rhythm... back again !!! i just watched your car card holder video and you are right, the micro mark product is ok, but your system is nicer !!! also, here is a tip for your uncoupling "tool". i went to cabelas and saw they had these small flashlights with flexible arms on them, about 4 inches long, with a nice led light on the end. these flashlights are used for gun barrel inspection and are really nice. like you, i added a skewer to the upper battery area using really good 200 mph tape. the skewer point reaches beyond the led light by a couple inches for the uncoupling process. as well, i took a pair of pliers and flattened the skewer wood for about 1/2" above the actual point, which actually allows the wood to "slide" between the couplers ( always kadees, mostly 158 whiskers !!) allowing for a better uncoupling process. that little flattened area on the skewer works much better than when it is not flattened, and the light comes in handy during not only during the low light operations of our trains, but gives a ton of clarity during normal daylight ops !! hope this helps !!! denny

hello rhythm rr !!! such excellent stuff !!! the doors are remarkable and will add tons of fun to the layout, i am sure !!! your dust collector is actually a cyclone, so do not forget that you may want to add some air-handler units, with filters, to the effluent/discharge area as respiratory protection for your workers !!! as well, some company's, at least those that ship end-products wet, will use a very fine water spray just after the discharge point for dust/debris control which, again, is for worker protection ( i.e. respiratory protection, an OSHA requirement at both 1910 and 1926 reference standards). being a retired industrial hygienist for the dept. of energy for 34 years, respiratory hazards need to be totally controlled at all times.... btw, this requirement could allow you to add a small side building with just a basic roof and one side wall for vehicles to drive through for the loading of your end product. drivers would then exit their trucks during the unloading/discharge process, staying away from the respiratory hazard during filling. after filling, the driver must get the go-ahead for re-entering the filling area after the respiratory hazard is gone, usually 10-15 minutes depending on weather/wind/etc. he may also be required to wear a nuisance dust mask as well, depending on his proximity to the d/c area. i see you DO have a vertical discharge pipe that exits your cyclone, so you are actually on your way to a realistic process seen all across the country at beautiful plants like yours !!! rhythm, i know this sounds a bit much, but it IS the way company's protect their workers via the OSHA standards.... merry christmas to you !!! denny a.

Just found your channel, and you got a new subscriber. Where did you find those back drops?? Some of the best I have ever seen!

I just cut the coupler boxes off and install the Kadee boxes on in their place. Repaint the box to match color of the car. Weather the car to help hide the mis match of the repaint. It is much faster for me to do that. Kadee's operate the best in their own coupler boxes. Also, you break loose that coupler bar from the bottom of the coupler cover and reglue to the Kadee box cover. Whatever works best for you though, just my two cents.

That is really slick. And you nailed that backdrop as well, with the road matching nicely. Nice video, thanks for posting.

Cool very interesting, yes need to see more

awesome and congratulations on the new baby

Congratulations on the new baby. Merry Christmas🎄✨🎁

How did you create the opening doors sr 🤔 👍 great 👍 video 📹

great for you and the family, take time for them Merry Christmas

Very cool mechanical doors, congrats on your new baby.

Very cool functioning doors! Congrats on the newborn - you're a lucky guy.

Congratulations on your new addition to family. Many many many sleepless nights. You guys get sleep when you can. Interested in showing your electro mechanical wizardry. P.S the toddler years are the funniest.

Wow! That is so cooool!

What is very interesting, aside from the doors, is that you have changed the image of the building to a point that I didn't immediately recognize that - oh it is from kit so and so. When visiting other layouts live at times it is a bit frustrating that you recognize each building by it's original kit particularly as I model in N scale with less variety. Not the case here. Super job.

Great to see you pack to posting, and a really useful feature! Almost a mini hidden staging yard to work as part of a job like a siding. Also like how you finished the building painting and added really appropriate weathering as well. Last I remember it, it was just unpainted from the kit so you have been doing a lot of work on it. All the best to you and your family for the holidays and the coming New Year! Kind regards, Bill

Dude, I am so happy you are posting again. I look forward to your updates. Mike

WOW. And the backdrop really blends in.

What will they think of next to motorize? Very cool!

That really brings your layout to life doors opening on the building very nice Dan. Enjoyed the share happy modelling 👍 Merry Christmas to you and yours

That is an amazing feature. Great work. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

great job thanks for SHARING

Cool build. Love it !

What about part 2

You freely share so much valuable information! It's a pleasure watching your videos!

I have some questions after watching many of your Layout Update videos, where I have learned quite a bit. Thank you! : I was wondering why you prefer using Homasote over Masonite for your splines? What do you use to cut a 4x8 sheets of Homasote board into strips for your splines? Does Homesote hold screws well? Do you apply glue to the screws in order to get them to hold in the Homasote?

