Part 109 - Bob Roegge's surprisingly low-cost Gn15 "Geneseo Rwy" layout

[@Grauskegg]

True creators like these heroes of the hobby really do inspires folks like me not to just go buying stuff. This video got me looking for my brushes, paint and glue :D Fantastic work! Cheers from Sweden

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Well said! It had the same effect on me, and probably many other. Thanks for your comment!

[@Wasatch95]

The hobby can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. That's part of the beauty of it!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Indeed!

[@jermca]

This is an absolutely gorgeous layout! I love the simplicity of dead rail. And that in this scale the ground throws are useable by 1:1 people but are in scale for the model. Just, wonderful!

[@drpulpit]

Cereal box cardboard is a great material. I make "silly cars" for and with my grandson. It is really fun to use the printed side "outward" and arrange words from the box as if it were part of your model. I never thought of using it as material for model railroads. Very nice video, lots of great ideas.

[@billgrierson840]

I am a regular operator on Bob's railroad and want to thank Burr for this great video. Bob deserves recognition for his tremendous talents.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Yes, he does! Thanks for your comment.

[@ianthompson5153]

Thankyou for posting this, and thank you to Bob for all that work. There's a lot of hours there ! And it really looks like pure joy to operate and study. I miss the Gn15 info forum 😢

[@muchfunwithtrains]

You're welcome, and you're right about the hours that he put into it, just over a five year period!

[@karlfey]

Absolutely superb! It's so refreshing to see this kind of creativity. The smaller the budget, the better the results.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Interesting comment! Thank you.

[@bobfinkenbiner2539]

It's an inspirational railroad, and Bob is a gracious host. Best of all, it's a FUN railroad to operate. Link and pin couplers, but not hard to use. Unbelievable building structures. be careful in what you say or do, you just might end up with an industry named after you.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I agree. When I first walked in I thought the operation would be too slow for me to have fun, but I found out soon how wrong I was!

[@bobfinkenbiner2539]

@@muchfunwithtrains the pace can be as slow or fast as you make it. I have run many times. sometimes i race through my job, others it's a leisurely run with me interacting with the other operators. always a good time. and im amazed at Bob's creativity.... notice his loads on the flat cars?

[@richardbedard1245]

What an accomplishment! Anybody can go out and buy stuff. He "recycled" trash into a railroad he can well be proud of!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I agree. A classic example of time vs. money, too.

[@KSRailfan]

I was there to operate a few years ago at OS Omaha, and was just as blown away by it all as you were. Just an absolutely incredible railroad, and to think of how different it is from “normal” in both concept and construction make it what it is.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Well said! This is one of the greats!

[@musoseven8218]

Awesome, beautiful little narrow gauge line, thanks for sharing. 👍✌️😊 Id love to see more of the RC in the locos, how they work. The wagons were well detailed, textures etc too👍 In Blighty we use 3 link/instanters/screwlink couplings, theyre prototypical. They can be fiddly in the smaller scales, but if theyre made of ferromagnetic metals instead of a hook a small magnet on a stick, preferably with a micro torch, will pick up and drop the couplings perfectly. Couplings are a challenge in Blighty on the real railways too, as there are several types, not always compatible with each other, its the same with our models - Im not aware of the perfect coupling. Of course three link couplings cant be auto coupled or have delayed uncoupling, but they're simple, effective and can be home made. I keep trying to simplify my railway, look for the route of least resistance (with age comes challenges but hopefully some wisdom too), adopting the K.I.S.S philosophy wherever I can. I also have a budget to work within too. Happy New Year🎉🎉🎉

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I agree - the simplicity of the homemade link and pin couplers is not only inexpensive, but it was a lot of fun, making each switching move more deliberate.

[@musoseven8218]

@muchfunwithtrains It does make you think and engage more. On this side of the pond, some don't like seeing the "hand of god" at a model railway exhibition. Horses for courses though I say👍😊

[@scaldinghotcoffee3206]

Love the turntables being CDs! Thanks for putting this video together! Great layout!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment.

