Jim Vail's Glenwood & Black Creek Narrow Gauge Model Railroad HOn3 DCC Layout Tour

Please support TSG Multimedia on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/tsgmultimedia #trains #HOn3 #G&BCNGRR #modelrailroads
By Dave Adams:
Jim was a model railroader’s model railroader. The inspiration, help and friendships he extended to others in the hobby is simply too vast to chronicle. His HOn3 Glenwood & Black Creek narrow gauge railroad undoubtedly ranks as one of the two best known narrow gauge model railroads in the world, the other being Harry Brunk’s HOn3 Union Central & Northern.
Jim said he drew inspiration from John Allen’s game changing HO Gorre & Daphetid Railroad, and was privileged to visit John and his railroad on several occasions. John’s influence on Jim is evident to anyone who had the pleasure of visiting Jim’s railroad. If John Allen is known as the Wizard of Monterey, then Jim Vail is certainly the Sorcerer of Santa Cruz.
What follows is an attempt to dimension his contributions to others in the hobby, particularly narrow gauge fans, and to highlight Jim’s interest and journey in model railroad operations.
If you enjoy this content, please hit the "like" button and share it with your friends on social media!
Join TSG Multimedia on these other social media channels:
FaceBook: / tsgmultimediaface
Twitter: / tsgmultimedia
©2018 TSG Multimedia. All Rights Reserved.

[@derekalexander4030]

Every time the horn blows from someone watching this video, Mr Vail and the other angels get their wings. Truly amazing.

[@kenpack161]

I'm not a religious person, but i hope with every ounce of my heart that Mr. Vail is driving the train of his dreams up in heaven.

[@marklewis298]

What a perfect tribute to Jim and his amazing modeling...that has touched narrow gauge modelers in all scales. Thanks Dave and Kate and all those that had a hand in this production.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks, Mark. I was very impressed with how Jim's friends worked together to make this documentation of his layout happen - such dedication to their friend and in some cases, mentor.

[@progressiverockvocal]

I tip my hat to this man. What a wonderful life this man has lived.! I mean just amazing. He took the hobby just as far as you can take it and you can see his room is a museum of interest and collecting and model building and railroad operations that I am pushing toward myself. I am also proud to see his Daughter present this.. So often these masterpieces are torn apart and a few friends end up with some of the parts and the cars and engines are sold off. I have no idea what they are doing with Jim's work in the future but getting this wonderful life of work on video that was well done and well narrated is one way to preserve this mans legacy. It is heartbreaking to here her say this video is a last tour. But as much as we might like to see it. this was where Jim enjoyed his life and it served its best and ultimate purpose to occupy his creative needs and what wonderful creative talent he served here. RIP Mr. Vail.... From a fellow modeler; I Salute You Sir, and your work. and I am sure I speak for every modeler who sees this.. !

[@Mrruneight]

I operated on Jim Vail's layout during the LDSIG weekend in 2004. Mr. Vail was such a Gentlemen and was so Hospitable. He made me feel right at home and I enjoyed every minute of my experience running Trains on Mr. Vail's layout. Thank You Jim!

[@tsgmultimedia]

This is right in line with other stories I have heard about Jim.

[@mastergunnerysgt1258]

WOW, I LOVED every minute of it and that is no lie. What a grate man he was and we should give thanks to his memory, for what grate men do. Love Old Master Gunnery SGT USMC.

[@SleeTheSloth]

May Jim dwell with in the Lords roundhouse, May all his signals bee green. Amen. What a fine tribute by friends and family, we ( model railroaders ) should all be so lucky to have our friends and family remember us and our passions so respectfully. What a wonderful model railroad. Thank you for sharing this wonderful railroad with us.

[@mooverfield3369]

Wow, such a breathtaking layout. It's wonderful to see Mr. Vail's passion and skill shown so clearly in this amazing railroad. And to see that his passion has been passed on to his daughter is just as telling of his love for the hobby and family. Thank you for putting together this great tour and for sharing his beautiful work with us all

[@ProfessorTrain743]

A great layout! Kudos to Ms. Vail, thanks so much for this great review of the railroad.

[@dorothyfishbaugh4728]

Sooooo enjoyed this! What a layout!!! WHAT A LEGACY!!!

[@brucemarquardt7422]

This man was truly a brilliant artist. Thanks for sharing.

[@OtterCreek]

One of my Favorites!

[@denzack1]

I had the pleasure of touring the layout in 2004. A truly magnificent model railroad and Jim's work was enhanced by your thoroughly professional video. I'll be watching this again soon.

[@TerryMundy]

After hearing of Jim's passing I've been asked to find the video that I recorded back in 1993 when I visited Jim and upload it to KZbin. I know it would be appreciated and enjoyed by many to go back 28 years to compare what has changed. When I find it I'm not going to edit it. I don't have time these days. Thanks for posting this video. I enjoyed watching it! I'm sure I'll watch it a view dozen more times.

[@hephaestus198]

Amazing, so realistic. It is like being there in the place, but then, in the past. Enjoyed !

