I have a teaser for all of you. When the December issue of OGR comes out you are all in for a special treat. Last night Ginny and I visited Skip and Dianne Natoli and after about ninety seconds of welcomes, I bolted for the train room. I will admit I am prone to exaggeration and all manner of hyperbole but I was completely blown away by what Skip has been able to achieve.
I have seen a model railroad or two in my time and, goodness knows, thousands of railroads in photos. I am also a New York City boy, born and bred on the streets of Gotham. When I saw Skip's layout, my jaw dropped. I took lots of photos with my serious equipment and videos with my Iphone but I have promised Skip and "He Who Must Not Be Named (The Editor of OGR) not to show anything. I am free, however, to describe and post this on the Forum.
Skip's layout is not just a miniaturization of New York City, Skip wanted to capture the essence of New York City. NYC is enormous in its impact and scope and capturing that in a model railroad is all but impossible. Skip's layout says New York City with the power of a Mike Tyson punch in the face. The buildings are unlike any model buildings I have ever seen. I thought I was looking at the actual Empire State building, it goes all the way up to the top of a cathedral ceiling. I'm tall and I had to look up to see the top of it. Stupendous !!! Holy Smoke !! The lighting on and in the buildings took my breath away. The detail on the buildings is unlike anything I have ever seen. There is Grand Central and Penn Station and Macy's and the Chrysler building and Rockefeller Center and more and more. Bridges transect the scene and there is New York harbor and the trains run in and out of all of it. They appear and disappear. You cannot really know where they will be.
Skip made an association with a very famous designer, another "He Who Will Not Be Named" and there was a huge amount of teamwork. The fascia is as professionally done as any museum I have ever seen. Three huge ZW-L's great you with their iconic art deco lights. Switch controls line the front panel and Scrapiron Scher managed to touch one and cause a head on . . . . . . well that will be for Skip to tell you.
I could go on and on. Skip Natoli's layout has been years in the making and he has kept it largely hidden from his friends. Now it is ready for the model railroading world and, I have to say, this is one you have to see. Absolutely amazing. As Casey Stengel said, "You can look it up!" Natoli will shock the world. You'll love it in the photos, but you have to see it to believe it !!