[@TGCourt]

This is incredible... great inspiration for my future layout. Thank you for sharing!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I'm glad you're inspired! It's an amazing layout!

[@seanpacificrailroad3700]

Beautiful layout 👍

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks, I think so too!

[@genejablonski9909]

That is an amazing layout ... BRAVO!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks, and glad you enjoyed it!

[@FredMossMan-Wilbury]

Puts me and loads of others to shame it’s just brilliant he must have had great fun and enjoyment building this layout 😊 regards Fred

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I think he did. And I didn't even get into how he named many of the buildings and such for his friends, and so forth.

[@johnarthur6302]

WOW, thanks for sharing with all of us! Incredible work and really slick use of inexpensive materials. I’m inspired!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

It had the same effect on me! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gardenrailroading]

Beautiful!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@scottrobertson56]

I too have modeled Gn15 along with a regular G scale layout. I used my old On30 equipment, track, etc. and bashed some interesting locos and cars. I am surprised more people do not model in this gauge scale. Working at 1/2”=1’ is wonderful. Very cool layout, great modeling.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I'm a little surprised, too. In this part of the country (Seattle region) we are used to seeing Greg Wright's fine work in Gn15, but this is the first time I'd seen another example of it. Thanks for your comment.

[@cellar2008]

Thanks for showing us this amazing Gn15 layout. Appreciate especially your detailed description verbally and in moving and still pictures. And fully agree with your conclusion: just do it (similarly ) and - have fun !

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks for your comment, and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@davidmihevc3990]

Pretty darn impressive. Nice work. Thanks for sharing Burr.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

You're welcome. I've been meaning to get this out to everyone since I saw it in October 2023!

[@tenerifedream2]

AAA +++ ! Beautiful work. ! 😊

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Glad you liked it!

[@nathandanbrook2785]

Very good job,

[@nathandanbrook2785]

I like that it's low cost, very nice

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@frankkie3849]

Nicely done,,excellent design and details,,thanks for sharing,,😊

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Most welcome 😊

[@TravelinginMiniature]

As a fellow Gn15 layout owner I am very impressed with modeling and creativity of the layout. You don’t often see a Gn15 layout operated for realistic operations. Congratulations from TravelinginMiniature

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks! I was very impressed too! It was a lot of fun getting the right cars spotted at the right industries using those link-and-pin couplers!

[@TravelinginMiniature]

Probably more prototypical to use link and pin for a narrow gauge railroad in that era. Very intriguing.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

And, using the link and pin couplers slowed down the operation, so having a max train length of 4 cars was plenty of challenge and interest.

[@angeloavanti2538]

Fabulous fun!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Yes!

[@scottfw7169]

That is a nice layout. 🤩 Hmm, have some Gn15 projects started years ago then put away to do HO with a club who'd never heard of Gn15, perhaps they should be dug back out ...

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I think so. Dig them out, and play around with some balsa and cardboard and acrylic paint. What can go wrong?! I might have to convert my On30 switching layout to G scale, too!! LOL!

[@65peterbilt]

great video and layout !

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Glad you liked it. Thanks!

[@ronaldrondeau7870]

Thanks Burr that layout is very impressive and how its build

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks Ron - It's amazing what you can do with some simple materials and lots of (time and) imagination!

[@deanmeyer7887]

Very cool

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Glad you liked it!

[@Preussenzug]

GREAT ♥♥♥

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@raymondleggs5508]

cute little trains

[@muchfunwithtrains]

yes indeed!

[@luvindemtrains]

Outstanding!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@XBOXShawn12thman]

wow 😳

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Agreed!

