Thanks guys !! Glad you like the work. Here’s two more short videos to enjoy. First ones taken at Golden and the second was shot from the highway overpass at Clanwilliam.
The Weaver locos I have used Seuthe smoke units which are not great compared with what's out there today.
Just when I bought you couldn’t top the last video you topped it Myles! Once again your scenery is amazing! I love the power lines! They really give the scene a lot of believability.
where did you get the snow plow in the second video?
Thanks again guys. The comparison to smoke volume Dougklinks points out is absolutely correct. Smoke units produced 15 to 20 years ago have very little competition against the recent smoke belching behemoth models manufactured in the last decade. Brand name companies producing models of famous locomotives like the BigBoy and others, not only excelled in detail and sound, but also in their electronic fan driven smoke units. Keeping the visual illusion going could be compared to the prototype requiring refueling, water stops and coal top offs. To answer Phil’s inquiry on the snow plows. The models were produced many years ago by New Jersey International / Custom Brass, ( shown ) . These models can still be found at train shows and public Internet Sites at reasonable prices. Equally, MTH Corporation produced a very similar model made in plastic and metal painted in various popular road names. These are quite readily available and at a reasonable price.
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Old school TOFC on the CP--I love it! 
Thanks Jon. Any of the trailer flats I have are either MTH, Lionel or Max Gray. The 89 footers are all Atlas. CP operated an expeditor freight in the late 70’s early 80’s numbered “482 “. If your phone rang anytime around 5:30 - 6 am, you pretty much knew you were getting called for the ‘fast one’ !
Today I took some time to chase a couple trains around. The one I wanted to catch was a westbound steel gang on its way to the siding at Glacier. A great photo location is right in the valley at the East Portal of the Connaught Tunnel . Despite the light rainy condition's and filming in the shadows of Mt. Abbott, I tried a two camera shoot. I scrambled up to a higher viewpoint while my wife filmed along the trackside. After an hours wait, the work train was a no show, instead, we caught the Eastbound Train No. 2 “ The Canadian “ growling up grade with 7 cars. Here’s a couple views.
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When I decided to build a small o-scale switching layout I wanted to go 2-rail DCC and use a Protothrottle but the virtual absence of RTR switching locomotives (or pretty well any locomotives for that matter) forced me into 3-rail instead. I'm happy with the way my Lionel Legacy engines run and the 3-rail selection in general but it sure would be nice if Protothottle would license Lionels TMCC/Legacy command controls.
You 2-rail guys never fail to amaze me. Keep up the wonderful scenes!
@MainLine Steam posted:Thanks!
I would be interested in contacting the club in Cincinnati.
@Garfield Irwin posted:When I decided to build a small o-scale switching layout I wanted to go 2-rail DCC and use a Protothrottle but the virtual absence of RTR switching locomotives (or pretty well any locomotives for that matter) forced me into 3-rail instead. I'm happy with the way my Lionel Legacy engines run and the 3-rail selection in general but it sure would be nice if Protothottle would license Lionels TMCC/Legacy command controls.
I think you just didn't give 2 rail a good enough chance. For a switching layout I think you would have been happier if you went with 2 rail but I could be wrong. I did a quick search on website for The Public Delivery Track and Beth currently has 30 RTR 2 Rail locomotives in stock. Sure it is a lot less than what she has for 3 rail but it certainly isn't zero. Your post made it sound like there isn't a single 2 rail RTR locomotive available anywhere and that is just one source. You could have checked Mr.Muffins as well as a few others. If it didn't have to be brand new there is always Trainz and Ebay and of course the 2 rail shows where there are literally tons of locomotives. There is also the "O Scale Yard Sale" where private sellers sell O scale equipment.
https://groups.io/g/OSCALEYARDSALE
I am not sure exactly what locomotive you are looking for. Beth mostly has F units but she also has a GP38 and a SD35 along with a rare RSD15. With 2 rail you do need to have a little patience but I have never not found what I wanted eventually.
"I am not sure exactly what locomotive you are looking for."
