Longest Backyard Railroad Trestle Bridge - Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Made

Zach loves trains, so much so that he added a railroad track in his backyard with the world's longest railroad trestle (for a ride on train) which comes to just over 680ft. It took over 3 years, hundreds of piles, thousands of railway ties and many many nights after work to complete this unbelievable feat. A plumber by trade, Zach needed to figure out almost everything as he went, but the end result is beyond breathtaking (and fun to ride!)
Follow us on Instagram @coolestthing for behind the scenes and other fun stuff.
Producer/Director: Guy Georgeson
Editor: Mark Westburg
Director of Photography: Andrew Sheppard
Associate Producer: Julia Bird
Music licensed from: Audio Network
Additional Music: Epidemic Sound
Big thank you to the Bell Fund for additional funding of this season!

[@AlexHardtAnimation]

No joke, ever since I was a kid, I've imagined having something like this. It's still a dream however far it may be. This is so awesome.

[@nrood3821]

so put the plan into motion. it may take some time. but plan it all out and start working towards it. it will pay off in the end!

[@Percy5581]

I want to do this but im way to poor and stupid to know how to do any of this

[@nrood3821]

@@Percy5581 dont sell yourself short. find deminsons of your yard and sit down with paper and a pencil. start drawing out how you may want to set up a railroad in your yard. figure out what size line to do . and see about getting small engines liek from go garts or lawnmowers or stuff like that. or if its model trains you wanna do. go find a business around you that sells all that stuff and go in and talk to them. im sure someone can sit down with you and help you through it. weathers its model trains or bigger sized you can ride. and being poor may make it alittle rough. but go on facebook and post about looking for any small motors likes that or scrap metal to use to build the train cars. poor makes it rough but it can be done.

[@freddieparrydrums]

Don’t write your life away. Go do it. Do what you want and build your life man

[@curtissteenbruggen1491]

Just giver dude. Send it.

[@mattraven75ify]

I would never financially recover from an act like this.

[@TucsonBillD]

A lot of guys also use a gas, like propane.

[@ILSRWY4]

Owning a flyable Warbird (P-51 Mustang, P-47 Tbolt, F4U Corsair) would dwarf the financial cost of this train. This train here is pennies compared to operating a warbird.

[@gregwarner3753]

You do this for love not money.

[@MiddletownBranchProd.]

Ikr

[@IONATVS]

@@gregwarner3753 You may not do it for money, but you need to *have* money to do it. And Land and Time, which are luxuries many people living from paycheck to paycheck do not have.

[@EdwardsDayOut]

This dude was bored, so naturally he BUILT HIS OWN RAILROAD

[@overpoweredsteamproduction513]

Me who finds old abandoned locomotives for fun: am I a joke to you?

[@keyboardwarrior4092]

I mean I don’t blame him, I got bored so I decided to attempt to build my own computer

[@paullee5573]

Better that Britains Dr. Beeching, who, in the mid 60s destroyed our national railroad.

[@jamesbizs]

@@keyboardwarrior4092 sure lol totally comparable .

[@keyboardwarrior4092]

@@jamesbizs ..I mean I got bored too, so I built my own thing that I guess can be considered hard to make too? so yeah I guess you’re right, it is.

[@RubberChicken10000]

What I got out of this is that plumbers must make more than I thought.

[@Park_Place]

Basically anyone in a trade can most likely make a nice buck

[@superspooky4580]

Simple when your house is flooding do you really care about cost ?. Lol that’s the money. Same with hvac during the summer and electricians during a flood.

[@scrapcash2421]

Plumbers charge $100+ an hour

[@scrapcash2421]

@@Park_Place Plumbers and electricians both charge $100+ an hour. Carpenters and HVAC are both in the trades. But carpenters only get about $20 or $25 and HVAC gets about $15 to $25. Not all trades are equal. Trades that involve your house flooding with pooh or burning down get paid way more!!

