Back in '79 we'd paint the bottom of glass and mount it clear side up. Most ripple effects underneath.

Code 100 you can run anything!

Yes, code 100 is what I'll be using. Runs everything.

now i want a cigarette. great video!

been running ho trains since 1973 and this is the best explanation I have seen. great video.

You must be a newbie nobody uses life like Rao or Atlas that's all junk try switching over to Pico or micro-engineering knucklehead

Hey where are Americans speaking Imperial not millimeters unless you're speaking with Europe this is America Imperial you knucklehead

There is not only a big difference between code 83 and code 100. There's a huge one between manufacturers. If you're a serious modeler, code 83 should be the very start. Code 100 looks too big and it's way out of scale. Micro engineering is the BEST looking track in the business. PECO streamline is a very nice one too. Atlas (tracks and turnouts) should be avoid at any cost. It's a cheap track that looks awful to my point of view. And their turnouts are trouble makers. When you want something nice... you need to pay more. Then you get the best of your layout. Track is the basic of model railroading. There should never be compromises when it comes to it.

Brave to do the painting with the loco running around!

I am using code 83 and code 70 on my layout. I would have used all code 70 if the turnouts that I needed were available in code 70. They also are not available in code 100. Only code 83. All my trains have NMRA RP25 profile wheels. A recommended practice adopted by the NMRA in 1961. RP25 wheels will work on rail as small as code 40 without problems as long as the trackwork is good. Code 70 is the equivalent of mainline track during the steam era, while code 8d is the equivalent of present-day mainline track except in a few areas of very high traffic.

Excellent job...just remove the ashtray...smoke residue tarnishes brass..again thanks

I'm building an N scale layout using Peco code 55 flex track and it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to join track using the rail joiners. I have had enough of skinned fingers and bent joiners trying to do the job, so my solution will be to solder the rails without any joiners. I also use a pen style flex pen - no messy flux paste - good to go. 👍

Thank you for the very clear explanation….. tons of searching for the Answer to this very question, and no one seems to be able to give a simple explanation. Thank you !

Model looks great! What color did you use for the outside bricks?

I do not trust digital calipers or micrometers. I prefer a dial or a graduated gauge that has to be read. You can see how much time is wasted zeroing the scale. Shars sells nice quality calipers at a very reasonable price and even at the upper end of their inaccuracy standards, I feel I am getting good readings, especially when comparing to a high quality micrometer. No batteries to replace, just make sure it is on zero or adjust the dial if not and start measuring. I always clean the mating surfaces of the jaws with a clean finger before setting the dial to zero.

That’s exactly how I want to set up mine in my living room

Glueing between the corrugation, ruins the plowed and planted look. Might as well glue them directly to your layout! However, the use of the cardboard box pieces, is a great Idea. I’ve actually used it myself. Here’s how to get a better look... Get yourself a shovel full of dirt. Get out the Rocks, roots, etc., and set them aside. Screen it throughly with a common kitchen screen. Don’t force it thru the mesh. You can get 3 textures from this. You’re Using just the finest dirt for this. You can change the color by adding light or dark tile grout, if you Don’t feel it looks right when wet. (the dirt takes on a wet look when it absorbs the Glue.) in a pinch, using old dry potting soil, or even those little expanding, seed starting plugs, work. Cover the corrugated surface with glue. Use a brush to spread it, and don’t let it puddle in the furrows. Keep it spread evenly. Then using the same screen you did earlier, sift out dirt over the whole piece of cardboard, making sure to keep the furrowed shape, by occasionally, gently brushing the dirt from them. (The dirt will absorb the glue, and stick to itself, leaving you with a hard, flat piece of dirt, otherwise.) Give it roughly a 1/2 hour or so to set up. Then flip it over, give it a tap. Maybe a little shimmy. Then see if you have any bare spots. If so, brush a bit of Glue on those spots, and put some dirt on that. Now, I usually wait a half hour for the new glue to set up, but you could save the time by just, at this point, sift the dirt over the entire piece, til it is all filled in and flat. Now put a piece of Wax paper over it, and set a weight, like a book, on it and leave it to completely dry.( the Book keeps it flat, while all the extra dirt, keeps it from crushing flat.) At this point, I would personally, remove each Stalk from the strip, and prepare it to plant it all individually. But that’s me. Using the entire strip, I’d coat the top and sides of the base strip with glue, and sprinkle some of the fine sifted dirt over it, so it blends in. Also, give every Third stalk, a quarter or Half turn. Alternate between clockwise, and Counter clockwise twists, and run them in a series. By that I mean, in a strip of 20, with every third one turned, you’ll have 2 left in that row. Which means on the next strip, you turn the first stalk, and every 3rd stalk after, and so on. Once all is dry. Shake off the loose dirt. Put a stripe of glue on the bottom of the Corn Row, and set it onto the rise. Don’t be afraid to use a little pressure, or the “Glue ooze”. Once you’ve gotten your rows planted, use a skewer or paint brush to spread the glue ooze evenly down the edges of the strip where it touches the rise. Then sift some more of the dirt over it. Some times, Angling the corn field, so the dirt hits flat on the rising sides, helps here to round out the transition between the curved surface, and the flat sided strip. For added realism, put in a little ground cover here and there. A small tuft of drying Grass, some kind of clover like greenery in the furrows, or up the sides here and there, within the rows. Corn rarely grows alone, wether in a garden, or a 40 Acre field. 👍🏼😁

