NEW MODEL TRAIN ROOM & MY WORK BENCH (tips & ideas)

[@jeffherdzina6716]

DJ, Glad to see that thing are going great for you. Cannot wait to see the new layout progress as it built.

[@djstrains]

Thanks for the support, more to come soon!

[@conrailfan6277]

I'm going to the Great Train show in Indianapolis Indiana this month and loading up on Conrail freight cars and locomotives, I'm starting my N Scale layout in a 15x10 basement area, I can't wait to get started and I'll be pouring over your build Video's DJ, glad to see you back and building!!!!

[@anthonyferguson5040]

Oh Lucky You, I live about 3 Hrs. or so away from Indiana, wish I had the time to go, Giant indoor Train Geek Market. Like Toys R us for Big Boys and Girls. 😀

[@djstrains]

Fantastic

[@conrailfan6277]

@anthonyferguson5040 Last one I attended a couple of years ago it was in 2 buildings at the Fairgrounds!!!

[@gcorriveau6864]

Thanks for the tour. It's great that so many experienced hobbyists like you share so generously. It's a main reason I enjoy the model RR community. Thanks, DJ

[@djstrains]

I am happy to share what I know.

[@chiparooo]

Very cool scratch build. Can’t wait to see the layout progress. Thanks for sharing!

[@djstrains]

I’m really excited about it too!

[@IMRROcom]

I'm still all about doing all the sides. I know you will never see it etc. but I will know that they have been done. I also enjoy that part of the hobby, building the buildings

[@djstrains]

It’s not a bad idea if you consider that one day you may sell it or reposition it.

[@bdlii]

It a good practice area too when you are new to paint and weather.

[@anthonyborden2513]

GREAT THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BUILD A NEW AWESOME LAYOUT AND IF YOU SEEN THE TOM JOHNSON LAYOUT YOU DONT NEED ALOT OF SPACE AND WITH YOUR SKILLS IT GOING TO BE A GREAT BUILD

[@djstrains]

I have a bunch of ideas brewing!

[@michaelstump6289]

Welcome back! I knew you couldn’t stay away. I’m looking forward to you building your layout.

[@roncrook8656]

DJ, that first building really captured what you showed in the drone video, excellent work! Glad to see you with a little modeling space, looking forward as you share new stuff this year.

[@djstrains]

I appreciate it, I am trying to make the most of this space!

[@williamj3843]

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to layout updates whenever you have something to share amongst the usual drone content.

[@djstrains]

I think I’ll stick with “one scene at a time “. This keeps me focused and saves me from spending money on stuff I’ll never get around to.

[@williamj3843]

@@djstrains Sounds like a plan. Getting a sense of accomplishment helps to maintain motivation. "Look how nice this scale house turned out" vs. "This scrap yard is going to take a lot of work." You also get a chance to revise your design before investing in materials you might not need as you pointed out.

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

Note the top of the prototype smokestack is collapsed. You have the perfect basement. A place to dance with your lady and a place to build models! I like that black ceiling area. Happy and Healthy 2025.

[@djstrains]

I noticed that and think that’ll be cool to model

[@markofthenorth8918]

Thank you for sharing keep up your videos

[@djstrains]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@markofthenorth8918]

@@djstrains thank you

[@mustachemike802]

The Happiest of New Years, my friend! I'm happy to see you happy again and bringing modeling back into your happy place! Now if you could just figure out how to combine your modeling with your dance things would be perfect! Lol! I'm excited to see what you build!

[@djstrains]

Hmmmm, maybe n scale dancing figures?

[@jasongeritz1602]

The teacher is back in class, love it. Good luck with everything mate. Life is short, seek fulfilment

[@djstrains]

I’m going to make sure I get enough fulfillment this year!

[@captainchaos3174]

Hi DJ, very nice to hear that you are planning a new layout. Looking forward following your progress.