[@noel5447]

Plumbers also has really big backyards. In California no less.

[@zachbarry1992]

“So naturally I just built a house”

[@rydersites5786]

Lol 😂

[@mohamadfaiz6935]

Your homemade Backyard Railroad trestle almost like Train in the Mountain National forest

[@RedcoatViking_Official]

I know yeah he just so casually slipped that in like "so i built a house" ... Like oh... Alright! lol

[@earlofwickshire5416]

He build a basement under the house so he could store the bodies.

[@danielholman7866]

I appreciate these videos infinitely

[@CoolestThing]

Thank you! Trying to get some more out soon!! Cheers- Guy

[@turtledog1533]

@@CoolestThing what guage would you say it is?

[@dwightpowell6673]

@Vax Not did your father include you in his hobby and teach you about railroads? My father would call me stupid and kick me in the ass with his steel-toe work boots

[@lovalaugh]

Keep em coming guys, it's only a matter of time before this gets picked up by a network.

[@nrood3821]

that be cool if it did!

[@Don_Rodrigo44]

see what a man can accomplish when theres no mention of wife or kids

[@Khan--nr4lw]

🤨

[@0netyr]

🤣🤣

[@philipp_mayr]

ok boomer

[@awesome346]

@@philipp_mayr ok

[@jamesbizs]

@@philipp_mayr oh yeah. Because it’s totally the boomers talking about not having kids. Oh wait. It’s not.

[@Unknown_Ooh]

Imagine the faces at the permit office when told you are building a rail road in your backyard

[@jamesbizs]

I doubt there is a permit office anywhere near where this guy lives.

[@elonmust7470]

@@jamesbizs you might be surprised, if he's in California which I believe he is, he could have a ton of rules & regulations to follow.

[@scrapcash2421]

@@jamesbizs He lives in Sonoma County Commiefornia, so yes there would be a huge permit office where he lives.

[@johnnym.6610]

Inspiring to say the least, Zach has such a great attitude and his passion speaks for itself in the craftsmanship shown in his railroad. Bravo

[@SpaseGoast]

This man is truly happy. I wish him well.

[@PoisoneDrummer]

Best thing he said was : "its amazing whats you can do if you just put your head down"

[@kcgunesq]

Hard work, lots of land and sizeable amounts of disposable income can create a few options.

[@FreeManFreeThought]

Even if I "put my head down" for the next 30 years, I will never have the disposable income to buy the land or anything. He has the income and free time to 'put his head down' to his passions, most Americans never can find the time to cook or clean let alone build anything out of passion.

[@cherubin7th]

@@kcgunesq If you can put the effort into such a thing, you can find the money too.

[@kg4boj]

gays can't have kids so they always have loads of money since our economy was designed to enable a man to have a large number of kids

[@FreeManFreeThought]

@@kg4boj that makes zero sense. Put down the crackpipe.

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Zach has skills and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Exquisite!!

[@o0julek0o]

He has one specific skill most people lack: dedication. Otherwise he's just an average engineer.

[@realbartlett8882]

Retired Master Plumber from Massachusetts here. I thought my ship had come in but boy you got me beat. Plumbing weeds out those who don't like to work and who can't work fast and smart and you got that in spades. I always love it when one of us makes it so it's hats off to you ! Ken

[@D_Morse]

How cool is that incredible devotion to a vision? Kudos to Zach for his perseverance in creating a one-of-a-kind personal RR.

[@killerkane1957]

I’m 63 and have had the same “build it” bug all my life. The things I’ve made over the years are hard to count. But you. You are my brand new hero! What an effort! And the cool factor? No chart can measure. Hero Status.

[@Dr_Won_Hung_Lo]

This IS indeed the "coolest thing" ever! I've actually seen a lot of backyard railroads like this, but this one takes the cake! It's mostly because of the trestles he's built. Without explaining himself, I already knew the effort he had into it.

