking 4x8. Well done Harrison. I believe everyone started with a 4x8. Not a helix or a operations layout🚂🇨🇦🙋
That's true. It's the perfect starting ground.
That’s a wicked cool layout! Thanks for sharing. I can tell there’s a lot of craftsmanship going into it. I hope the intended user gets plenty of enjoyment from it.
Thanks, it was an amazing project.
I enjoyed the series of videos you presented in the building of this layout. I particularly lke your papier mache approach rather than expensive traditional and more expensive products. The ONLY criticism I have is not aimed at you but rather the customer. The best part of the journey is often the 'getting there'. My daughter lets me build the trackwork. But she wants to be the artist and decorator of the small layout we are building. We do it together as father and daughter. Then we play trains together. Something is lost in just provided RtR to a kid. Just my 0.2c.
Wish we could see the happiness in the face of the young man who received the layout. Great job! Happy New Year!
Great layout, I truely hope that kids knows what a awesome gift he is getting. Nice work with the video as well . Rail On !!!!
Nice simple clean design. A platform is supposed to be fun, not work. You made this fun.
Exactly, I think it can be easy to loose track of that point.
Outstanding I will attempt to re create your fabulous layout my 1st ever … as we are empty nesters now we have the space and the grandkids thanks for all your videos and instructions you are the Best,
I hope you enjoy building it. It can be a lot of fun once you get the issues ironed out.
Brilliant, looking forward to another one of your videos.
Happy New year 2025.Mike Bristol uk
A tip of mine. When gluing balast down. A 50/50 of Elmer’s and water will allow the glue to seep through and set very easy. Just a tip😁
Great job. Thanks for posting your layout building process. There are two suggestions I would add for the next layout.
First, before ballasting the track I like to like to solder leads to the outside each section of flex track and feed them through holes to the under side the layout. You may not use them now but in the future if you have electrical issues then it is easy to wire a buss line under the layout. This can eliminate the reliance on rail joiners for electrical conduction.
Second, also before ballasting the track, I paint both sides of the rail with a flat dark brown paint. This reduces the visual height of the rail. If I use a spray paint and it gets on the ties that is not sn issue as the ballast will cover the painted ties. The paint also hides the wire drops. Before the paint fully dries use a track cleaning eraser (I use a Briteboy) to clean off the rail heads. Make sure you DON'T paint between the insides of the points and stock rail or metal frogs as these area need clean metal for electrical pickup.
Thank you as a beginner I certainly picked up valuable information 👍
That layout all fits within 4 feet by 8 feet? Impressive! That's a solid track plan.
Right here in 2025 great layout man this kid’s gonna be thrilled with what you’ve done right on. He can add on this he’ll have a blast
Actually he will have ballast
Awesome. Thank you so much for this series. My wife and i are building this same layout (we dont have a town so we might try to make the town area i to a small backwoods trainyard. Either way just wanted to really thank you for giving us inspiration/ideas and your process on making a small but fun layout for our son.
Thanks awesome. Once you finish it I’d love to see a picture.
SMT Mainline hi !. Getting a fully built layout must be magical for a kid. This builder is so deft with his hands and imaginative with cows , scenery and Hispano Suizas. 😊😊. Thanks guys. Welsh Dave
Thanks
Happy new year, SMT! The layout turned out amazing! Just shows how much you can do with a 4x8 setup. The youngster you’ve built this for is going to be over the moon with it and it’ll be a great start into the hobby for him. He’ll cherish it for years. Thanks for sharing the process! I learned some new things for my layout too.
Hey Harrison, it turned out amazing. Good job. That little kid is gonna love it.
Having myself just completed an N-scale layout in a 3'x 6' space, I am impressed at how "easy" you made this look. I will say that there were several times I was stumped on how to proceed, but intuition (and a LOT of creativity) gave me results that I am very pleased with. My layout is also one that uses risers to support the track, etc., and that made it possible for me to include bridges and underpasses on it for the train. In my space a have (1)a full town (streets recently asphalted) with 15 buildings (all scratch built), (2) a housing development in one corner (4 completed homes and 3 under construction) with a fishing pond to one side, (3) a small mountain (in what would otherwise have been a blank space) complete with evergreen forest interspersed with trees already going fall gold and topped with a small chalet, (4) in the similar space kitty corner to the mountain there is a parking area for the railway station as well as a church and (of course) a graveyard. A highway divides the layout side to side, and the tracks run alongside it, with an appropriate safety barrier to prevent accidents.
