Bennett Railroad Layout Tour 2024

Wow- one hour and forty minutes of nonsense! Here is a review of the layout, including how it fits in the "real world", a trackplan, a look at the configuration (schematic, power, and computer/DCC setup), and then a tour around the layout. Yeah, there may be a few tangents in there as well.
No running trains- that would make this video WAY WAY WAY too long. Running trains will be a separate video. I should also do a separate video on the backdrop, as a few folks have asked about that over the years.
So get a REAL big mug of coffee (or Jim Beam...) and sit back. This train goes on FOREVER....
00:00- Intro
03:13- Real World
06:15- Trackplan
11:43- Layout Configuration
15:33- Power Setup
16:54- Computer Setup
20:00- Eugene Yard
23:21- Engine Terminal
25:55- Engine Term Control Panel
26:20- Eugene Yard Walk
38:11- East End FIX
41:35- To Wallace Junction
45:15- Wallace to Lake City
47:25- Lake City
56:50- Lake City to Swing Gate
57:35- Swing Gate
59:10- Fairview
1:06:25- Sharon
1:17:42- Far End of Layout
1:18:49- DCC System-Track
1:28:30- Staging Area
1:34:24- Workshop Area
1:37:10- Wrap Up

[@gtown150]

I remember when I first found your channel and ther room was empty. It seems you were working on the backdrop application at the time I found you. In the meantime, you have overcome numerous obstacles both personally and on the layout. I sincerely appreciate your channel, your skills, and patience. I especially enjoy your scenery work and application of various techniques, materials and composition. Thank you for the tour!

[@klbertin]

Mr. Bennett, i made it to the end, and it could have been longer if you ask me, i always enjoy your videos and absolutely love your layout and the details you incorporate in it. I want to visit this in person and experience it in all it's glory, can you tell me when you open up for the layout tours for what I believe is the local N.M.R.A. around Erie, a friend and I would love to plan a trip, we belong to a local club called Clinton Central Model Railroad and I have a home layout, I live in Williamsport PA and my youtube channel is KB-Rail

[@YouSimon1000]

One of the best layouts I've ever seen, especially in your blending of backdrops and scenery. Thanks very much for posting!

[@leisureshoot]

your layout is such an inspiration. you have some of the best scenery I have ever seen. almost to the point that I forget just how fantastic your track and buildings are.

[@markstavely8322]

the layout looks great you look and sound great hope all is well look forward to seeing more form you you have inspired me all these years with my layout

[@Wrathchildss]

Love your layout! I do miss the crossing gates in Lake City! Appreciate the commercial free programming!

[@battlefielddivisionofnorfolkso]

Great Layout. I too made it all the way through. Not in one sitting tho. I am a fulltime firefighter and I am at work and got interupted twice. Love Love Love the Backdrops and how they blend in. Amazing Craftmanship. Happy 2024 and looking forward to more Great Videos. God Bless!!!

[@jimrockford3662]

This is a superb layout. The design, backdrop, weathering and detail is 10 outta 10.

[@andrewbrucesc3013]

That is the best 1.5 hours relating to model railroading that I have spent in recent times which was not spent directly on my layout. Thank you so very much.

[@johnnyeveritt5695]

I am a firm believer in the * Less Is More * adage : So; unreal in concept; detail and execution ... ! 🤙✊️👊💫💥

[@eugeniomarins2936]

Dear Sir, Thank you ever so very much indeed! This was definitely a treat! Cheers from Brazil! I wish you a complete recovery from past health issues, and that they remain in the past! BTW, your voice sounds so much better!

[@TheHouseOfMasks]

Simply amazing!

[@dkservice424]

One of the best looking layouts I have ever seen. You are definitely a master modeler. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.

[@robfairportlogistics]

Rob! You're back! You look like you're doing so much better! Love this layout. Hope I can visit one day.

[@anthonyborden2513]

Thanks Mr Bennett it's a great layout one of the best layouts on KZbin your work inspired my layout Northeast corridor from NYC to shore points nj

[@SPSteve]

Amazing layout! What a feast for the eyes! Tremendous amount of work but you have one of the nicest layouts in the country.