[@CoolestThing]

Thanks for watching! One of the best days of filming we had as well. Cheers- Guy

[@capitollimitedproductions211]

As a railfan this is one of my wildest dreams.

[@danielwall5018]

This man is a legend

[@michaelthecreative1529]

Walt Disney would approve

[@nossta5242]

Why

[@adlap0152]

@@nossta5242 bc he liked trains. He commissioned a railroad to be built around his parks.

[@Mrdoctile]

@@adlap0152 He buil the park around (in side) his railroad (the Berm)

[@tinkerbrittany]

@@nossta5242 Walt Disney also had a mini railroad himself that he would take kids on around his property.

[@ATLAS_JET132]

just like the train in Out of Scale

[@lordcaptainvonthrust3rd]

Dude that's awesome Much respect to you and your determination And for a beautifully made and authentic railroad tressle You have inspired me to finally put a shelf up Possibly In a little while Maybe

[@thefirstgenesis4280]

I have a lot of respect and support for this man. This is what American ingenuity is about. Being able to live free and be creative to live your own dreams. This man has a valuable trade and spends his time mastering it

[@CoolestThing]

Well said! Thanks for watching!

[@Custardpie174]

And the coolest backyard railroad on utube....

[@nickphillips2125]

Amazing. Would love to see an aerial view of the entire layout... or at the very least a map

[@souravmj8667]

The person who came out of lockdown with actually something great....

[@KlingbergWingMkII]

This is what I built during lockdown: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6qtlKeGd9igj5I

[@eddielane9569]

That is so awesome ! That cost you a pretty penny. I love train's too.

[@CarterKey6]

His attitude is amazing

[@koiyujo1543]

that's actually smart to have outter rails to prevent stuff going off the trussel as a safety feature

[@greatwesternproductions2857]

This is fantastic, interesting to see people across the pond taking an interest in railways. Good on you sir!

[@kevileno3158]

A hover craft is a big step up from a water wheel

[@CoolestThing]

lol, yes it is.

[@eL_K_Dee]

"I was hanging out with my friends and said "I'm gonna build a railroad" ".. that's like all those post drinks chillout sessions where you have big ideas.. glad to see he actually followed through.

[@user-vs4hg4og5p]

Good job. You love what you do, this shows as your labor is excellent.

[@swspectre2]

This is absolutely amazing! It’s not just a railroad, but an entire experience! I loved it!

[@carolwalden7016]

This was amazing...I cannot believe the drive he has...also the money he spent getting his dream to come true...I would love to meet you in person Zack..you are a 🏆 winner

[@ArashHazeghi]

That is the ultimate toy and the coolest private railroad I have ever seen

[@Chris-vz7en]

I love it when hobby train enthusiasts wear the engineer's cap. It completes the look.

[@jwrangler12]

I love people that are this smart and r just crazy!!!

[@wizeguy2007]

I know Zack personally. He’s a great guy with an impeccable work ethic. He has now added a Cuoi pond with a steel bridge crossing it. The fun project that is always expanding.

[@GuyInc0gnit0]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! Props to the guy himself, he not only build an awesome railroad in his backyard but he's also a really good presenter!

[@kokosnood]

This is the coolest thing ANYONE has ever made!!!!!

[@krveprisednik472]

❤❤❤Super and amazing !!! (Czech fan-Europe)

[@kenyork1107]

This is totally awesome , and it looks well built and a lot of fun . I'm a steam train fanatic and this would be my dream come true. Be safe and enjoy many Happy Miles 😊

[@kennybluet5527]

Every time I think I've seen the best video ever , along comes one like this.

[@CoolestThing]

Thanks so much! Appreciate the positive feedback!

[@papacamino2286]

A legacy is what you built,not a railroad track,one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

[@CoolestThing]

Yes! Nicely said. Thanks for watching! More coolest thing episodes coming out soon!

[@michaelpreston233]

Toys for Big Boys, great job!