My train set is a Kato modeled after the famous California Zephyr that makes regular stops when going between "San Francisco" and "Denver." But my all-rime favorite scene is the baseball field back of the school where a lively game is in progress and buses are waiting in front of the school to take the players home afterwards. And, yes, l I have many vehicles and people "populating" the town and its environs. There is even a highway crew making repairs to the highway with construction equipment after a major accident caused a serious fire that pretty much melted the pavement.
To make night activity possible, several street lamps have been installed to keep people safe downtown when using the hotels, restaurant, garage, and service station. And, of course, there are the ubiquitous telephone poles spaced along the right of way with "wires" mounted on them to deliver phone messages and electricity. Since the layout is supposed to represent a typical Midwest community circa 1933 (about the time the Zephyr became fully operational), all the set pieces (people, buildings, and signage) reflect that time period.
Thank you for being an inspiration to me. My layout is something I have wanted to do ever since I was a boy (I'm guessing several more years ago than you have been alive) but couldn't because my dad was in the Army and we frequently moved to wherever he was stationed next. Not exactly the best environment for having (or even keeping) a working layout!😞
P.S. How do you manage to paint such straight lines without the use of a straightedge. I'm lucky when I can manage to make anything that approximates straight lines because =my paint brush seems to have a mind of its own!👺
Thank you so much for the feedback. I find the watered down paint helps it flow which might explain why the edges look sharp for what they are.
Great update on this project. You are a very talented artist in model railroading. Always enjoy your videos.
Really nice work. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us.
A few more recommendations: a guy fishing in the river (or in a rowboat), a gas station or a fast-food joint (McDonalds, Wendy’s, Whataburger, DQ, etc…), and finally some park benches in the central area. 😊 Little details really have a big effect on the enjoyment of the layout as a stage for the trains.
I bought a gas station for the set but it didn’t fit in. I also have a boat for it somewhere but I couldn’t locate it
Love the content! fixed up a few locs myself with help from your videos. Looking forward to the next videos on trackbuilding!
absolutely love the subtle blues brothers reference, also- one thing that I find that really helps a layout pop is mixing a bit of different colours of turf together aswell as adding lights. That said, it looks amazing and I can’t wait to see your future videos on layouts. I am currently working on building my own and have used some of your tips on it(or at least plan to)
Haha, I’m glad someone noticed that little detail. It blends in with the music surprisingly well.
@@SMTMainline absolutely, it’s one of my favorite movies, knew what it was the moment I heard it
Just want to wish you a happy new year!!! I enjoy you're videos!! Hope ya had a nice Christmas!!!!
Thank you! You too!
Outstanding work. Well done.
Many thanks!
Fantastic job in doing the train set layout landscape and trees on the train set layout looks great !! 👍👍👍😍😍! The roads look great that you painted! The buildings in town too ! 😊😊 Keep up the great work!!
Thanks, I had a lot of fun with this project.
Your HO board has given me ideas for my n scale board
@SMTMainline,
This is a good looking layout.
However, I seem to recall when my oldest son was just 6yrs old in 1982, and my mother bought him an HO scale Bachmann set with a Chessie System U36B locomotive with a matching wide vision caboose that included the Bessemer & Lake Erie coil coach gondola 31002, a Swift Premium reefer, and a Minneapolis & St. Louis coal hopper.
A few months later, a Virginian coal hopper by Tyco was added to the set.
Starting in 1990, he decided that he wanted to build a layout of his own, but income difficulties and other dilemmas have stood in his path. Ofcourse, he is planning on building the layout to include many of the towns from classic movies and tv alike, for example, the town of Mayberry from the classic sitcom known as “THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW”, even though it means a lot of mix and match of HO and S figures and structures with S scale vehicles and HO locomotives and rolling stock all mixed together.
Do you possibly have any advice since most of the Mayberry buildings on the layout will be those from the Hawthorne Village set of Mayberry buildings that were made for the 1995 holiday season with the only exception being Wally’s Garage, which is why the J.L. Innovative Design lasercut HO scale kit known by the name of O’Lary’s Garage comes in handy since it looks more like Wally’s Garage from the old b&w episodes of “THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW” itself, design wise that is.
Just watched this series a couple of days after Father's Day 2024 and .... well it would have been wonderful to see the joy in the little boy's face when he was given this gem of a gift and as he operated it for the first time. (Realize that the parents probably wouldn't want him "on camera.")
That's the exact reason it wasn't known but I can assure you that its getting lots of use.
Very nice layout. Good detail. Sorry for the late response. Been watching a lot of college bowl games. Hook'em Horns in the Sugar Bowl. From Texas
Wow those cows In that pasture are pretty clean no call patties
Outstanding effort! Now enjoy the fruits of your labor!
End result looking good! Always appreciate advice on building a layout on a budget!