I think he was looking for ready-to-run 2 rail O gauge locos with DCC installed. Perhaps he wasn't aware that MTH PS3 locos include DCC capability? Other than those, I'm not sure there are RTR O gauge locos with DCC installed or DCC ready. But I'm no expert on two rail O gauge.
@Landsteiner posted:"I am not sure exactly what locomotive you are looking for."
I think he was looking for ready-to-run 2 rail O gauge locos with DCC installed. Perhaps he wasn't aware that MTH PS3 locos include DCC capability? Other than those, I'm not sure there are RTR O gauge locos with DCC installed or DCC ready. But I'm no expert on two rail O gauge.
Thanks! You're correct...I didn't realize the MTH PS3's could be converted to 2-rail! Interesting. I'm happy with the way my "starter" 3-rail shelf switcher is coming, but will look into the 2-rail option if I can find the room for the larger curves/space needed for a continuous run layout. Cheers!
@Garfield Irwin posted:Thanks! You're correct...I didn't realize the MTH PS3's could be converted to 2-rail! Interesting. I'm happy with the way my "starter" 3-rail shelf switcher is coming, but will look into the 2-rail option if I can find the room for the larger curves/space needed for a continuous run layout. Cheers!
"I am not sure exactly what locomotive you are looking for." When I said that I meant I didn't know if you were looking for a switcher, a road switcher, mainline diesel, mainline steam or steam switcher, etc. All MTH locomotives with PS3 have DCC control and sound built in however not all of the MTH PS3 locomotives can run on 2 rail track out of the box. Out of the 30 or so RTR 2 rail locomotives that Beth has all but 2 of them have DCC and sound. The two that do not have MTH PS2. They still have sound and are still 2 rail but do not have the DCC decoder built in. If you ever decide to buy a MTH 2 rail locomotive be sure it has PS3 installed or else an upgrade is needed for DCC. Also most Atlas 2 rail locomotives have DCC/sound installed except for some Trainman engines that are conventional (without sound).
@Hudson J1e posted:"I am not sure exactly what locomotive you are looking for." When I said that I meant I didn't know if you were looking for a switcher, a road switcher, mainline diesel, mainline steam or steam switcher, etc. All MTH locomotives with PS3 have DCC control and sound built in however not all of the MTH PS3 locomotives can run on 2 rail track out of the box. Out of the 30 or so RTR 2 rail locomotives that Beth has all but 2 of them have DCC and sound. The two that do not have MTH PS2. They still have sound and are still 2 rail but do not have the DCC decoder built in. If you ever decide to buy a MTH 2 rail locomotive be sure it has PS3 installed or else an upgrade is needed for DCC. Also most Atlas 2 rail locomotives have DCC/sound installed except for some Trainman engines that are conventional (without sound).
Thanks for this. Yes, I was originally looking for 2-rail DCC switchers. (I currently have Legacy SW1 and SW8, and picked up a "smallish" GP30 in 3-rail that all run well on my modest 8' x 8' x 11' shelf switching layout. When looking at the time I couldn't find anything new and fit the bill so just went with 3-rail. I guess I should have looked a little closer but if I end up building a larger continuous running 2-rail layout it looks like I'll have a lot more options for sure. So far the 3-rail setup is working well for my needs and I'm not even minding the claw couplers! LOL
@Garfield Irwin posted:Thanks for this. Yes, I was originally looking for 2-rail DCC switchers. (I currently have Legacy SW1 and SW8, and picked up a "smallish" GP30 in 3-rail that all run well on my modest 8' x 8' x 11' shelf switching layout. When looking at the time I couldn't find anything new and fit the bill so just went with 3-rail. I guess I should have looked a little closer but if I end up building a larger continuous running 2-rail layout it looks like I'll have a lot more options for sure. So far the 3-rail setup is working well for my needs and I'm not even minding the claw couplers! LOL
One of your best source for 2-rail equipment are the 2-rail train shows held throughout the country. Your profile doesn't indicate where you live. O Scale West is this Memorial Day weekend (May 25-26) in Santa Clara, CA. Probably the biggest 2-rail show is the March Meet outside of Chicago next March. There are many others. Most are mid-west and east coast shows. NH Joe
@New Haven Joe posted:One of your best source for 2-rail equipment are the 2-rail train shows held throughout the country. Your profile doesn't indicate where you live. O Scale West is this Memorial Day weekend (May 25-26) in Santa Clara, CA. Probably the biggest 2-rail show is the March Meet outside of Chicago next March. There are many others. Most are mid-west and east coast shows. NH Joe
In the USA perhaps. Around here (south-west Ontario, Canada) o-scale anything is rare, and 2-rail is almost nonexistent from what I can tell. Regretfully, this is an online hobby when it comes to finding things to buy.
