Z-gauge is the one thing my dad never messed with. We always had trains around our tree too, but pre-WWII Standard and O-gauge. Took up the whole living room instead of just a suitcase. Merry Christmas to the Archbold family!
My family used to have a HO scale train set which never got completed before we moved. Then my parents got an N scale which never got completed either though most of the track as been laid. When they passed on, my brother talked me into taking it. I love trains (real and model) but feel I am in way over my head. I'm a female and don't know much about such things. I have all the trains and packages of grass and I bought some trees several months ago but that's as far as I've gotten. This video helps me believe my larger project is actually doable. Think I'll keep mine very simple though there is a hole where a lake is supposed to go - yikes! Thanks for the information and inspiration.
I'd suggest taking a little time and dividing the inherited project into "doable" sections. Do one end to completion, or one section, or type of area. That can make an overwhelming model train much more achievable. This is a good time to get into model trains. There is a font of UA-camrs talking about tips and techniques which is easier to learn from that model train magazines and trails and error. Best wishes with your project. I hope you and your brother enjoy.
Alex love that you still have so much of a child and excitement in you. That is a rare trait in a grown man. Train system turned out great. You could probably sell these in the future. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Love this, Alex!! Now I want a Victorian version.... Imagine a Christmas version, with lights and decorations.... you could just keep going and going and going and going.....
Thank you for entertaining us all. You provide 22 minutes of content that takes you days to make. This was so fun to watch. Thank you again for all you do 😊
That's an awesome idea, I have a vintage suitcase. I'm going to pinch your idea and make my granddaughters one for Christmas next year. I think they will love it 😍 Hope you and your family have a great holiday time together and a safe healthy 2024 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Best wishes from Nottinghamshire England ❤
What a wonderful video! I love that “inner child” that makes you, you! Very creative and something that will live under your Christmas tree to fascinate your Grandchildren someday! Thanks Alexander and wishing you, Melissa and the family a Merry Christmas and a very Blessed New Year! 😊❤
Years ago my dad built an N-gage train village and covered it in acrylic box as a coffee table. Its a cute idea year round to change the decorations/ foilage with seasons & holidays. Love the suitcase idea! Merry Christmas! 🎄
Wow you did a fantastic job creating this very unique train display in a suitcase! Based on the comment you made about storing it until next Christmas, the only thing I would have done differently is to make the scene inside a Christmas scene. You could add some snow, tiny decorated trees, some little people riding in sleighs and other tiny Christmas details to make it fit the season. It is easy to see where Stephen gets his artistic talent. Thanks for sharing and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
What a cool project. I had never seen Z gauge trains before and after watching this video I spent 3 hours researching them and now I have a plan to make my own little setup! I don’t have the space for a large train so this is perfect.
N scale is the next size up to Z. And is easier to model. And much more stuff available for it too. Such as buildings, locomotives, rolling stock etc. Though Z scale can fit in a suitcase where N needs just a bit more space
This may be my favorite video I've seen from you. I had no idea you had such skills. The finished project is a charming, whimsical, one of a kind piece. I would love to see more content like this. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
a great tip I can give anyone Germany made suitcase trains just like this all the way up until the 1990s now some of them are extremely rare if you find them they're worth a lot of money fleischman's made one in their catalog in 1996 it was their last one they sold for $1,350 today that same one is worth $10,000 if you can find them as they are limited edition I think they only made 1,000 of them they were top secret about this whole suitcase train as the suitcase was the first one in carbon fiber I've only seen two photos of them they came complete with trains and passenger trains the sides opened up to store all the trains and the suitcase had an inbuilt controller there were several made in the 1980s they are also worth a lot of money
🎄🎅A very Merry Christmas and happy Festive Season to you and the now even bigger family, Alex and Melissa.💞 May health, peace, joy, laughter and abundance always surround your household. 🙏❤
This is my favorite UA-cam video of December 2023. What a great Christmas holiday project. Fantastic model train in a suitcase. Love it Alex, you're so talented.