[@TOPWOP999]

Looking good man! Nice to see you back in action

[@Jormaboy88]

Thank you for all your wonderful videos…God bless!

[@williamdickman7917]

Thanks for this, Rob, good to see ya buddy. Doing better and back at it, eh? Love the long views of your beautiful railroad. Happy New Year, 2024

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you for the awesome tour of your masterpiece layout! Happy New Year. Cheers ~ Boomer. 👍😁

[@FATBONNES1969]

Excellent detail work, but what I enjoy the most is that you look much better!

[@chazzyb8660]

Rob. Wow, I did make it to the end. You're no Ferris Bueller, or maybe you are, but I did appreciate it. Good to know that Steve is still willing and able to run 'toy' trains as well as the real ones, with you. It was great seeing the whole layout and hear your delightful ramblings once again. You got me and a load of other folks through the various lock-downs and other events of recent years, and it was great seeing the details of those various landscape interventions once again. Who can forget your experiments with various European textures and fills, and even a teddy-bear's inards? Your decision to take the layout back in time by a generation having spent a wad of time building the restaurant at Lake City before it re-emerged as a station once again, and all that business with the underpass, and then your shenanigans with the entrance gate. The epic building of the coal dock, and the completion of the Westinghouse manufactory. Oh boy! The hours you devoted to creating the insides of some of those buildings, which it was good to see are still there. But I'm rambling too, now. Have a great and healthy 2024 and continue having fun with your railway, ahem, railroad. I really hope you do manage to extend into the crew room, it's always fun seeing you take on a new project.

[@aeve5240]

Rob, What a pleasure to see the layout again in all its glory. I have watched since the beginning, so I have been along for the ride for all these years. It is still a work of art, and hi-fidelity workmanship. Keep on doing what you do best.

[@DRCRailroard]

Fantastic layout, really enjoyed seeing it in its entirety, thanks for taking us on a tour. It's like taking a tour of something a mad scientist would build in his basement. Well done. It's a master piece. It took me an entire pot of coffe and breakfast😊.

[@axelsmith7713]

I've been following you for few years. I think it was from the time you started working on the pond under the bridge. You obsessively carried on how you want your scenery to be 'vertical' and now that I am building my own layout, I am also OCD about it - thanks a lot lol! Loved the video and was doing just fine until I saw the node boards - my mind blew up! Amazing work. Thank You.

[@HumancityJunction]

Thanks so much for sharing the electronics and the items that are under the layout. It’s my favorite part of the hobby and not nearly enough people share this part of the hobby.

[@stephenriley9084]

Tremendous! It was a surprise to me how much of what you showed, I had seen you working on over the years. This stitched it all together nicely for me. Thank you. Happy New Year. Stephen.

[@ollieahokas9179]

I made it through in one go, it is entertaining to see a life like and very well detailed layout that looks so impressive. Glad to see you back and it is great to see that you beat your health issues. It will be interesting to see the expansion plans and how they will add more fun to the operations aswell. Beethe way I did like the NYC GP35 there and maybe in the future it would along a sister unit head a Flexi-train through it? Happy New Year greetings from Sweden!

[@ptitrainrouge]

always a pleasure to view and review your layout : it is so nice, so realistic, one of the best on you tube

[@LaurenzEdelman]

I was actually looking for a recent layout tour video just two weeks ago. And here it is! I thought we were only about half way in when it was over! Wow, time goes fast when you enjoy yourself. 🙂

[@JohnBrierley-bs7mz]

Hi there Mr Bennett. My name is John & I really enjoyed ur layout tour for 2024. U really showed me a lot that u have done theses last few years. I remember the very first video u did of ur basement model railroad, yes it's a big area but one thing I will say is that u have put a lot of hard work into making this a great layout for year's to come with more added to it as u go along. Good luck with it all & keep ur fan's ( cos I'm one of them) updated with new stuff.