@Garfield Irwin posted:In the USA perhaps. Around here (south-west Ontario, Canada) o-scale anything is rare, and 2-rail is almost nonexistent from what I can tell. Regretfully, this is an online hobby when it comes to finding things to buy.
I don't have any good feeling for SW Ontario, but there are (were?) 2-rail clubs in:
HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA
Hamilton Society of Model Railroaders
LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA
London Model Railroad Group - www.lmrg.org
ST. JACOBS, ONTARIO, CANADA
St. Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway - www.stjacobsmodelrailway.com
Apparently in search of a new home....
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
Model Railroad Club of Toronto - www.modelrailroadclub.com
Very nice operations here on this thread I only found today!
2-rail is BIG, but not popular it seems, there are some who don’t even know we O scale 2-rail fans exist.
Here in Idaho, population nearly 2 million, I know of at least 4 O scale 2-rail home layouts, not including my proposed basement empire I hope to start someday, so not ‘one-in-a-million’, more like 2!
@myles Your layout is beautiful! I bet there are at least a few more here on this long thread, I will look when I have some time.
I have a bit of a layout in my garage, I call my ‘emergency model railroad’, I will post a YouTube link from my desktop, I can’t seem to do it from my phone.
For now I will post a silly meme I made which explains my love of BIG trains!
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@Russell - Idaho USA posted:Very nice operations here on this thread I only found today!
Here in Idaho, population nearly 2 million, I know of at least 4 O scale 2-rail home layouts, not including my proposed basement empire I hope to start someday, so not ‘one-in-a-million’, more like 2!
I have a bit of a layout in my garage, I call my ‘emergency model railroad’, I will post a YouTube link from my desktop, I can’t seem to do it from my phone.
Glad you found this thread. I will add 4 more layouts to the list! Look forward to your YouTube Link.
I have gotten to see so much more than I imagined when I started this Topic. A big THANK YOU all that have replied to keep this active.
I’m so glad this thread continues to grow! This is a video I did for O Scale Central. David Vaughn is narrating. 2-rail is one of the best kept secrets in the hobby, and there’s a lot more 2-railers and layouts (as this thread has shown) than many realized.
@ryanexpresstrains posted:I’m so glad this thread continues to grow! This is a video I did for O Scale Central. David Vaughn is narrating. 2-rail is one of the best kept secrets in the hobby, and there’s a lot more 2-railers and layouts (as this thread has shown) than many realized.
Thanks Ryan for posting! Like all your videos it is very professionally done! Wish I had seen it 3 years ago when I started moving from HO to O.
I think there are more 2 rail layouts than we think. When I go to O scale west I see people from all over who have layouts.
Thanks for the comment Russell, and your definitely right, there sure are some great layouts out there. They all reflect on the interest and enjoyment we have in the hobby whether under construction or close to completion. I don’t think there’s any greater satisfaction a modeler can have than with this expression of three dementional art .
The club guys were out this week to see the progress on the layout and run a few trains around. I took the time to advance the calendar several years and let them run something more modern.
It’s “ 2005 “ , and we catch an Eastbound heavy with grain, gas and lumber working hard West of “Box Canyon “. Then we see the same freight passing the depot at Golden. 
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That is a gorgeous layout, myles! It makes me want to take the train trip through the Canadian Rockies.