[@grovemeister04]

Oh man! This is amazing! I've always had a fascination with trains as well. Thanks for another great video Guy!

[@CoolestThing]

No problem! This one was so much fun to film. Thanks for watching! Cheers! Guy

[@restoringbonaire]

Wow, just wow! Walt Disney would be jealous.

[@BridgetKF]

If Disney got jealous, they would just sue the hell out of him with their billions of dollars and force him to either give them his land and everything on it, or send in bulldozers.

[@demitievdemenski804]

I think he was referring to Walt Disney himself as he was a very avid railroad enthusiast and also had a miniature railroad at some point I think Walt really loved trains

[@BridgetKF]

@@demitievdemenski804 Ah, ok, yeah that makes sense. Yeah, any railroad enthusiast would be jealous. Hell, I'm jealous! I'd love it!.

[@demitievdemenski804]

@@BridgetKF same. Little fun bit if history: the trains you see in the American Disney parks are actuall proper trains that Walt bought for his park from an old narrow gauge railroad from the 20s All those engines are almost a hundred years old by now and are actual steam engines and not just purpose built for the park.

[@BridgetKF]

@@demitievdemenski804 Really?? Oh wow! I've never been to any of the parks because of lack of funds. Up in Green Bay, Wi, there's a large railroad museum that's really cool.

[@alfonsoramos139]

Awesome congratulations

[@alanbodker6508]

Amazing!!! Kudos to you Zach!! it is the cooest thing for sure!

[@aruchgupta]

Coolest thing ever!! This guy is amazing.

[@kursk124]

MORE POWER TO YOU

[@laserbub]

Fantastic episode. Thanks Destin

[@odthegreatest]

Find something you love and let it treat you..

[@ShampootheSpider2019]

0:48 I love how he put a sign on the wall to warn others

[@radioactivepotato2068]

I love this guy. Riding in my little train, at zero fucks an hour.

[@danbytp]

SAFETY FIRST! Glad he took it seriously!

[@CoolestThing]

He for does. That things is extremely well built. Felt mega solid riding on it while we were filming as well.

[@Anshul9Kumar]

Hats off to your extreme hard work. 👍🏻😀

[@garyb2392]

This must be a massive property ! In Sonoma county, the property must be worth a small fortune! That said, makes me happy that he was able to accomplish a dream/goal ! Love it ! An inspiration for sure !

[@luke2042]

The production quality of these videos is phenomenal. I've watched a handful now. Very impressive.

[@CoolestThing]

Thank you!! And thank you for noticing. We are usually just 3 people making these so it means a lot! Cheers- Guy

[@sannyassi73]

Now, for the next project- add a junction in and run a loop through the woodlands you have around- that'd be pretty neat. No matter what it's neat either way though! Absolutely impressive! I just always see the next thing I'd do- I'm terrible about feature-creep getting into my projects, but in the end they're all epic! I love that you built a little cabin and have somewhere to go with the train rather than just a loop! I'm gonna get up to some pretty strange stuff similar to this once I have my Money/time, I look forward to it- I'll pretty much end up living in a warehouse by the end. Learning the hard way is under-rated these Days. There are certain things I do that I know looking up tutorials for would make my life easier but I just love to figure things out myself through trial and error- often times I come up with better solutions than the tutorials suggest doing it that way! Wastes a lot of time but that's one of the funnest parts of a project like this to me- just figuring out how to do it! I wish you'd shown us a top down layout- maybe just a drawing to show how it's all arranged or a far enough out drone shot so that we could see the whole thing, I couldn't tell the track path through the video. Maybe I just missed a chunk of it? (I do work while I watch these things)

[@maxwellsteam5810]

Ay he's wearing a C&TS cap, respect.

[@1967MGC]

If kids saw this they'd realize plumbing is not such a 'shitty' job and is a viable career option that can make more money than glitzier options requiring oodles of college dollars.

[@IN-tm8mw]

correct me if im wrong but isn't it considered independent contracting? not sure if that's a universal fact across the nation.

