This is What we Started with

Wow! You have come a long way.  The layout should be listed as one of the wonders of the modern world!

-Greg

You sure have come a long way, Ben. The best in O-Gauge.

The best 2-rail O gauge scale layout you will ever see, is being built in Casco, Maine.

Dedication, desire and determination equals one fantastic club and layout. Ben, I just wish I lived a little closer.

Ben, That is a great layout. I hope that someday I will get to see it.

And the rest is history. Well done everyone.

Ben, GREAT pics!!!  I like the old layout.  Man, that's a big basement.  Thanks for posting these pics.  BTW, the new layout is GREAT too!!!  LOL

 

Rick

Mind boggling.

.....

Dennis

Absolutely amazing! I had the privilege to see it when the subway construction had just started, and the hotels weren't on the scene. There were many other changes such as Ballantine moving and the mine moving up the mountain. Every visit produces yet another WOW; I didn't see that before. Looking forward to the next visit.

I love the smell of cut wood early in the morning :-)

 

Good to see the photo progression, when a layout is almost complete (they never are finished) it's hard to remember what you started with, great pictures.

Ben,

That turned out to be a great layout. It was really nice of Marty, Matt, and Bernie to give the club that room to build there layout in. It has turned out to be a great thing to promote the hobby and the club has become a strong and well organized presence in the O-gauge community. I thoroughly enjoy going there and talking to the guys and watching the trains run.

Matt and Marty used to come to my train store back then in Hillsdale,Nj. I remember Marty telling me they installed web cams in that room. Matt jumped behind the counter and logged into the website and down loaded the software so I could see the cameras. From that time on I always checked in with those cameras and saw the progression of that layout and club.

Thanks for sharing those pictures.

Mike R

Holly shnikees.Amazing!Nick

Ben,

 

Great pictures you guys have come a long way, and seeing this gives me the inspiration

to move ahead and build another beautiful layout

 

Thanks

Alex

Ben do they have photos of the layout from start to finish on display at the club?
If you don't I would consider it just so all your guests can appreciate all the the hours of hard work that whent into the layout.

Very nice, we all dream about having that much room for a model RR.

Ben,

 

Inspirational!

 

I hope to go see the layout and visit with you guys; perhaps this year. Judy is anxious to go as well. BTW, do you have a layout (drawing) that shows the entire layout as it is currently?

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Alex

What an amazing sequence of photos - Sure hope to be able to visit someday!

 

 

Awesome!   Thanks Ben.

WOW now that is one great layout! Thanks for posting Ben.

 

even before the Franklin Lakes layout there was this

 

Amazing.

Ben,

 

it's incredible what you guys have been able to accomplish. Your layout is a masterpiece. But what impresses me the most about the NJ HiRailers club is the sense of family that I experience every time I visit.  It is a great sense of warmth, friendship and camaraderie. A father's love for his son  was a big driving force with this project.  That is the foundation that the whole club is built upon. This demonstrates that great things can be accomplished with hard work, dedication, passion and love of trains.  

 

I am proud to have met Marty, Matt, Bernie, Ben, Chef Vinnie, John and the entire NJ HiRailers club.  Every time we have a LCCA Special Event our members have a great time and appreciate the hospitality the club extends.   We hope to get back there soon.

 

al Kolis 

Ben,

 

Great evolution of a layout, which I am sure will continue.

 

George

Wow, Ben! You folks have come a long way, and in not too long a time really. Great effort by great folks! Love visiting you at Trainstock. Next year's date (Jan. 16, 2016) is already on the calendar! Thanks for sharing pix of the "early" days.

 

Happy training and God bless America.

 

Chris

Very impressive. It was nice to see some photos from the early stages of the layout. That's a lot of layout built in a pretty short time. Think you for posting, very interesting.

Funny you should ask that  Chris Lord and John Eckrote worked for months to record the track plan.  Chris just printed it up and it is hanging on our wall.  You have to see it in parts to  appreciate it.

 

Thank you, Ben!

 

Looking at those drawings reminds me of UP's Bailey Yard in North Platte.

Do you know whether your layout (NJHR) is the largest O-Gauge 3-Rail in the USA?

 

Alex

What a difference 12 years make. Those photos should inspire us all to reach for our dreams in building our own layouts. Thanks for posting them Ben. They sure would look great hanging up in the NJ HiRailers club somewhere.

It is and was hanging at Trainstock.  Look behind these guys  ( I think Stu has a gun at his back )

 

Hi Ben

 

     Great Photos! Is this a stress test on the benchwork to see if it would hold up under a "Big Boy"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best

 

Ray Marion

 

I have no idea and really don't care about tags of largest this or best that or most of this or most of that.    All I really care about is people coming into our house and having a good time.

 

 

Cmon Ray you know the test was 20 of us dancing up there

Here's a PDF of it.

 

After you download it zoom in, it's extremely hi-rez and you can zoom way in. 

 

As a side bonus, Chris and John's track plan coincidentally can double as a diagram for basic modeling of Particle Physics known as String Theory, and has been slightly modified  (see below) for classroom use at both CalTech and M.I.T.  

 

 

 

- Mike

chris n johns track layout plan and Mike Carusos' diagram remind me of the opening scene from "The Outer Limits".

 

  No wonder you guys are into trains..........it all makes sense now! (lol)

 

Who drew the short straw on making the wiring diagram? I bet that was (or will be) a real challenge!  

 

What do you power all that with anyway? Is it both DCS and Legacy? 

Fantastic pics!

 

Peter

Yes it is Legacy ,DCS and conventional all at once  Track power is supplied by 17 MTH Z4000's, one Lionel ZW-L and one MRC AC185.  Accessory power comes from a number of different sources  There are about 10 MRC ACDuals, two commercial transformers, and 10 DC power supplies

Wow, you guys have done an incredible job , Ben.

 

Brad