Thanks for the complements Ed . When I originally pictured the scenery ideas for this curved section, I invisioned scenes along the Clanwilliam and 3 Valley Gap areas, Digging through several photo I’d taken, I then combined the best angles and worked from there. Some compression and artistic licence filled in the rest . But I do find working from photos to be very helpful.
Myles, Ed said it so well!!
Sorry guys, I typed up some comments but forgot to add the video.
(so here we go again).
We’re on board the Westbound Canadian arriving at the crew change location of Golden. We pass by another Westbound mixed freight in the siding ready to couple back on after doing so switching. With the top vestibule Dutch door open we can watch the model world roll by.
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Another great video Myles! Very realistic!
I could have been in the car slowly driving beside the tracks, it is that realistic, Myles! Superb!
With these wonderful videos of 2-Rail O-Scale I cannot help but to wonder if that is the ultimate destination for us 3-railers. Does anyone remember Lorrel Joiner? He had a tremendous 2-rail O-scale layout, with some pictures in this thread - credit to New Haven Joe for them Lorell Joiner | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogrforum.com)
fwiw: there's a "Dream Plan Build" DVD that featured Lorrel's layout - I loved his urban scenes.
Paul, you have a very good point. I watched Lorrel Joiner’s video some time ago. One thing he had that I don’t, is a large basement. To go to 2 rail, I would have to go back to HO or N scale. I built layouts in both scales long ago.
Thanks for mentioning The Great Southern Paul. I did the 1300 mile trek down to see his layout, and it was an inspiration.
And you’re also right Mark . Lorre had that separate 40 x 60 foot building in the back yard just for the layout . When I was there, I didn’t realize he had the other separate rooms in there for painting etc. The problem with “O Scale” 2 rail is that the scale length coaches and large steam require the large radius curves so they don’t derail or bind. Unfortunately, for me, with the choice of equipment I’ve accumulated over the years, 72 inch minimum radius has become a standard.
P. S. ….. Thanks again for the great compliments on the videos guys, glad you enjoy them . We have a great time doin them !
I’m just found this thread…..my layout is just getting started…at least I finally have track down, and can run some trains. Working area (in my garage loft) is approximately 16’x33’ so my layout isn’t as ‘involved’ as I would have liked, but….i wanted a Tehachapi-eque loop, so that killed much of my ‘space’. The outside loop is basically a simple 16’x33’ rectangle. I hope to ‘dress it up’ with a siding and other interests.
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@Nu2Oscale posted:I’m just found this thread…..my layout is just getting started…at least I finally have track down, and can run some trains. Working area (in my garage loft) is approximately 16’x33’ so my layout isn’t as ‘involved’ as I would have liked, but….i wanted a Tehachapi-eque loop, so that killed much of my ‘space’. The outside loop is basically a simple 16’x33’ rectangle. I hope to ‘dress it up’ with a siding and other interests.
That really looks like a great use of the space you have. Congratulations. Please keep us posted!!
@Mark Boyce posted:Paul, you have a very good point. I watched Lorrel Joiner’s video some time ago. One thing he had that I don’t, is a large basement. To go to 2 rail, I would have to go back to HO or N scale. I built layouts in both scales long ago.
Hey Mark. You wouldn’t need a large basement for a great 2-rail layout. I’ve seen some very, very well done small 2-rail layouts that are interesting and fun to run.
@Nu2Oscale posted:I’m just found this thread…..my layout is just getting started…at least I finally have track down, and can run some trains. Working area (in my garage loft) is approximately 16’x33’ so my layout isn’t as ‘involved’ as I would have liked, but….i wanted a Tehachapi-eque loop, so that killed much of my ‘space’. The outside loop is basically a simple 16’x33’ rectangle. I hope to ‘dress it up’ with a siding and other interests.
I hope you can post more pictures of your layout, I like the Tehachapi loop.
@ryanexpresstrains posted:Hey Mark. You wouldn’t need a large basement for a great 2-rail layout. I’ve seen some very, very well done small 2-rail layouts that are interesting and fun to run.
H, Ryan! You do have a very good point. The shelf switching layout is a good example of hours of fun. With small switching engines and short cars, you can even make a run around the room for branch line running.
