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This MR Video Plus exclusive layout visit to Tom Piccirillo’s Somerset County Traction System O scale layout reveals model railroad craftsmanship at its finest. Tom guides you on a tour of his freelance electric freight railroad, where the detailed scenery and scratch-built structures are just as remarkable as his intricate trackwork and functional overhead trolley wire. Plus, you’ll also be treated to a quick look at his well-appointed basement workshop that helps keep the layout running so flawlessly!
The photography is outstanding!
Superb. Stunning. Everything else has been said.
Regards from Australia.
back home again We moved out of Somerset County in 1985. Great layout with fond memories. We now live in Colorado Thanks Bill
Now that is a labor of love. Thank you for sharing your layout and what fun it must be on operating days. Really appreciated the weathering touches on many small spots and the bent last step on the stairs. Two thumbs up.
what's not to love? what a blessing to have the space the friends and all that talent in one prefect mega layout
I really enjoyed seeing a traction railroad that actually uses an energized wire for power.
Tremendous detail and wonderful hand laid track. It must have been a long and arduous journey for the Sacramento Northern steeple cab to make it to Elizabethport.
Splendid layout, Tom! From the opening car float scene to the conclusion it was masterful. I really appreciate following car 695 throughout it's daily chores and the very helpful narration. The wide shot stop at the station with car 695 perfectly balancing the scene as other trains rolled through was great. The scenery is very convincing and MRVP crew deserves cudos for super production work. Thanks again for a great visit and I hope there are more to come soon. Good guitar work and do you whistle as well? Thanks again.
That was great, thanks!!
Tom: Wow! Beautifully done, Sir! This is quite inspiring for this HO'er who has yet to get as far as the SCTS. A lot of the scenes are worthy of imitation! Hats off to David and his crew for bringing this to us. Our teacher/advisor at the club in high school always said, "Traction is where the action is!" You've just proven him right, after all! ….43 years later.
That was an excellent video. Great to see trolley operating on over head wires.You, sir, are to be commended.
I had the privilege of operating on Tom's layout and it was indeed a privilege. Tom's operating scheme included a "rolling staging" with the Easton & Amboy. It worked great. The video showed the train and interchange but not how the "staging" worked. It worked flawlessly, but I'm sure didn't make terrific video. and Tom's attention to detail, is only partially shown in the video. Obviously, in a 16:00 minute layout visit MRVP video can't cover or show everything in Tom's Somerset County Traction System and Easton & Amboy, it certainly gives the feel of ozone, creosote, coal dust, the smell of the sea and the sounds of a working railroad. It was a great operating experience and a well done video tour.
Tom's even more talented then I thought, as I heard and read he also played the guitar on some of the video. Thanks for the tour. Hope there are more to come.
Great Job.. Outstanding detail to the layout. Great video well filmed. It was a pleasure to watch the video with having the operation being done rather than watching a train run around the layout
a beautiful piece of work!
Thanks for the video! I really like this layout, the scenery is amazing!
Wow, simply amazing!! Really enjoyed watching.
Magnificent!
Great layout and great presentation!!
I love this railroad. Traction has a lot of visual appeal and Tom has done a great job of integrating the standard and narrow gauge lines as well. It was good to see where all my Micro Mark tools come from 🙂
I am not sure what I enjoyed watching more: the railroad . . . or the workshop! 🙂 Great video thank you for sharing!
Very impressive. That foot bridge over the tracks at the station looks very 'British'. Is it? (And that's a workshop and a half!)
Wow Tom, that is a super piece of railroad craftsmanship. Very well done. Being from NJ, I've been to many of those little towns and have seen those very lines as a small boy. Just wonderful layout. Thanks.
Nicely done! 13 years you say. I don't feel so bad when I am building my N scale layout!
So much detail and so much fun to look at. Tom needs a 3-d printer for his workshop!
I was really impressed by the large passenger station! Wow!
Traction takes me back to when I was about seven years old and used to ride the interurban from my home in Ankeny to Des Moines with my mother before she got a car. Used to see steeple cab engines pulling freight cars going through town before they converted to diesel. Really enjoyed this video. Beautiful shop set up.
Enjoyed the trip around your railroad. Very nice work.
Wow!.The workshop and the railroad are very impressive.
What a beautiful railroad! I really enjoyed this video!