[@djstrains]

I appreciate that. New video soon

[@mysticrailroad]

very nice update. letz go with the new build! take your time...but letz go! :)

[@djstrains]

I agree 100%

[@RonMontagueSWRR]

Welcome back. Model railroading is like a good disease that you can't get rid of 👍🏾

[@tech42long35]

Great stuff.. I feel like Im at my buddies house and just roaming around with a beer in-hand. Ill never meet Dj most likely but thats the great thing of hobbies and the internet.. brings us all together. We cant all possibly meet. But in this way We Can. Its great. congrats Dj on the move. Exciting, and fun to be a couple that takes a leap of faith in each-other. Awesome. Im collecting my gear after demolishing the lame old circle track. And make something with a bunch of switches.. Cant wait. cheers to you and your better half.. and 2025.. and all of us "train nerds". the best hobby ever.

[@djstrains]

You put the biggest smile on my face! I wish you the best!

[@admjyandle]

Great news! Glad you're back to your roots. Looking forward to 2025. I really enjoyed the tour. 🎉

[@mikeschmidt5328]

Great shot of the scrap yard. I'm the operator running the shear in your shot. Nice video, love the stuff you do.

[@djstrains]

I just spit laughed reading that! Absolutely made my night!

[@RWSBaden]

Hi DJ, Very nice Dance Studio. When I was a kid living at home, my work bench was beside the furnace in the basement in my parents home, it was a nice warm place to work in the winter. Very nice warehouse building. Take your time with those GHQ cranes, they are a little bit fiddly adding the cables using thread, but look great when completed. I think that is something common among all modelers, we don't throw anything away 😂🤣😂 We've had it for 20 years sitting in a bin or drawer, but hey you never know when you're going to need it. Great update video my friend and I can't wait to see your new Hollow Core Door layout. Cheers, Rich S.

[@djstrains]

I have some drone stuff coming but also planning on a few layout videos

[@johnkelley9877]

The dance studio looks great. I like the building you constructed and the weathering and paint look very realistic. Thanks for sharing this.

[@djstrains]

Thank you very much!

[@adriengadson3544]

Welcome back DJ . I knew you would be back to the modeling table. Also keep those videos coming. They have great building perspectives for us model Railroad builders.

[@djstrains]

I appreciate it, I have so many ideas brewing!

[@rickmiller4202]

It'll be great to see new vids, and this new iteration of layout. Happy New Year all.

[@markarnold8160]

Great to see you back DJ. You sound way more relaxed than you were. Your lady being into crafting is quite useful too. I'm just having a break from model railroads as my Internet radio deejaying has taken off, but I still have my new layout plan on my pinboard to remind me of what's next.

[@djstrains]

Can you share a link to how I can listen? I have a big variety of music interests as I am a former club and wedding DJ

[@4everdc302]

Fantastic DJ. Train Room Train Room!😊🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲 Now 💃 🕺 👍

[@edtoomuchfun957]

Dude so happy to see that you are back to modelling!

[@djstrains]

Thanks, more to come soon!

[@ericwalstrand3512]

It is an interesting painting.

[@johnbanicki7232]

Looking good. Looking forward to seeing a new layout. Thanks for sharing.

[@catap977]

Glad you are back working with your trains

[@scottpool4777]

Yes definitely are you working for the CNX. Yeah definitely very very I like it thank you very much.

[@djstrains]

I am an engineer for CSX if that’s what you mean?

[@mikehowey4869]

I really like those tugs and barges,I've bought a few 3-D printed kits and most of them are cool. Glad your still building a layout.

[@djstrains]

Cool. Hopefully you’ll like my future videos on it!

[@TwoRailfans]

Happy New Year DJ! It's great to hear you are going to have new layout space. That's really nice that you have the spaces for all of those activities close together so you can be together even if you are doing different things.