Thank you.

How do you connect the tortoise switch?

Looks great. I love your yard and that is something I am looking at adding to my layout. Just one thing... I notice on a lot of channels these days and here on yours (which you mentioned), especially DCC layouts, most of you are making these layouts which will need more than 1 person to operate everything.... do you expect to have visitors or others helping you run the layout often..... I am designing my newer HO/OO layout which is DC and only setting it up for 1 user to do everything, the room is only 15ft x 9 ft.... I just don't see how all these larger layouts work with just one person..... correct me if I am wrong but that's what I see from this and other channels...

How do you get your display on your ipad to be full screen without the JMRI toolbar? I can't figure that out

Thank you for sharing. Is this HO? I'm in N scale. But it all translates across. Good work by the way.

Fantastic - ESU decoders are an excellent choice.

That looks 90% better. Great idea

This is an amazing scene !

What DCC system do you use?

I do not know if in Argentina there are many model railroaders who have adopted Digitrax technology; but in my case since 2018 I have incorporated it into my life. Learning the correct use of it is a long road to travel, which from the interpretation of the correct hardware connection to the logic of the design of track occupancy detection zones, definition of blocks and the assembly of the logic of Signal actuations and interlocking of the same, make a conglomerate of elements, sometimes complicated to associate correctly and adding to all these hardware components another excellent development over so many years and continuous improvements, such as the JMRI software. Dear Rhythm RR... and passionate JMRI programmer friends, with all your excellent videos, you have given us a lesson in learning how to assemble all these components in games. My most sincere congratulations.... Ubaldo from Argentina.

Desconozco si en Argentina existen muchos ferromodelistas que hayan adoptado la tecnología de Digitrax; pero en mi caso desde el 2018 la he incorporado a mi vida. El aprendizaje del correcto uso de la misma, es un largo camino a recorrer, el cual desde la interpretación del correcto conexionado del hardware hasta la lógica del diseño de zonas de detección de ocupación de vía, definición de bloques y el armado de la lógica de accionamientos de señales y enclavamientos de las mismas, hacen un conglomerado de elementos a veces, complicados de asociar correctamente y sumando a todos estos compopnentes de hardware otro excelente desarrollo atraves de tantos años y mejoras continuas, como lo es el software JMRI. Estimado Rhythm RR ... y amigos apasionados programadores de JMRI, nos has dado con todos tus excelentes videos, cátedra en el aprendizaje del armado de todos estos componentes en juegos. Mis mas sinceras felicitaciones .... Ubaldo desde Argentina.

Also...thanks for the Rail Guide website recommendation!

Every time I see your layout, I am jealous of the space, even though I know I have more space than many, AND I couldn't afford to fill it if I had it anyway. But man...long mainline runs is what my layout lacks and all that space would fix that in a jiffy! AND it wouldn't be that expensive because it would be just single track and scenery and few structures and spurs and passing sidings here and there...and maybe a signal system...oh crap...

Looking great after all the reworking of the Layout. I see you still have months of work to complete this amazing layout. Mike HO from Australia.

I found the map helpful in trying to comprehend the rational for the layout changes and appreciate the effort you made in putting together the update. To the right of the turnout lock mechanism (hope you do a video on that as well), there are four or five red push buttons, I didn't recognize those. Last wishing you and your wife all the best for the pending arrival! Kind regards, Bill

Holy smokes, amazing layout. Looks like you put a lot of thought and effort into your design. My layout is in a small 11'x12' room, I don't have much room for error... LOL... Keep up the great work

Those shortlines on the 2nd level are really great. Gives you the sense of distance and separation. Well done

Lucky man I would loved to be able to build a layout like that

I like the alterations you've made. The only thing I'd of done differently would be your yard lead. The way it comes out of the yard and is physically separated from your mains by both distance and vertical height, and the fact it crosses your river on a substantial bridge, just seems overkill for a railroad to just have there for a lead. In my opinion it looks like and is laid out like another line... actual subdivision or a branchline. I'd of either figured out how to get that line to your staging to stage inbound trains or just run the track off the front edge and wouldn't have tied it into the main. Adds operational interest to not have those "easy outs" like tieing your lead into the main. The branch line can still be used as your drill track. Maybe it's an out of service subdivision and is only used as a drill track and access to your aggregates industry.

The waterfalls look great ... at least in the vid

Toilet paper for the white water effects? I've never heard of that before. Very cool! Do you have a tutorial you made, or that you followed that you could point me to for that? Also, thank you for your comments on the scale of trees! This is something I try to get across to modelers all the time! They say that the size of super trees is too big and I have to explain that in terms of trunk diameter at least, they're too small... 😂

Excellent work!