Best Model Railroad YouTubers

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I saw a related comment about model railroader youtubers in the Model Railroader magazine thread. Rather than derail that thread, I thought starting another one was a better idea.

I suppose I could search for this, but YouTube is so “current” that things change fast. I’ve subscribed to some channels that I thought had potential, only to see them disappear after a few videos.

Anyway, YouTube got me back into this hobby. First, the videos of some people’s layouts were just awe-inspiring. Then later, other YouTubers built a lot of inspiration in me.

Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve noticed and enjoy, please add to it if you can. I’d like to know who you guys think are really good (granted, there are some bad ones out there).

Model Railroading - Larry Puckett is simply a class act when it comes to model railroading, electronics, and building. I’ve watched everything he does and wait every Friday (Mondays now, too) for his videos.

SMT Mainline - This young man single-handedly built my enthusiasm for returning to the hobby. He’s taught me that you can just have fun running locomotives. On one video, he actually re-wound a motor armature!!. And I thought I was a qualified DIY-er. Wow!

Sam’s Trains - From across the pond, so most of the locomotives are unfamiliar, but he is probably the most consistent and professional model railroader on YouTube besides Larry Puckett. He does American locos occasionally, but is often just an amazing source of information about hobby in UK. They are really, really serious about the hobby over there!

Doctor Hobby - a little bit of a diversion (don’t look too closely at his layout construction) but this guy has one heck of a lot of passenger trains! That’s sort of my interest, too, so his stuff is very entertaining for me. He also

2

You forgot Luke Towan

3

I have a few gripes against SMT Mainline (I find his “restoration” jobs to be of low quality and lazy, with only temporary fixes. Getting something to run is easy. getting something to run WELL is hard.) and James Wright (also find his videos lack luster, I can get basically all the info I need from online, he doesn’t provide much info besides a 360 of the model.

Some personal favorites:

Darthsantafe - extensive mechanism rebuilds and reworks, very good information to know.

Norm C****harbonneau - beautiful layout with good guides on weathering and fantastic attnetion to detail. Explains his though process very well, and a likable guy. One of the few O scale modelers who models it seriously.

Some other channels who dont speak but have beautiful layouts/models and are inspirations for me include Dferg100 (beautiful weathering, models north east steam), Wilcox38 (models NYC steam era with realistic consists), and Vic Voder (insanely detailed ATSF consists)

Charles

4

I’ve watched many of your videos. “Getting something to run is easy.” - maybe for you, but I assure you, that doesn’t apply to everyone. You’ve graduated to getting old brass to run, which IMHO, is quite an accomplishment.

Yeah, Harrison has probably milked the “let’s get it to run” thing maybe too much, but he’s been doing it for a long time. I still think it’s amazing. I buit my first layout in '72 and have dealt heavily in DIY audio electronics for the last 20 years. Yet, I would’ve never considered that repairing old locos was as possible as he makes it.

There are many others who probably feel the same. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting such good deals on brass locos that you are able to

5

Many of the ones listed are already on my “subscribed” list, but I see a couple that I’ll have to check out. One of my favorites is from a local guy djstrains. He gives a good mix of modeling and real life railroading. Not only is he a modeler, he’s also been an engineer for CSX for a while and an accomplished drone pilot. He gives quite a bit of prototype information with flyovers and then gives information on how to model it.

…Paul

6

Let me add 2 European guys:
Everard Junction, very detailed model of urban/suburban UK railroading in OO c1990. Shows his construction and detailing projects in explicit detail (maybe too detailed, but that’s why YouTube offers 1.5x and 1.75x speed).
Marklin of Sweden - Cool modeling of European HO. Great at interesting topics like detailing, building and animation WHEN HE IS hand-crafting and showing some manual techniques and not just downloading STL files for his AnyCube 3D printer (yay - he downloaded this file and printed 10 lumber loads - maybe its the future, but it is rather dull).
However, I WILL one day try his tissue-paper and glue water modeling technique!

And since this is a Kalmbach forum, I have to throw in EARLY Kathy Millatt, specifically when she still had the Mini-Kathys skits. IMO, she started wandering off topic awhile back. and I am not sure she still does Model Railroading…

7

What about James Wood. Builder of the Escarpment? Quite facinating what he has done. I dont agree with his roadbed choice of some kind of tbin felt type material but it works for him, looks great and his layout is extremely clean and well built.

** Correction- its Jason Wood

My mistake

8

I like to watch people that do things I would also like to do.

DarthSantaFe and ASD_ASX are my two favorites.

-Kevin

9

I am getting back up to speed after a couple of years out. I find Rons Trains and Things and Jimmy’s DIY & Digital very informative - Jimmy because he runs N Scale on Kato track the same as me (I do US outline as well even though I am in the UK). If you want a great UK based column check out Charlie Bishop at Chadwick Model Railway - fortnightly and excellent. If you wan t to see some money being spent, check out McKinley Railway is huge with lots of automation.

In the meantime , check out my blog at http://www.gmrblog.co.uk

10

I just realized that no-one mentioned Chandwell who does very good modeling (IMO) of c1993 Urban Britian in UK-N scale.
What’s good is IMO, similar to Everad junction, he focuses on a building project or scene and follows it thru in detail over several videos - yeah, lots of guys do that as well, but 1) He seems to be a master of making cheap card and acetate scraps look great (and the running total he posted on his Grand Hotel series was amusing, the total being less than £10 at the end for a building that would cost maybe 70 as a premade kit). SMT OTOH, I only watch his videos when he is ‘reviving’ some rather rate item. Sorry, but some Tyco gimmick from the late 1970s doesn’t hold all that much interest for me. Oh well.