[@knottyal2428]

Happy New Year Rob! What a fabulous layout you have created, and it's a great start to the year to show us the complete masterpiece. Been watching from the UK many of your detailed builds, and the super results. Looking forward to many more, hopefully including some running sessions!

[@sandysmithvideos228]

Great to have you back in action Rob. As always your modeling is superb and thank you for weathering. Couple of notes: Steel coils (the doughnut looking things) are almost always carried upright like a wheel and blocked in place. Mr. Parker's scratch built concrete plant next to you Parker Industries, the conveyor would move sand and stone up to the batch plant. The cement (powder) would be pneumatically conveyed either from a truck or railcar into the concrete plant. Thanks for your careful posting another great video.

[@4x7layout]

Very nice! Those backdrops make me homesick for my native Pennsylvania. Yes, the first thing I noticed was the long reach at the yard, and I wondered if there was a lift-out access😀.

[@russkellogg8189]

Thank you for this incredibly informative video and tour of your beautiful layout. I know this took a great deal of time to produce. I greatly appreciated your detailed explanations of products used and operation strategies, including your “mistakes”. Now retired I hope to get back into the hobby after being away from it for too many years. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and craftsmanship and I look forward to watching all of your videos.

[@stretchedits]

Hi Stephen, what a great layout tour, yes I did watch all of it. I used to watch quite regularly around the time you were doing the Transformer Works, then I think your health issues hit you, and things tailed off a bit. I have to say not having seen progress for a while it is wonderful to see how much your layout has progressed, absolutely wonderful. I'm in the UK, but have a small collection of Pennsy, CNJ and Reading stock which runs on my British outline layout, but it's nice to see the real deal. You guys just have so much more room available than we do over here...................Thanks so much for the update, best wishes and happy modelling Dave.

[@blairgowrieforestrailwayan2786]

Dear Niel, l love how your forest of trees on your hill at 46:30 turned out. When you started it was going to be a big job, I love the style, lots of trees.

[@MLWQC]

Simply (?) amazing. So much accomplished in so little time in such detailed. WOW.

[@shanghai264359]

Great to have the latest tour Rob. I've been a subscriber for many years and never tire from watching your videos. The layout is absolutely superb and is the work of a true artist, and I'm not kidding! Hugely inspiring for me! Take care. Tim. London, U.K.

[@mathijsdevries728]

Wow… This must have been one of the, if not the longest video I have ever watched till the very end. 😳 Thank you sir, for showing me all the beautiful and fine details of your very impressive layout. I just sat down in watched in awe, even if I don’t own a model railroad or anything close to it… I applaud you for the Bob Ross-like enthusiastic tranquility you managed to uphold during the entire video. I found it entertaining, informative and your layout in some places almost perfectly realistic. Thank you! 👏🏻🙏🏻☺️

[@anthonyborden2513]

The great thing about your layout Rob is that you can run modern equipment on your layout as well as is with no changing anything thats how suburb your layout is remarkable

[@bobdtaylor1989]

I get that it's difficult to reach over/behind buildings to get to some tracks, but I think it looks a lot better! Adds visual interest, it would look odd if all the buildings were at the "back" of the layout with the tracks in front. Great video and amazing layout

[@ace13166]

Awesome walk-through. Always enjoy your videos and I appreciate the no ads. Thanks.

[@richlovin2173]

Your layout is a three dimensional work of art!!!

[@vertisjohnson219]

Thanks for not allowing ads in your videos, I'm like you, and find it extremely annoying.

[@joesipos2975]

Awesome layout!! Great schematic. Job well done. Love the backdrops and scenery! Thanks for sharing.

[@beslim15]

That is an amazing layout! So detailed and well put together! Hats off to you!

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Your layout reminds me of when I stayed with my cousins in Shelbyville, Indiana!! I can remember waiting for a steam hauled freight train to arrive at Shelbyville Freight Yard!!

[@genejablonski9909]

This is awesome and looks like a lot of fun to operate. The interior detail is beautiful.