[@anthonyferguson5040]

That painting on the wall with you in the red dress is so Stunning... but you were in a red shirt at the end of the video? Nice to see you are coming back to the Model Railroading community. Now get the drone out and let it flap its wings and get some footage of places to model. 😃

[@djstrains]

Haha. I have new footage but had to show this in advance of the drone stuff. Plus the weather blows this week

[@anthonyferguson5040]

I used to live in NY then I made the Move to the Midwest ,Iowa Hate it not much for trains here were I am at, A short Line Iowa Interstate is about it, So When you post footage of PA I see some familiar places and a lot of new ones. That and your footage doesn't make me fall asleep.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Happy New Year and good to see you back.

[@djstrains]

I’m going to be starting a series soon. Just began filming, should be done within the week

[@Christopher-l8z]

Wow, that is a blessing. Praise Jesus.

[@CSXOhioRailFanPlus752]

Nice Video

[@djstrains]

Thanks for watching!

[@indykat27]

Happy New Year, DJ!

[@djstrains]

Same to you!!!

[@jimling7248]

I 3d printed that sand tower in McKees Rocks PGH OC yard. I'll see if I can find a way to attach it. Love your videos btw.

[@djstrains]

[e-mail]

[@Kermondale]

Great News

[@randydobson1863]

Hi DJ & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks DJ & Friends Randy

[@djstrains]

Thanks Randy, I appreciate that!

[@chriscummings4206]

As an example, it took me almost 25 years to let my imagination run wild with ideas, but I also found wanting to model something that I wasn't familiar with was like starting all over with the hobby. 😂 Even though I work with LEGO, my parents found my N-scale trains. I should have modelledwith N-scale in 1997 onwards but only acquired them in 2005.

[@djstrains]

N has made substantial progress in the past decade. Hopefully 3D Printing makes it even more detailed

[@MessyMason5904]

Great content as usual!!!

[@ajkleipass]

Cue up: Jonathan Groff singing "You'll Be Back" from HAMILTON. I knew you'd be back, DJ. This hobby gets in your blood and there's no known cure (thank goodness! ). I agree with the kitbashing philosophy, but I find brick structures more challenging due to every [censored] company having it's own take on how big a brick is! Walther's modules with their hard to find caps & columns set is a bear to find suitable brick sheet for substitute columns for. 😢

[@djstrains]

You know, it’s a great idea for a future video. I’ll try to find some prototype places to film

[@HuntsTrainsOfficial]

I had a feeling you weren’t gonna stay away from building a layout for too long lol. Good luck on your layout!

[@TaylorTownTrainShow]

Glad to see your back at it .. what would it take to get you to be a special featured guest at the Taylor Town Train Show this year or next. Please let me know thanks.

[@djstrains]

That’s our honeymoon date

[@djstrains]

We will be in New England that week

[@williamfeather1753]

great vedio dj trains happy new year to you from william

[@djstrains]

Happy New Year William!

[@williamfeather1753]

@@djstrains thankyou djstrain i want to build a desileenginge shop of the csxrailroad wear could i fine pictureofthat thank you from william

[@djstrains]

google: type in cumberland, Maryland CSX. Then click maps. Then go to satellite view. zoom in until you see the buildings near the roundhouse and turntable.

[@williamfeather1753]

@@djstrains thank you djtrainsfrom william

[@TheNorthwestWind]

good stuff

[@ReadingRailroadFilms]

DJ, what line do you work/operate on and how much free time do you have since you have some seniority! Room looks great dude!!

[@djstrains]

Pittsburgh subdivision. Basically Demmler (mcKeesport) to Monaca. Just the locals, I have no desire to be on the road and in hotels again. 5 years, 3 months until I retire. Extra board can vary, I prefer more time at home.

[@NYCS19339]

​@@djstrains but who's counting!

[@RedlineoverloadProductions1225]

So what is gonna be the theme for this layout? Modern trains or vintage? That would be a fun video, DJ explaining what he’s gonna model and why.

[@djstrains]

I mention in my recent videos that I love the river and rail perspective. I like to model current times but with relics of the past still evident

[@johnpadams8079]

Your dance studio looks like it could be an echo chamber! It wouldn’t sound echoey if you used something other than drywall or put sound treatment on the walls !