[@DaveLowe28]

I feel like he probably owns a plumbing business and isn't just a lone tradesman. Not every plumber is riding around their acres of land on a train. Edit - just found his business and I might be wrong. Doesn't look like a big operation. Maybe land is just cheaper where he is.

[@jamesbizs]

@@DaveLowe28 land is really cheap in many places in this country. So that’s not that big of a deal. I mean, you don’t have to be rich to do this. We all spend money on nonsense every day. Think about the $5 coffee people buy 5 days a week. This guy just seems to not waste money on other stuff. So not that hard

[@BridgetKF]

@@DaveLowe28 Here in Wisconsin, you can get over 100 acres for like, $600,000. Some areas are advertising 95.5 acres for about $450,000. Hell, some HOUSES are more expensive than that. :-) So yeah, land can be cheap if you know where to look.

[@elonmust7470]

@I'm Back no...

[@davidshepard2372]

positively incredible!

[@decafmocha211]

This IS the coolest thing ! Great work Zach

[@joelnickerson6739]

That's an awesome railroad. Great job.

[@CoolestThing]

It’s awesome! And fun day filming for sure. Nothing beats riding a mini railroad in California for a day. Thanks for watching, more episodes coming soon! Cheers- Guy

[@flowinwind4413]

Yes! So happy to see this video, I love this series! Keep them coming!

[@CoolestThing]

Thanks Gabe! Appreciate it! More on the way! Cheers- Guy

[@alfredgoldenjr3183]

Awesome!!!!!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤️it!

[@kavemanthewoodbutcher]

I think this man is my hero...

[@thats_my_comment]

i remember watching a sitcom growing up in the 80s and 90s that had a tiny train track that went through the house I just can't remember the name of it this brings back memories of it..

[@lesparks126]

Silver Spoons

[@CHRISPYakaKON]

This is pretty neat

[@gwrbuckleyjunction1733]

Must say am a bit jealous lol That’s amazing absolutely brilliant

[@FallsGaming]

Some people just are workaholics. Love to do work. I worked with some retired guy who has been Restoring American classic cars. he'd take it down to the Chassi then build the car from scratch and restore everything as he went along. always making sure he got original OEM parts. he's done that with about 10 cars. he built 2 of his houses and helped others build theirs after work. + he has a wife and kids. I have no idea where this man has gotten his energy from. I just really admire that he has accomplished so much.

[@CoolestThing]

Thanks for sharing . It’s truly incredible to see what some people can do! Some people just love to work and keep busy, Jim certainly never quit working. Thanks for watching, more episodes coming out soon. Cheers- Guy

[@gravelydon7072]

Guard rail belongs on inside as the idea is to use the back of the flange to keep the wheels within the confines of the track structure.

[@RedstonePinkenba]

Wow! Being a plumber must make for a great income.

[@xichen8358]

I remember a joke where a plumber is working under a sink and the homeowner looks out the window at the plumber's big Mercedes and says "I'm a lawyer and I cannot afford a car like that." The plumber then responded "yeah, I couldn't either when I practiced law."

[@user-hb8be5wb4q]

And I’ll bet he has no children to be felons, alcoholics, nut cases, etc., to ruin his life and future! Great vlog, thanks for sharing. I can now afford the finer things in life, but at 76+ I just don’t have the getup and go anymore.

[@paullee5573]

@@user-hb8be5wb4q I know exactly what you mean. I have wanted to build a Dalek , life size, since 1963. I am now retired hitting 70, had a stroke, several heart attacks, a pcemaker fitted, plus heart surgery. But finally, i have started to build my Dalek.

[@mariannehoutzager9093]

Fantastic, this is awesome! You are a genius! Great video too. One to view lots of times...And the beautiful train....I should wish I had one for myself. Maybe I did not have time for anything else anymore!

[@Amzxx90]

Great work on that railway love your video.