Fantastic project! Being able to close the lid is a nice bonus to keep dust out. I've always liked the idea of N scale in a coffee table. Z in a suitcase is something else for sure. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to Alex, Melissa, Stephen, Jason, and Abigail. Wish you a very Happy New Year to a very loving family. Great job, Alex, on the suitcase train layout!!As always, God bless and take care from your very long-time California subscriber.
What a fun relaxing Christmas project…not! I have actually glued my fingers together and to miniatures so many times on projects I have peeled skin off. I gotta leave those teeny tiny miniatures to true artists. What a great job. It is magical!
❤ What a wonderful project Alex. It’s like you were reliving your childhood as a little boy, setting up a train track. Nothing like a good craft project when you have the time. It’s great for the soul. Have the most fun holiday with your lovely family and a very Blessed New Year. Much love to you Melissa and the kids.
Very cool. You'll have to show us what it looks like once the water is all set. Love that you have a sunken boat in there. It looks like Chewy approves too.
It's nice seeing you have fun doing stuff like this, I love trains and that is perfect for in front of the Christmas tree! Great job and Happy Holidays to you and your family Alex
You did a fantastic job with your suitcase train set. I didn't know you were so crafty! Those old cards on the inside of the cover are the icing to the cake! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family, Alex!
🌲 It’s absolutely beautiful, Alex! I’m happy to see you being especially creative like this. It’s going to be a wonderful keepsake for your kids and grandchildren. I hope you and your family have a peaceful, delicious and silly christmas.
Alexander, you are the toast of the Lilliputian society. This is the sort of treasure which will be a family heirloom. Generations of Archbolds will pull this out at Christmas time and tell the youngsters how Grampa Alexander built it for them long ago. 😅. Superb. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!🎅🎄
Well done! You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge and attention to detail. I have been watching your channel for two year's or more . From a fan in Idaho. Thanks for another great video and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hi Alex, sorry to be a few days late on watching this video. This was so much fun watching you, not only build your own little suitcase train set, but showing us all how easily it can be done. I pray that you, Melissa & the kids all had a wonderful Christmas? I wish all of you a happy, healthy, & prosperous New Year. God bless and take care.🙏🎆🥂🎇🤗
That's cool those little buildings were 3D printed on a resin printer! Those part you hade to trim off were the supports to hold the structure together as it was being printed.
@DawnDavidson yes and the printers are getting cheaper you can get one for around $200 that prints great! I got a Filement printer about 5years ago for $150 but it was a kit you had to put the whole thing together, aline and calibrated it! A friend of mine bought one that cost $1200 and my $150 printer prints way better then his does. It took a lot of work to get it that way but it was fun to do!
I love Chewy checking out the train, too cute. Please post a pic, or share in the next live stream, when the water is dried. I'm anxious to see the sunken ship.
Your talents are endless! We have N scale trains and layout but since we're older, we've decided HO scale will be our next choice. Thoroughly enjoyed watching you put all that together for Christmas! Someday we'll have to approach an auctioneer as we phase out of our small scale sets and background materials! Sweet project!
Somebody gave my brother in law a suitcase containing a replica of the heritage steam railway near his house, including his house as a present for his birthday, looked really interesting. In uk.
That was really awesome. I love what you did that is really cool. I hope you and your family have a very merry christmas I enjoy your videos❤😊
Thanks Frankie!
I am constantly amazed by your abilities to repair, restore and create. This is why I love your videos.
Z-gauge is the one thing my dad never messed with. We always had trains around our tree too, but pre-WWII Standard and O-gauge. Took up the whole living room instead of just a suitcase. Merry Christmas to the Archbold family!
Zed scale is somewhat newer than other scales.
That suitcase Zed scale train is a nice holiday edition. You can also take it to model train shows and display it which might make a nice family day.