Loved your very well done video. It was very satisfying watching trains run on the completed layout!!!! Thanks!!
Thank you very much!
Great to watch it come together to its final piece. I am under design of a layout plan, and have all images of each track piece to size scale in EXCEL, so I can add, place and mix to make the design work to scale 👍
@13:30. Liked the Caboose landmark. Reminds me of the Caboose landmark as you enter Renfrew, Ontario from Hwy 17
Ha! That's actually what inspired me to add that detail. I've seen it there several times over the years and thought something similar would make a nice centre piece for this layout. I never expected anyone to notice.
Bro you have the "IT" factor when it comes to modeling. You see things different. Looks great and well done video, definitely gave some inspiration!
That's means a lot to hear. I'm hoping to start a new layout pretty soon and want to try and recapture the success but in a smaller space.
Slot guy here thinking about getting into trains. I have a Carrera Digital 1:32 setup whose track can accommodate 1:24 cars, so you really need a lot of room which I don’t have. I don’t want to have that same worry with trains, so I’m thinking either N or HO. A 4x8 space is doable which is what brought me to this video. I’d rather go with the larger than the smaller size, my grandson might destroy N scale, but I didn’t want to sacrifice a nice layout just so it would fit. I’m happy with your layout and now leaning towards HO.?Thanks for documenting your journey, it certainly helped me.
When I was a boy my best friend had an HO layout and we had lots of full with it. Then he got rid of the HO train so he could have an HO slot car track. I was disappointed. I'm big time into trains ever since.
Great video. I have used a very small amount train oil on the moving parts of switches before ballasting to prevent sticking when dry. The glue will not adhere to these parts. I have also done this too rail tops on a industrial siding with dirt almost to rail tops just clean rail tops when dry.
That’s a great idea. I’ve done that trick with gear boxes but never thought about it for switches. Thanks for sharing.
Nice job on the layout. With the inexpensive plastic trees try spraying them with adhesive and coating them with different ground covers - it really spruces them up . Pun intended.
I’ll try that
Good job. It was very helpful. I am getting back into the hobby after a 38 yr absent. I have found 4 tubs full of equipment that I had and among the 8 engines only 2 do not work.
It's amazing how many locomotives can sit for decades and then start back up with little work. Adding some fresh oil never hurts.
Happy new year. Love the way the new layout looks. Watching you make this layout has given me ideas for mine. Great video
Great video! I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I have always wanted to build a layout. I hope to one day. All my stuff is in storage at the moment since I don't have any room for a layout. Hope to do one with open fields and farmland as well as a small town. Keep up the awesome work!
Best of luck with the project!
Wonderfully done, the young person you build this for will definitely be thrilled with the layout. Happy New Year from Alberta.
Beautiful Work! Very Awesome Job!! I learned alot watching this series
Well done. Your problem with shorting out, use 'Insulated joiners' around you points regions
Great train show love the great ideas and the great work.
Bob Ross of layout building. Happy little tracks.
Yes, lets give the mainline a friend over here.
I like your choices for people and vehicles, clever.
Would have loved to have that as a kid! I hope to start a paid job at the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad in February, should help me to get some track and more equipment.
The box with the 25 cents cars n trucks are realistic because they are manly German brands. The red box car you took out is a Ford Transit which was used by the Firedepartment. : ) really nice collection. Greetings from Germany :D
Happy New Year! looks great Harrison, Well Done.
Nice, and great to see it built on a shoestring budget. Job well done Harrison 💯👍
The budget layout series should be an interesting one.
Perfect starter layout! Wish I had something like that when I was a little kid. I just hope it gets used for a train layout and not a basement room catch-all like mine did... At one point I wasn't even allowed to clear the junk off my table anymore and after a couple years, the whole thing disappeared while I was at summer camp. So sad.
I use poster board for my n scale. I use Kato unitrack it works great for me less mess then plaster/ joint compound. You could made weeds or vines on the retaining wall.
Great job and inspiring for sure!
Thanks so much!
You could've put a switch yard in the front and the same at the station, front and back...Oh by the way Holsteins need to be milked.! You need to put Herferd cattle in the fence...All around you did a fantastic job on the layout.!!!😊🎉❤
That's a great idea!
Holy Shit Dude .. ! Your Intricate Work Is Something I Have Never Seen Before, Absolutely Amazing ! Have Learned A Lot Thank You
Thank you so kindly!
for the switches when i add ballast around them i splurged in away and bought a small medium soft pain brush. the kind that they uses for painting portraits on canvas. dosnt hurt the rails and its nice getting in the groves to remove from it and you move the ballast to get a natural look if you need that natural look
Really nice work. You have great patience.
Thank you so kindly!