[@user-sv4pj5jl8n]

Thanks for the updated layout tour. And thanks for selecting the do not show adds in the middle of the presentation. I delete model RR content with Screw Tube adds placed in the middle of the presentation.

[@scottfrey2710]

This is one of the best layouts I've seen where the scenery is not only great, but it blends seemlessly into the backdrop & you gotta really look to see where it happens! NICE! Also, love that your tunnels look like the were needed due to the terrain, so the realism is superb! :-)

[@carlosromanmoreno1144]

Mr Stephen Bennett I really enjoyed the images of your railroad layout . They really are amazings and very beautiful, I congratulate you, sir. Perhaps a simple note, I would have liked to have seen more figures of workers or people co-acting with his railroad. Very well prepared. Greetings from Chile. I will wait for more videos.

[@CaptainRon542]

Fantastic layout great scenery that building in the background behind Parker Industries @1:12 is the US Munitions plant called Chamberlin in Scranton, Pa

[@tabletop_railway]

What a wonderful video - watched the whole thing from beginning to end in awe ! Thank you taking the time to produce this - I will certainly watch this again.

[@andyevans2336]

Survived the full pull, fun to have you share your thoughts and progress.

[@revealingfacts4all]

I try to follow your progress but honestly don't get to see every video. I do recall your initial videos where you talked about the overhead lighting and recall asking and you explaining what lights you went with. But, WOW, the layout looks so realistic. I'll have to hunt back through your videos on weathering. I really admire your work on this. Thank you for sharing!!!!

[@bssniper1975]

amazing layout, thank you so much for sharing it with us

[@rogersmith127]

Thanks for the tour. I have enjoyed watching your build your layout from the beginning. You should be proud of your modeling skills.

[@d-rail7271]

Looks great as always!

[@kylegarlinger4178]

Definitely have enjoyed watching you build your layout (been subscribed since you started working on Eugene yard) and you definitely resparked my interest in the hobby enough to where I am planning a layout of my own. Thank you for all the great content and inspiration and can’t wait for what you have planned next

[@kba3039]

Thank Rob for the layout update! Looking good my friend!

[@Conrail1731]

Good morning sir. Watched the whole thing in one go. Of course the no adds interruption made it even more enjoyable. Been following since the first board was cut but wasn't a registered KZbinr. Good to see you back looking healthy and sounding strong. Best wishes to you and your family through out the coming year👍💪 Missed your whit too 😆

[@jeffallen5698]

Beautiful layout! Always enjoy your videos !! Look forward to the next.

[@mikehumphrey7413]

A great HO layout. Great work, thanks again. Mike HO from Australia

[@bigdave200]

Right there at the end of the staging Cleveland sign there’s a town Franklin. That’s where I was born back in 1949 April 23rd

[@thomream1888]

Hey, early Happy Birthday!

[@Vman7757]

Thank you for sharing. You have come a long way. I've been, right there watching these for as long as I can remember. Keep up the good work. Happy New year. I will keep looking for your videos. FYI I love how long your videos are, How informative they are, And they inspire me on building my own layout. Vincent.

[@DtheD740]

"Neiger" supply company. What a store name

[@robbennett1965]

LOL, I hear ya. It is still there- HW Neiger Milling in Lake City, PA. Right across the CSX from the All Aboard Dinor (yes, with an "O").

[@FHollis-gw4cc]

An hour and forty minutes of my time very well spent. I really like what you have done with your space. And, I like how it was presented. You're pretty good at this video stuff!

[@Schottlandrockt]

Hello Stephen, the green steam loco in the roundhouse looks to me like an bavarian state railway S3/6 Pacific. In my eyes one of the most beautifull Pacific type locomotives.

[@robbennett1965]

BINGO! We have a winner. That is exactl;y what it is. It is a Roco DCC/Sound KayBay S3/6. I have a bunch of European stuff- mostly KayBay and Swiss (SBB). Some DB.

[@PeterTillman3]

What a great way to start the New Year. I have following the channel for a few years now and love the layout, your superb modelling and your videos!