[@djstrains]

Still have the mirrors to do, then we have other Stuff to go in there. The sound dampening I had in previous is wrong color, so we will make new ones, but thank you for your concern

[@Kermondale]

I like watching [Great Lakes ships out of Duluth Harbor on lake Superior

[@NYCS19339]

It must have been hard to get rid of your Union RR switchers

[@djstrains]

I sold those off many years ago. My last layout was Norfolk Southern CSX and AMTRAK. I don’t have sentimental attachment to physical objects. Just people and pets. Mostly pets lol

[@NYCS19339]

@djstrains I have a PA1 concor that I bought new when I was 12 in 1980. I was able to sell off everything but that when I upgraded my equipment. Looking forward to your progress!

[@djstrains]

They have such a cool look to them..

[@jpkarenko6952]

How can you possibly get by without Feline Help? Bob & Zoom are constant fixtures in my shop. My biggest concern is free-floating fur.... Oh, and Happy New Year!

[@djstrains]

Ollie and Griffey are hairless sphinx cats, but are reminiscent of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park

[@andrewl9191]

So far I've put that gevo (it's a gevo, right?) through a lot of laps of the club layout, right behind my one that I added sound to. Just need to figure out where to use the cold storage or the middlesex building. They will likely go for club stuff since my home layout is now going to be HO. That dance room is pretty cool and the ceiling looks great. Does it have speakers worked into it somewhere?

[@djstrains]

Hey my friend! Hope you’re doing well! I use an Alexa device and it’s perfect volume

[@kenr86]

What I would give for a basement like that to become a dedicated train room... but Florida and basements don't make for a good combination.

[@djstrains]

its gonna be 6 degrees here next week. I hope my basement is warm, lol.

[@kenr86]

@@djstrains It's going to be cold - for NE Florida, too. Maybe getting down to 40 degrees. But we pay for that in summer, when it's about as pleasant as being in a dragon's nostril.

[@tomryan943]

What scale are you going to use? Looks like some of your rolling stock is n scale.

[@djstrains]

100% n scale

[@steelcityrailfan4808]

Another great video DJ! Got a question for you, say if you have to take a train from New Castle to Connellsvile but your home terminal is McKeesport. Do you go to McKeesport and a crew van takes you to new castle or do you have to drive all the way up there?

[@djstrains]

You always drive to your home terminal (connellsville, newell, new castle, and Cumberland are road terminals, demmler is not a home terminal for road trains). The van will take you to where your train is. If you called for a train or job that is not your home terminal (example: I am out of demmler, but they call me to take a newell coal train), then they have to give me an additional hour to get there, and pay me miles on car (usually 60 miles personal vehicle, tax free).

[@steelcityrailfan4808]

Ahh I see. Be safe out there

[@thomasmccaskill5197]

If I know Walthers they will re release that kit and sell each building separately and charge more than the whole kit used to be cause they are doing that with there ho kits

[@djstrains]

I sadly agree. It is a major reason why I teach scratch building. One sheet of styrene can make all these buildings. A fraction of the costs of a kit

[@TWNTY-es8lu]

we are getting older friend..consider HO scale before you start back up in N...???? either way best wishes!!

[@djstrains]

I have honestly thought about it but I feel that the limited space still makes me feel N Scale has more what I am looking for.

[@TWNTY-es8lu]

@@djstrains roger that , we all know what we want in the hobby, I went to N scale while in the navy, small apartments etc...went back to HO modeling short line northern new england small 7 x 12 shelf around the room..should keep me busy..good luck..

[@larrybaughman618]

🤠👋🚂🗯

[@dirkmontgomery5983]

Can I git 20 tacos and salsa

[@djstrains]

The irony is that I don’t eat either lol

[@dirkmontgomery5983]

Big big nscale layout big big not small small big big

[@djstrains]

Haha