My family used to have a HO scale train set which never got completed before we moved. Then my parents got an N scale which never got completed either though most of the track as been laid. When they passed on, my brother talked me into taking it. I love trains (real and model) but feel I am in way over my head. I'm a female and don't know much about such things. I have all the trains and packages of grass and I bought some trees several months ago but that's as far as I've gotten. This video helps me believe my larger project is actually doable. Think I'll keep mine very simple though there is a hole where a lake is supposed to go - yikes! Thanks for the information and inspiration.
I'd suggest taking a little time and dividing the inherited project into "doable" sections. Do one end to completion, or one section, or type of area. That can make an overwhelming model train much more achievable. This is a good time to get into model trains. There is a font of UA-camrs talking about tips and techniques which is easier to learn from that model train magazines and trails and error. Best wishes with your project. I hope you and your brother enjoy.
Thank you so much for the tips. That's just what I'll do!@@johnm.withersiv4352
Beautiful! Your grandkids when they are born will really have a ball watching this train. Awesome job, Alexander!!!
Alex love that you still have so much of a child and excitement in you. That is a rare trait in a grown man. Train system turned out great. You could probably sell these in the future. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Alex the big kid. So cool. Love it.
Love this, Alex!! Now I want a Victorian version.... Imagine a Christmas version, with lights and decorations.... you could just keep going and going and going and going.....
Thank you for entertaining us all. You provide 22 minutes of content that takes you days to make. This was so fun to watch. Thank you again for all you do 😊
That's an awesome idea, I have a vintage suitcase. I'm going to pinch your idea and make my granddaughters one for Christmas next year. I think they will love it 😍 Hope you and your family have a great holiday time together and a safe healthy 2024 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Best wishes from Nottinghamshire England ❤
Wow that is awesome you did a fantastic job I really do like it I love the tiny little train thank you for sharing.
I love when vintage comes back to life. Keep inspiring.
I didn't think I would enjoy watching this, but I did it looks like a lot of fun. Merry Christmas
What fun! Thanks for sharing.
Z scale Rio grande. Merry Christmas 😊
What a wonderful video! I love that “inner child” that makes you, you! Very creative and something that will live under your Christmas tree to fascinate your Grandchildren someday! Thanks Alexander and wishing you, Melissa and the family a Merry Christmas and a very Blessed New Year! 😊❤
Wow. You have a lot of patience. It looks wonderful.You’re a man of many talents Alex.
Years ago my dad built an N-gage train village and covered it in acrylic box as a coffee table. Its a cute idea year round to change the decorations/ foilage with seasons & holidays. Love the suitcase idea! Merry Christmas! 🎄
Love, love, love the child-like enthusiasm/excitement that you brought to the project! Brilliant! Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
These trains are sooooo awesomely!!!
This is so cute!! Never heard of doing this in a suitcase. What a cool idea. Merry Christmas, Alex and family!!!🥰🥰🥰
Wow you did a fantastic job creating this very unique train display in a suitcase! Based on the comment you made about storing it until next Christmas, the only thing I would have done differently is to make the scene inside a Christmas scene. You could add some snow, tiny decorated trees, some little people riding in sleighs and other tiny Christmas details to make it fit the season. It is easy to see where Stephen gets his artistic talent. Thanks for sharing and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
What a cool project. I had never seen Z gauge trains before and after watching this video I spent 3 hours researching them and now I have a plan to make my own little setup! I don’t have the space for a large train so this is perfect.
N scale is the next size up to Z. And is easier to model. And much more stuff available for it too. Such as buildings, locomotives, rolling stock etc.
Though Z scale can fit in a suitcase where N needs just a bit more space
Totally Cool !! I am going on 72 yrs old and still love the old toys ! MERRY CHRISTMAS and GOD'S BLESSINGS be upon you and your family.
Very nice little layout! Great job Alexander ❤from Texas
Thank you Alexander, this was a very entertaining video. Just love watching your adventures. Merry Christmas!
Excellent job ❤❤❤❤
This may be my favorite video I've seen from you. I had no idea you had such skills. The finished project is a charming, whimsical, one of a kind piece. I would love to see more content like this. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Love this post and I so agree !