[@tomt9543]

EXCELLENT!! I love the concept, scale, and everything else about it! Being a frequent viewer of the Thunder Mesa Studio KZbin channel, I’m well acquainted with the micro layouts that were the foundation of this wonderful layout. The Cheese themed micro was great! I’d like to know more about the wireless control system!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks for your comment. CVP 'Airwire" has been around for quite a while, and you can probably find KZbin videos about how it works, but everything about "dead rail" is evolving rather quickly at the moment, because of the new Soundtrax "Blunami" decoders, which basically let you program and control a "dead rail" train over wifi with your cellphone. I think Bob told me that if he was starting now he would just use the Blunami decoders and cut down on his system complexity.

[@MyFingerLakesRailwayLayout]

Really enjoyed this! Not my style at all, but I can still appreciate it. I saw DaVinci Resolve mentioned in the description. I bought the studio version when it was on sale. Lots to learn but loving it. Take care - Bill.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Glad you enjoyed it. I switched from iMovie to Davinci Resolve a year ago, and it's a steep learning curve, but at this point I'm really glad I did, and I'm finding I have much more flexibility to do just what I want in the edit. And it's so powerful, I haven't scratched the surface of what's possible. Hopefully you will see my slow progress on future videos. Thanks for your comment!

[@MyFingerLakesRailwayLayout]

@@muchfunwithtrains I got tired of Corel VideoStudio. I took some time up front to set my default presets, and I can edit in half the time. And the render time is great! There are some really helpful guys doing tutorials on KZbin. Have fun!

[@jimhresco1728]

Wonderful layout! I always wondered about RC being used for trains. No wiring. No shorts or studders over turnouts. No track cleaning just slow and smooth operation. The only problem would be stopping to charge or swap batteries. Maybe a water tower tap that plugs into the stack.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks for your comment. I was surprised that he gets several hours of operation out of his charged batteries, so there was no need to recharge during a three hour session. Which is longer than most people run a train most of the time.

[@jimhresco1728]

@muchfunwithtrains That is surprising. The set up is perfect then for running trains.

[@allanegleston4931]

cool.the signal is where we get the term from highball from.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

True! Thanks for your comment.

[@bdlii]

It's all something else that's for sure. What a joy to visit in person. Any idea about the origins of the little high pitched steam whistle? Is it part of DCC/Sound or a separate part of the layout? Almost seems like it's just a speaker with a button somewhere and not a sound card in the engine. Edit: Just rewatched and see the whistle comes from the CVP system which I assume has their own decoders?

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I believe the decoder onboard is a standard Soundtraxx Tsunami, and the steam whistle is one of the whistle options on that decoder. Bob will hopefully see this comment and straighten us out if I am wrong. The speaker is in the locomotive, but I don't know which brand of speaker he uses, probably a small "sugar cube" type.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

It really was a joy to see this in person. All eight of us operators spent half the time running our trains and half the time exclaiming about how amazing it was just to be seeing it! (and, in my case, a little time taking video of it...)

[@bdlii]

@@muchfunwithtrains Thank you for the reply and glad you shared video. People are so creative.

[@adocars]

I'd love to find an overall track plan for this layout. Anyone?

[@randydobson1863]

Hi Burr & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Burr & Friends Randy & Hello Burr & Happy New Year's & 2025

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks Randy! Happy New Year, too!

[@410Gregj]

Hand laid track that never used a track gauge as the engine derails 😂

[@muchfunwithtrains]

I know. I was hoping someone would comment on that, and you did! I almost edited that moment out of the video, but as you may know, I call this channel "reality model railroading", so I kept it in. Bob is really into saving money, so he figured what did he need to buy a track gauge for, when he could just use a wheelset? Crack me up!

[@410Gregj]

@ 😂. It’s a beautiful pike and creativity really comes through when you’re on a budget. He should be very proud. I wouldn’t be ashamed to say I built that myself !

[@robot7759]

Mrr can be as expensive as you wish to make it.

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Exactly!

[@jeffmurphree2937]

Outstanding !!!

[@muchfunwithtrains]

Thanks Jeff!