Thank you! Lots of scenes like this still to go on the layout -I'll be keeping busy ;)

Awesome, glad this puts a bit of good mood on a rainy day!

Thanks Chris, always a treat to catch up with you in the comments!

Glad to know it passes spec on that . Selective compression on a layout is a tricky thing, because at some point there will be at least one element that just becomes fantasy on there. For the trucks, I pretty much just rolled mine around in there like a kid would, to get an idea if it was feasible.

Thank you Keith!

Thanks Jeff, it's a good reason to hang on to a layout for a while as skills build.

Thank you Fabian!

Thanks Brooklyn! Have you posted any images of your layout? Seems quite cool from what you've described here.

@@ChicagoCrossingRR I’ve never really thought about posting images of my layout, although I’ve taken a few over the years. I don’t have a KZfaq channel or anything like that as a medium for sharing. Perhaps I should think about it, but the layout has always been an outlet for my creative side, something I’ve worked at singularly for the best part of twenty years. I do take a little heat from friends and family, being a woman in a predominantly male hobby. They’ve accepted the fact that I’m the “train girl”, but I’m still shy about sharing my interest in it. If I do post pictures, I’ll be sure to let you know.

@@brooklyngraham1151 certainly worthwhile even if not on a medium like KZfaq. You're right to point out the extreme gender disparity as a pain point, which I imagine has the potential to make it difficult to advocate for the hobby or one's place in it without feeling the associated cultural headwinds. I've seen a few model railroaders who are female on YT, I'm curious as to what their experiences are. In any case, eric.pietras(at)gmail is my address if you want to share without all others looking in.

Thanks Steve, glad they're useful and thank you for supporting the channel!!

Thank you Folkert!

Thank you Mark!

Thank you Scott! I’d never thought of gravel dust, that’s a great idea. I enjoy how our models can inspire resourcefulness in materials :)

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Yes sir! Helps the budget too!!

@@kahunatiki6498 that's a big motivator for me in not buying every color of grass or turf out there, and just painting it instead :) More money for other cool stuff!

Thank you, and BTW really great job on that harbor...

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Thanks very much, it's a longer project!

@@pacificcoastminiatures all the fun ones are!

It's very true, and oddly enough provides a lot of instant gratification. 'Big' projects on my layout can take a good while :)

Thanks Bruce!

Thank you Alan!

Thank you John!

Thank you!

Thank you Jason - it's a blast watching your N scale vids these days!

Thank you Kinny!

Thanks!

Thanks Luc - trying to get as much done as possible while I've got good eyesight :)

@@ChicagoCrossingRR The goal here is to have fun. For me, nothing gives me more satisfaction in life than doing things most people can't do ! Scenic is I think the most difficult thing to do. Not only it request talent but most of all... good taste ! Keep on your good work.

@@lucgagnon5241 thank you! Absolutely agree. For me the pleasure of the artistic journey keeps me coming back to this same little set of models. There's always more to do, but never a particular requirement on agenda or order of operations. My career is quite the opposite so this offers some more freeform time.

Sure thing, you’re welcome to show the layout. I’m Eric Pietras. Cheers!

😅I suppose you're right about that!! It's funny how big the scene looks on video or as a photo because many of the other visual cues that provide information on 'real' size are missing. I went down to the layout the next day and thought, 'all that energy for maybe 20 sq inches of space!'

@@ChicagoCrossingRR 20 sq. inches of space=big impact.

@@thomasdecker7631 absolutely Thomas!

🤣😂🤣😂

Thanks!

@@ChicagoCrossingRR New sub here. I'm planning on an HO layout down the road and just doing some homework and getting inspired and the detail and realism in your layout is off the charts! (as well as the aesthetics and thoughtfulness of the whole configuration)

That's correct Alan this is on an N-scale layout. From a modeling perspective I think both scales offer distinct challenges. For N, the physical size of the models offers challenge for those wanting to incorporate a level of detail that approaches the sort found more commonly in HO. In HO, I suspect the greater size of the models makes them less forgiving for errors in details. For instance, in N scale I can make representations of graffiti art that in HO would be expected to be much more finely crafted. Just my thoughts on it.