For sure
Love the "look how cute that is!" (high voice) with tiny yellow building!! That's me over & over!! I LOVE tiny replicas in detail !! 😅
a great tip I can give anyone Germany made suitcase trains just like this all the way up until the 1990s now some of them are extremely rare if you find them they're worth a lot of money fleischman's made one in their catalog in 1996 it was their last one they sold for $1,350 today that same one is worth $10,000 if you can find them as they are limited edition I think they only made 1,000 of them they were top secret about this whole suitcase train as the suitcase was the first one in carbon fiber I've only seen two photos of them they came complete with trains and passenger trains the sides opened up to store all the trains and the suitcase had an inbuilt controller there were several made in the 1980s they are also worth a lot of money
For sure
Ok, I'm doing this! Very cool
I love, love, love this train set!! Thanks for sharing 😊
I love little train sets with villages. Thanks for letting us go through this with you. So nice.
Merry Christmas to the Archbold Family. That little village and train set makes us all become dreamers. Great job Alex. ✌🏻🤍🎄✨
I once saw a Z Gauge train lay-out under glass as a top of a custom built coffee table placed in front of a sofa.
So adorable! What a fantastic solution to keep the family's tradition yet adapt to this phase of lifestyle.
🎄🎅A very Merry Christmas and happy Festive Season to you and the now even bigger family, Alex and Melissa.💞 May health, peace, joy, laughter and abundance always surround your household. 🙏❤
The Renaissance Man of Edmonton, Alberta Canada strikes again. Nice work! 🙂
Wow! So impressive! Merry Christmas to you, Melissa, Stephen, Jason, Abagail and Chewy!
This is my favorite UA-cam video of December 2023. What a great Christmas holiday project. Fantastic model train in a suitcase. Love it Alex, you're so talented.
Really loved the new intro.
LOVE the new Intro! Merry Christmas, Alex and Melissa and Family! PS Thanks for this surprise Christamas Day Video! Love trains. Perfect!
That’s genius
Fantastic project! Being able to close the lid is a nice bonus to keep dust out. I've always liked the idea of N scale in a coffee table. Z in a suitcase is something else for sure.
Merry Christmas!
I love it!!! Merry Christmas to the Archbold Family!!
Great new intro. You did a great job with the train set. Cheers
This is just beautiful!!
Merry Christmas to Alex, Melissa, Stephen, Jason, and Abigail. Wish you a very Happy New Year to a very loving family. Great job, Alex, on the suitcase train layout!!As always, God bless and take care from your very long-time California subscriber.
Great job!!! Fun to watch ! Merry Christmas
You did an awesome job. Love the train set. Merry Christmas
I love trains, and that is such a cool idea.
What a fun relaxing Christmas project…not! I have actually glued my fingers together and to miniatures so many times on projects I have peeled skin off. I gotta leave those teeny tiny miniatures to true artists. What a great job. It is magical!
what a great project Alex! only thing missing is the Prellbock (end of track bumper)
❤ What a wonderful project Alex. It’s like you were reliving your childhood as a little boy, setting up a train track. Nothing like a good craft project when you have the time. It’s great for the soul. Have the most fun holiday with your lovely family and a very Blessed New Year. Much love to you Melissa and the kids.
What a special project---well done!! Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoyed this. This is a great fun project. Thanks!
Very cool. You'll have to show us what it looks like once the water is all set. Love that you have a sunken boat in there.
It looks like Chewy approves too.
It's nice seeing you have fun doing stuff like this, I love trains and that is perfect for in front of the Christmas tree! Great job and Happy Holidays to you and your family Alex
A lovely project that kept me company while I got the turkey in the oven. Merry Christmas Archbold family.
You did a fantastic job with your suitcase train set. I didn't know you were so crafty! Those old cards on the inside of the cover are the icing to the cake! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family, Alex!