This is great advice! I see so many people showing store-bought stuff in their 'how-to' guides, and it is such a waste of money. I often think to myself that those people are showing me that they have more money than sense, ha-ha. I think old-school 'chicken-wire' could be used for areas that need more strength/support, but I am brand new to all this, so have no experience to base that statement on. Thank you for this guide. 👍

Thank you for this sir. I retired last year, and have wanted to get into model railroading since I was a young boy...so recently I started looking through guides, watching a lot of youtube videos, etc., and this is the first time I have seen anyone mention the need for the feeder wires. As a beginner in this hobby I probably would have been banging my head against a wall trying to understand why my locomotives were slowing as they got further away from the main power. So thank you again. I've liked and subscribed to your channel, and will be looking through all your guides, as I think you have a lot of information available here.

Instead of leaving the stalks "flat" , grab the base of each stalk about a quarter of an inch up and give it a quarter twist. Go up another quarter and give another quarter twist . Continue same process for each stalk ! Gives it a realistic look then !

Thanks for the tutorial : )

Thank I well explained I’m a newbie and that was very helpful.

I just stick to code 100....it's universal for all HO scale trains.

Gee, all this stuff is a mind job for newbies like me !

Why are you using brass turnouts? is there a reason for that, or all you had at the time scenario? not trying to be rude or smart, generally curious as I am learning all of this to start my own layout. thanks!

Thank you sir gor thos video. I bought a layout book to get dome ideas and it mentioned code 83 and 100. Im going code 100 all the way. Ive always had a few HO trains but im finly able to start my first layout.

Nice talk, important to know for sure!

Looks great!

Inclines are NOT rate by DEGREES...... they are rated by PERCENT Grade. There is a major difference between DEGREES and PERCENT of Grade.

nice work! foliage makes a big difference :)

there is something wrong with your video, it lags really bad, i have to wait every 10 seconds for it to continue, No other videos from other channels do this. What gives?

Hello, you have a wonderful Loco! 👍

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘮

what did you use to put the corn stalks in line prior to gluing them in together?

Off camera and part 2 is not part 2!

Great idea

I've hoarded almost every cardboard box and grocery box for several years now. You get a really good feel for how much recycling we really go through. My choices blow away the model store, and everything is custom made and unique. I'm always surprised at how I find just the exact piece of cardboard that I need.

“Thanks” Uncle Pat🥰… we truly had a wonderful time viewing all the trains and designs you have so diligently worked on. Keep posting. Very interesting.

What is the thickness or width of the rail head portion of code 83 and code 100 tracks?

I appreciate you sharing this information. Thank's

thank you for the clear explanations without all the distractions

dis was wery educational...thanks. Not sure why you want brass turnouts...I'm with you on flex track...I hate that with a passion. I stick with cookie cutter track layouts so I NEVER have a need for the flex.

Very nice. Happy new year

Nice run. Happy New Years!

High rail O scale?

Good point! My layout is a U of 15' x 3'6" and I have 20 feeders on my double main line and more in my yard.

You could use this technique and make an infinity mirror endless corn field scene

Very nice explanation.....thanks!

the shop vac also helps with pulling the grass up.. nice applicator

i made one of those. did a how too on my channel.. lol. I have tossed a lot of grass once I hit the pin