[@scottaylor4468]

Thank you for the tour. Been watching since the beginning and it took me back to all of those builds. You say that you don’t like your pond coming out of Eugene, but I remember that build it took a while and you put a lot of work into it along with everything else, but it still looks great. You’ve done a magnificent job on the whole thing.

[@우성철도]

Have a great new year~ Your layout is really cool~~

[@jimmyxtc69]

This video is a real treat! I love your railroad and voting best layout on the internet. Really outstanding work. Thank you.

[@robertsiebenrock3997]

I enjoyed your tour. I would like to see your engines, closeup and detailed.

[@matthewjones1119]

Made it to the end! Amazing layout can’t wait to see more! Happy new year!!

[@robwillett7832]

Another great video. Always learn a lot from your layout. Happy and Healthy New Year

[@pauldilullo8179]

I watched it all you did a amazing job perfectly detailed it's what you love enjoy it to the fullest

[@jayodonnell5748]

Well done Rob thank you for the tour.

[@madbrad6282]

Nice. Some amazing bursts of detail there.

[@jasonkebic741]

Happy New Year, you look and sound great. Hope you feel that way too.

[@anthonyshipman3611]

Excellent video rob, I made it to the end and hung on every word. I have always loved your layout and videos. Would love to see the extension, maybe it could be done on shelves with just a single line and a little scenery. Happy new year and I hope those health issues are in the past now. all the best Anthony Shipman.

[@mikemalliski8380]

Wow……I remember a lot of these kits and videos from a while back…..I still don’t see any outhouses…..!!!! lol…. Just a spectacular layout ….Thank you for posting this video Happy New Year to you and your family.

[@WarrenFahyAuthor]

What a layout!

[@thechickenclub3801]

wow man, looking really good. Happy new year hope all is well

[@nbctop]

Great job Rob, Happy New Year to you and your family

[@rjl110919581]

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPER DETAILED VIDEO ON THE VERY SUPER DETAIL LAYOUT

[@user-yq6xj1xo2b]

Oustanding great job backdrops are fantastic

[@Madonsteamrailways]

What a wonderful layout!! I’m highly impressed by the amount of detailing you’ve put in!! Happy New Year!!

[@dennisvonkrallski4639]

you are looking great my train friend! i have watched you sine the beginning and although you are entertaining, it is great that you are here and continue on. Love the layout and the work you put into it.

[@kevintaylor3427]

Love your channel and the layout. It's awesome! And especially thanks for turning me on to to MBR products! It's the fist thing people ask about ... 'Where did you get your scenery?' ME: Mr. Bennett.

[@schadowolf]

Great layout tour, you did an incredible job on this!

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

nice layout our on the layout lots of cool things thanks lee

[@scotabot7826]

Super Video. Very well done. So professional and realistic. Thank you so much. I'm very excited to see more in the future. So much inspiration from a MASTER modeler. I have to download this video for future reference. Thanks again !!!

[@ShawnTierney]

Thanks for the tour!

[@wamozart9573]

Fantastic Layout. Thank you for sharing.

[@ajkleipass]

I'm 16 minutes into the video and I've got a suggestion for the lack of a wye at Wallace Jct. - two, actually. The first is to put a "temporary" weight restriction on the Wallace - Eugene line, forcing a rerouting over the southern route (no change in ops, but new reason for why). The second is to run the Olean train into Wallace caboose / shoving platform first, then just switch directions and head to Eugene the short way. Branch-bound trains pull to Wallace than shove up the branch. In both cases, it can be presumed that just up the branch the train uses a runaround move to get the engine on the correct end for the rest of its run. You could also do this on stage at Wallace, but off-stage adds a bit of interest to the move. Back to the video.........

[@chicagodenvernorthern999]

Thanks for the great layout tour!

[@skiphansen2270]

Great layout video! Class act!!

[@Winter46r]

Amazing. Very nicely done.

[@keithstewart625]

Great layout, I really enjoyed the tour. (all 1:38:39 of it)