The train is really awesome! You are so talented! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
🌲 It’s absolutely beautiful, Alex! I’m happy to see you being especially creative like this. It’s going to be a wonderful keepsake for your kids and grandchildren.
I hope you and your family have a peaceful, delicious and silly christmas.
Alexander, you are the toast of the Lilliputian society. This is the sort of treasure which will be a family heirloom. Generations of Archbolds will pull this out at Christmas time and tell the youngsters how Grampa Alexander built it for them long ago. 😅. Superb.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!🎅🎄
That’s a nice little model railway set and it’s turned out really good, something to look forward too for all Christmas’s to come.❤️💚🙏🏻🇬🇧
well done! Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas Archbolds!
Beautiful ❤
A very different video but an ingenious project. Love it on Christmas morning ❤
Merry Christmas, Mike from Montreal.
Great video!
What a smashing little layout that is Alex. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Well done! You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge and attention to detail. I have been watching your channel for two year's or more . From a fan in Idaho. Thanks for another great video and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hi Alex, sorry to be a few days late on watching this video. This was so much fun watching you, not only build your own little suitcase train set, but showing us all how easily it can be done. I pray that you, Melissa & the kids all had a wonderful Christmas? I wish all of you a happy, healthy, & prosperous New Year. God bless and take care.🙏🎆🥂🎇🤗
Great job, merry Christmas. Jayman...
I think the plaid shirt your wearing at the end has colors that really compliment your skin tone. Cute train set-up too.
So cool! I want to make one of these. Merry Christmas Archbold family!🎅❤
Good idea
Alex, you really outdid yourself this time. This suitcase train track is amazing.
Nice new intro! And very nice video. Have a Merry Christmas season with your whole family ❤
We’ll done, Alex! This was fun to watch. Merry Christmas 🎄 😊-Tami
That's cool those little buildings were 3D printed on a resin printer! Those part you hade to trim off were the supports to hold the structure together as it was being printed.
It’s amazing what can be done with 3D printing these days!
@DawnDavidson yes and the printers are getting cheaper you can get one for around $200 that prints great! I got a Filement printer about 5years ago for $150 but it was a kit you had to put the whole thing together, aline and calibrated it! A friend of mine bought one that cost $1200 and my $150 printer prints way better then his does. It took a lot of work to get it that way but it was fun to do!
Very nice idea. I worked many years for Märklin in Göppingen. Wish you a merry christmas and see you next year 👍👍
Oh wow that is so cool Alex
I love Chewy checking out the train, too cute. Please post a pic, or share in the next live stream, when the water is dried. I'm anxious to see the sunken ship.
Your talents are endless! We have N scale trains and layout but since we're older, we've decided HO scale will be our next choice. Thoroughly enjoyed watching you put all that together for Christmas! Someday we'll have to approach an auctioneer as we phase out of our small scale sets and background materials! Sweet project!
When i have room i usually create a village under my tree. I love this idea.
So unique and you did a fantastic job making it. Merry Christmas to you and yours 🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄🚂
I absolutely love train layouts! Thank you for this video!
I love this, big fan of miniatures so this is prefect! Great job Alex.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and to all the other Curiosities!
Thank you for a delightful Christmas morning. I love watching your blogs. I always learn something. Wishing you & your family many blessings💕
How beautiful. You are very talented in so many things. I absolutely love it. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family.
That really is a great idea and design! Love this one! Merry Christmas to you, Melissa, and kiddos 🎄
Such a cute project. Alex is just a great little kid hid under great big kid❤❤❤
Somebody gave my brother in law a suitcase containing a replica of the heritage steam railway near his house, including his house as a present for his birthday, looked really interesting. In uk.
Great job Alex! Thank you!
Absolutely amazing..I run vintage trains and that is awesome..Great Job
Very impressive Alex.
You are so artsy and craftsy.
Very creative.
Thank you very much.
LOVE the suitcase train set but it needs PEOPLE. ❤️👍🏼
Merry Christmas 🎁