[@narrowgaugejoe4189]

What an amazing layout. From seeing his layout in Model Railroader a few years ago, to watching this video and hearing him give pointers and share stories on facebook, he was quite the modeler. Sorry for your loss, and I hope you guys are able to preserve Jim's masterpiece.

[@markdeschane4467]

I love this layout!!!!

[@billyray94]

I so enjoyed this video, John. I'm not a narrow gauge guy. Nor do I model that era. But the level of detail achieved by Mr. Vail is beyond amazing! There are little scenes everywhere you look. What a tremendous tribute to the layout and the man who built it. Nice touch having his daughter narrate. Thank You.

[@tsgmultimedia]

You're welcome. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this tribute to an amazing layout. Share it with your friends if you know anyone who might also enjoy it!

[@blusnuby2]

WORLD CLASS layout...Big Salute, Jim Vail !

[@TrainLordJC]

Amazing detail, superbly captured, I hope the layout continues to inspire family or friends or operators. Layouts like this need to be preserved and appreciated for the future. Thank you for sharing.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks, TL! Please share the channel with your friends!

[@jimshafer970]

Loved operating on this railroad during Bay Rails a few years back. The detail/workmanship is wonderful. His articles in the Gazette inspired many projects for me.

[@gunnyusmc8412]

Exstreamly nice layout awesome details, 30 yrs of building n playing its a treat to watch it funning i can only imagine to be there in person my compliments and thank for sharing

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thank you for the compliments. The really was a privilege and a treat to film. We are lucky that Jim's regular ops crew was willing to make it run-worthy for the tour.

[@harlantillman7947]

AWSOME! I truly hope this is preserved and never destroyed. WOW!

[@TerryMundy]

If you're talking about the video, ot likely once it was uploaded to KZbin.

[@Scale.Model.Craftsman]

Great layout, nice work and creative design !

[@danielhathaway8042]

This is a stunning layout!

[@danielhackett8294]

Outstanding video. Excellent tribute to Jim Vail and all he had constructed and shared. Wish KZbin had a Love button. Great work John.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks, Daniel. It was a privilege to make it happen. All thanks should go to Dave for his dedication and effort to make it happen at all.

[@LarryWGrant-dw6jo]

Wow!! What a great layout John and a fitting tribute to Jim Vail. Thanks for a fascinating video.

[@johnrettig1880]

The Tuolumne Branch line Just a Flashback of Old Stomping Grounds in My Childhood .

[@streetfightinmanrs]

Incredible layout.

[@larryvaughn2567]

Simply outstanding !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ATSFVentaSpurNscaler]

Wow, what a tribute to one man's lifetime labor of love on his model railroad! Jim must be smiling from his heavenly perch. You aptly captured his years of craftsmanship through this video. Thanks for sharing this incredible layout tour on KZbin. -from Tom Pilling

[@tsgmultimedia]

For sure - the great caboose in the sky has a window for that, right?

[@yemyrrej]

Great work on this layout! I did laugh out loud at the poor fellow on his back at Forks Creek. I don't know what kind of refreshments were served.

[@justindampier9017]

Was sad to hear the day he passed on. I'm glad his models found new homes

[@stevek4153]

Just saw this video…exceptional layout and review. Good job.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wolfgangpfeilergartenbahnd6530]

A very nice Narrow Gauge model train, I like it very much.

[@funtasticisland2874]

From a book I read, I myself have been inspired by John Allen to eventually build a huge layout featuring tall mountains and gorges. In the meantime, I have a small HO layout with few hills.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Every empire starts small, though, right?

[@kendallepperson1901]

Jim beautiful HON3 layout you left a Tribute layout.Great work.

[@firethunderd]

Another great video of a great layout! Glad to see it being shared for all to see.

[@normanrowe2831]

Wow! Just wow! Beautiful. Full of stunning details. Thanks.

[@gunfighterzero]

wow what a fantastic layout and great video dedicated to jims memory and hard work

[@tsgmultimedia]

Many thanks!

[@trentonlee9700]

Simple way to say it is amazing absolutely amazing

[@projeftcancelled9555]

Rip Jim Vail, you legend!

[@joesaurina1402]

Great job, John Allen would have loved this layout

[@tsgmultimedia]

Yes! I am sure I heard that Jim drew some inspiration from Allen's G&D, having visited the layout more than once.

[@nickbarman4145]

Great video as always

[@SGTGhost]

Great layout john, there so much detail going on the layout. I love it

[@tsgmultimedia]

It's a remarkable layout with more to look at than most.

[@DavidSmith-gi5yv]

Hi Katie, Your dad was an excellent modeler and this layout tour is a fitting tribute to him. Very sorry to hear he passed away.

[@LorneNoyes]

Great narration and video. Thanks for taking time to show this impressive layout

[@matthompson13000]

Very nice - thank you!

[@deltanine6497]

Thanks very much. What an inspiring layout and a wonderful story. Great job John! Epic! Jen

[@hdspringer2561]

fantastic layout, may the force be with Jim. R.I.P.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Imagine how different Star Wars might have been if the empire built a model railroad instead of the Death Star.