[@NiklasMeads]

So sick!!

[@CoolestThing]

Yessss! It's a crazy setup!

[@a_leseman_0242]

I mean... this is everyone’s dream right?

[@LeavingThisTownYT]

What an amazing man!

[@supercuda1950]

I can't imagine building a rr of these proportions. the trestle changes this from just another backyard rr to a true engineering feat!

[@blanca2000ify]

Marty McFly: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

[@johnnyllooddte3415]

amazing

[@guardffire]

Amazing. simply amazing

[@rinston3591]

You wanted it, you built it! Total respect man, what a fantastic railroad.

[@spuney]

2:01 me watching this at 2 times speed

[@MiddletownBranchProd.]

sanic

[@scotsmanproductions8224]

r/youngpeopleyoutube

[@spuney]

@@scotsmanproductions8224 how is this a young person thing

[@spuney]

@iFIopsi K. im 15

[@spuney]

@iFIopsi K.you were also watching a train video and i dont care if you dont beleve me

[@jamalsowell3650]

We don't grow up, we just get older.

[@robsemprini1511]

That is awesome

[@frederickbecker8672]

A woman once wrote, " If not for men, we would live in grass huts" This is the type of man she was referring too, no doubt. Well done!

[@noahduppler619]

This is Going to be good

[@gamingstation4801]

Ultra coolest thing ever... In my childhood I really wondered if such train existed .. Today atleast i can my dream train exists.

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting/informative/entertaining. Beckers dairy farm Rowland New Jersey ( 1940 thru 1972 ) featured a miniature version train ride. Weekends may thru October. Vaguely remember that from 60-years ago.

[@johnhare7279]

Three years to build it, HA! I could've done the same in thirty!

[@karloht1373]

They got us in the first half not gonna lie

[@darkstarfirestudios4500]

Hah

[@Jodio-Joestar]

You sure this ain't Steve from minecraft?

[@TRAVELWP]

WOW. It's nice to know there are people like you !!!

[@rickeyturnage4703]

I miss you zack and your train 😁

[@brucejenner4800]

Hey, you have to admire this mans zeal, to achieve what he has done is so over and above what most people can only dream about.

[@Sahadi420]

I'd put a couple of Laz-E-Boy recliners on a car facing each other with a mini fridge in the middle. Just chill and go around your back yard enjoying the breeze. Pee off the side....

[@DueySR]

Honestly that sounds amazing. Just chill on the train with a few beers and a few friends.

[@Sahadi420]

@@DueySR "Hey man, wanna roll a blunt and take a few laps around the yard?" LOL

[@GuyDawson]

7 1/2 inches to within a millimetre !!!

[@MrZhefish]

engineering.... it's at times schizophrenic but necessary :D 1 metric salutation

[@smitajky]

Yes but that is because you are laying 10 lb per metre rail with crossties at one per link. So that the trains can run at a safe speed of 5 knots.

[@badapple65]

I envy other guys that have that much energy. Day job has pretty much always made me so tired it’s a sense of accomplishment if a mow my lawn, with a Zero Turn. My hat’s off to this hard working Man.

[@janinapendel4926]

This.Is.Awesome!!

[@mcbenman1793]

im in the process of building an O gauge (32mm) garden layout and thats taken 3 years aswell

[@westernavenuerailway]

Nice and mine took 3 years to do and I'm still adding new stuff to it lol

[@mcbenman1793]

@@westernavenuerailway nice is ur railway also live steam?

[@westernavenuerailway]

@@mcbenman1793 yeah

[@mcbenman1793]

@@westernavenuerailway ooohh nice what company did u get ur locos from, i got mine from mamod and roundhouse

[@westernavenuerailway]

@@mcbenman1793 most of my mine are mixed scratch built, lgb, accucraft, newqida, mamod, maxitrak, ip engineering, Bachmann but I don't have any roundhouse since there a accucraft department near me so I just get mine from them