11

Marklinofsweden does a good job of scratch building and such from The low budget aspect

12

I will check him out!

You’re right! djstrains is very good. I had to leave a few off in my initial post. I guess it’s because he’s N-gauge and I’m HO. Also, I’m not that interested in current railroading … yet, which is the focus of his drone movies. His stuff is very, very good, though. I caught an interview he gave on a totally different YouTube channel (forget which) and he talked a lot about being an engineer. It was very informative!

[quote user=“chutton01”]

Let me add 2 European guys:
Everard Junction, very detailed model of urban/suburban UK railroading in OO c1990. Shows his construction and detailing projects in explicit detail (maybe too detailed, but that’s why YouTube offers 1.5x and 1.75x speed).
Marklin of Sweden - Cool modeling of European HO. Great at interesting topics like detailing, building and animation WHEN HE IS hand-crafting and showing some manual techniques and not just downloading STL files for

13

I’ve seen some of these modelers before. I’ve enjoyed material from Ken Patterson, Stephen Bennett, Kathy Millat (she did recently tear down her NH layout), Luke Towan, rcgrabbag (huge above the garage layout), mpeterll, and several channels dedicated to showing off layouts like Need 4 Life and Pilentum. Lots of good stuff out there!

14

Good evening

Been watching Luke Towan’s tutorials for quite a long time. Besides being a likable kind of Joe, he doesn’t screw around showing something. He maintains your attention span by moving right along to keep things interesting. Quite a few things I’ve picked up from Luke over the years.

Like Rick Reimers rock carving tutorials 1 & 2 as well. A little slower paced but he does the best foam rock carvings I’ve ever seen.

TF

15

IC Tom, likely we don’t need to remind you to review the back catalog of the channels of those 'Tubers (they have no influence over me) who have drifted over the years. Like Kathy who before she went off…on a different tangent (was it the MR sponsorship that went to her head?) did a lot of good videos demostrating techniques for realistic roads, fields, scenery - much of it pretty useful. Same with Luke Towen (who still does quirky stuff like the recent escalator, but IMO he used to be more relevant - probably before he started flipping spray cans).

Oh dear, shades of Jason Jensen Trains when the Gundam bug bites him (one diorama he built 2 decrepit* looking DPM buildings, and put a captured Gundam in the unkempt lot between them - the back story being the residents used it as a local power source…eh, yeah, OK dude).

  • In reality, everything he seems to build is made to look downright decrepit - he takes the grit and grim of George Sellios’s Franklin & South Manchester, turns it up way past 11 to 30 or so and boom. Among other things, he seems to insist that every clapboard house & building in IIRC '30s…New England maybe…had busted and broken boards and chipped, discolored paint. Makes you want to tell him to calm down, not everything looks like Hollywood’s dark vision of late 1970s NYC.
    Anyway, hopefully you are not ignoring the 'Tube’s recommendations - for example recently it recommended a video from Boomer Diorama (River Road) which dealt with constructing a simple chain-link fence out of plastic - which I had plans to do, but his met
16

Lol, I didn’t realize I had so many YouTube subscriptions. Here are my favorites by category:

For model layouts and/or construction progress:

The CB&Q in Wyoming

https://www.youtube.com/@mapruitt

HO Scale Union Pacific Model Railroad

https://www.youtube.com/@Rochsub

Santa Ana Industrial Lead Model RR

https://www.youtube.com/@SAILModelRR

Santa Fe’s Raton Subdivision Model Railroad

https://www.youtube.com/@santafesratonsubdivisionmo2715

NSmodeler24

https://www.youtube.com/@nsmodeler24

For model railroad operations:

So Cal Scale Models

https://www.youtube.com/@socalscalemodels

Long Island Rail Road, Montauk Branch

https://www.youtube.com/@longislandrailroadmontaukb982

Manhattan Terminal Railroad (HO)

https://www.youtube.com/@manhattanterminalrailroadh9776

BeerLineModeler

https://www.youtube.com/@beerlinemodeler

Robert Todd

https://www.youtube.com/@roberttodd1642

For Railfanning/H

17

Wow… So many resources… Many thanks! I wish I could have time to watch these and learn.

Jerry

18

I’ve watched Larry Puckett for over a year now and sometimes I just want to yell at the screen, “Show us your Piedmont Southern layout!” He did just that recently, but he focused on one area at a time, like reviewing dioramas. They looked great, but I’d really like to get an idea of his overall plan and what it looks like. I can say the same about almost any other You-Tuber out there, though. It’s frustrating!

If Im not mistaken, the Piedmont Southern is published on Model Railroaders teack plan database

19

https://www.youtube.com/@NorthCountryTrains

https://www.youtube.com/@mapruitt

[:)]

20

A couple that haven’t been mentioned yet.

Daniel Cortopassi is one I really like. His locomotive build and detail series are really good resources if you are into superdetailing diesels, especially the Blue Box SD40-2 series he did back when he was on TSG.

https://youtube.com/@DanielCortopassi

Brian Banna is also a favorite. He has many complete start to finish detailed diesel builds as well.

https://youtube.com/@6axlepwr