[@hdspringer2561]

TSG Multimedia 👍 what a fantastic idea , this should be the story of episode 10. The empire strikes back in a huge modeltrain layout 👍🙏 wow .

[@billbeverly2864]

Wonderful job giving us a view of one of the great layouts.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks, Bill. As long as the layout owners are willing share, more will be on the way!

[@kevinyoung9557]

Beautiful build. RIP.

[@NorthwesternSD9]

I bought the sawmill scene a few years back with the intent on adding it to my layout. Fortunately it didn't fit as I later elected to donate it to the California State Railroad museum where it's on display today.

[@murraystevens6079]

Best I have ever seen 😁

[@jwrailve3615]

I went to black hawk casinos a couple winters back this is awesome Man this just made me so very much envious of your ops, and your motive power roster. When I complete my roster building I’ll have 10-12 smaller golden era steamers and 3-4 first gen diesels for switching and likely 7-8 will ever be on the layout at a time with the remaining in staging or off layout staging

[@giulius7176]

Wow!! What a fantastic layout!!!!

[@BritanniaPacific]

We have a high line in New York. It was a former New York central line and was in service until the 1980s. It’s now a giant park.

[@louisfavre04]

Many thanks for making this video available. Suberb movie of an extraordinary layout

[@heinziflo]

Nice Film. Thanks 😎

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@reddustdiecastmodelrail1499]

Great video ! Amazing layout ! Very nice ! thanks for sharing ! m

[@kenmunozatmmrrailroad6853]

Beautiful doesn’t do this work justice...

[@CyclingDinosaur]

Amazing craftsmanship!

[@shelleybeaudoin9901]

Outstanding video and lasting tribute to an outstanding layout John!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@montehawes2245]

top notch masterpiece excellent comentary & pro-shot complements from toronto canada.

[@RobertJohnson-dh6mt]

Beautiful layout.

[@thehamelsduck1600]

Awesome layout and great video. Thanks.

[@tsgmultimedia]

You're welcome, and thanks for watching. Please share the video with your friends if you think they might enjoy it.

[@solarbrother8886]

An excellent railroad!

[@gunnyu.s.m.c8606]

awesome layout my compliments

[@vincentberkan605]

There was once a cowboy called Mountain Charlie, he was actually a good friend of Wild Bill Hickok. Even attended his funeral in 1876.

[@donsmith7979]

Thank you🤗

[@jefferykeeper8112]

great layout I agree with everyone about this one

[@tsgmultimedia]

It would be hard to argue about whether this is a really great layout. The creativity, level of craftsmanship, and sheer time, dedication, and work involved all combined make it pretty obvious.

[@sparky107107]

/wow to many shots to say i like it ,, just over all great modeling. talk to you in a hour.

[@J3scribe]

What an astonishing work of art. Thanks for the heartfelt tribute to such a wonderful artisan of the hobby. Any mention of what the future holds for the layout?

[@tsgmultimedia]

The current plan is that the entire area that it occupies will become a living space, probably by the end of the year if all goes according to plan. Hard to imagine, considering how much time, commitment, and effort went into building that amazing miniature empire. Such is the fate of many layouts.

[@J3scribe]

Ugh. Should try to sell it in modules.

[@projeftcancelled9555]

Man I was hoping at least a museum would take it. It really is museum quality.

[@Babelsberger]

Hi! I like your channel,nice videos, interesting content,good work! Greetings from Germany!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. If you know anyone else who may enjoy the channel, please encourage them to check it out!

[@candycee8634]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@garyj1709]

Nice video of a very talented man. Good memories of many articles in the Gazette! However, too many ads! Less than halfway through and there were three ads. I’m sure there were more.

[@tsgmultimedia]

If enough people who enjoy the content here would support our work on Patreon, I would demonetize the channel. www.patreon.com/tsgmultimedia

[@alpteknbaser7773]

🙏👏

[@vincenthuying98]

Very cool video, now one question remains, what’s gonna become of Jim Vail’s layout?

[@tsgmultimedia]

It's long gone.

[@boylesterminalshops6841]

Any idea what will happen to the layout?

[@christopherclement2474]

Does anyone know where I can find a k36 or k37 model. I’m looking everywhere and I can’t find any

[@vincentberkan605]

What's the name of the intro music?

[@AlreadyShort]

✔

[@jomama05]

Last tour, does that mean it will be torn down?

[@tsgmultimedia]

Yes. The plan is to dismantle the layout and convert the area it occupies into a living space. Parts of the layout are likely to be preserved and incorporated into some of Jim's friends' layouts.

[@BattleshipOrion]

RIP and whats gonna happen to the layout now

[@tsgmultimedia]

If all goes according to plan, that space will be converted to living space by the end of this year. Parts of the layout will be cut out and become parts of Jim's friends' layouts.

[@billvassar7473]

fantistic layout, hope that it does not get sold of or chopped up. would be a shame.

[@justiceprevail1552]

Enjoyed watching this fantastic layout, but can we do away with the political correctness BS. At 7:13 the billboard is out of focus because of the ad shows Aunt Jamima.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Anything out of focus came from the camera's depth of field. Too bad some people are so easily triggered by things that simply don't exist.