Steve Goaring’s Illinois Terminal Railroad ... | August 2026 WHATS NEAT

On the August 2026 What's Neat >> We go and look at Steve Goring's beautiful layout. Just an amazing layout with regards to fidelity, [music] small little intimate scenes that are absolutely very realistic. >> [music] [music] >> The What's Neat show is sponsored by Lombard Hobbies, your value hobby shop for over 40 years of [music] modelers helping modelers. Big inventory, value pricing, fast shipping, and great [music] service. And by Broadway Limited Imports, the cutting edge leader in model trains. >> [music] >> Check out their website at broadway-limited.com. And by Bachmann Trains. Now, that's the way to run a railroad. Check out their website at bachmanntrains.com. And thank you for helping us support the best hobby in the world. This [music] is the What's Neat this week's show for August 2026. I'm your host Ken Patterson, and this month we've got a really good [music] show in that we go and look at Steve Goring's beautiful layout. Just an amazing layout with regards to [music] fidelity, small little intimate scenes that are absolutely very realistic. Um the scenery blends with the walls. You are going to love and pick up tips from this month's video. Also this month, guess what? I've got Matt Stern standing right next to me from Bachmann Industries, and we were going to talk about on this show some beautiful brand new die work of some passenger cars. Matt, why don't you fill in the viewers about that? Really nice having you here, not just on the phone. >> I know. I know. It's It's It's a It's a different experience. >> Going to help me clean some of these engines? >> Uh I think I got to go somewhere. >> [laughter] >> Um but no, these are uh really cool cars, actually. So, it's our 1900s era uh 68-ft passenger car. Um it's uh a wood side car or uh you know, it's supposed to look like a wood side car. Um the design that it's based on is actually the uh cars they use [music] on the Strasburg Railroad. >> Yes. >> Um so, very iconic cars. Um originally Boston and Maine origin. Um primarily on the Strasburg Railroad, they did find their way to other railroads around the country. There's even a couple of running with the uh uh tall trees or big trees in Pacific [music] in in Santa Cruz, California. Um so, they made it around the country. And there's there were lots of other cars with [music] their similar styles from the early 1900s. So, we've done a few paint schemes. We've done, of course, Strasburg with two road numbers. Um we've also done the New York Central and Hudson River. >> Nice. >> Really nice wine red scheme. Probably my favorite. I don't have a reason to use those, unfortunately, but um if I had to choose, that would be my favorite one. >> You know, something like this, I'm telling you, could lead to a whole line of new possibilities with regards to that era of cars. >> Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. >> Um it's it's it's neat to see the fidelity of what you're doing on these models. >> Yeah. So, we got New York Central and Hudson River. We got Strasburg, of course. We've got Pennsylvania Railroad, and we've got Southern Pacific in really nice olive green. Um so, it's a really really nice car. The detail is fantastic on them. Uh >> They've got interiors, right? >> interiors, of course. Um not just uh seating, but they've also got the part of my favorite feature on them is they have the potbelly stove in the corner on one side, and you can see the pipe going up, which meets the uh the stack in the roof. They're really nice detail. They've got separate truss rods underneath that really complete and tie in the look. It's It's a really fantastic-looking car. >> We had an NMRA show here that was pretty good uh recently. Um you guys made some announcements at that. >> Yeah. Um, obviously the biggest one was the Cascades arrow. >> Yes. What a beautiful train. >> I know. I know you like your Siemens passenger cars. >> yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like, hello. Look. But, yeah. >> [laughter] >> And you got the smaller one. >> I love these. I love this train. The one that was yellow, it's over in my office over there. In HO scale was beautiful. [music] So, you've got a whole new consist of those coming out. >> Yeah, and it's actually the arrow cars. These are the venture cars. The arrow cars are kind of the updated version. So, it's going to be new tooling. Um, the cab car is totally new tooling. Um, we've also got the ALC-42E locomotive that accompanies it as well. It's like the ALC-42s, but it's got a little bit of a different configuration on the back to facilitate they've got a plug back there to allow it to run off auxiliary battery power. >> So, your die are your models are really adaptable to different parts for the different changes of the prototype, aren't they? >> Yeah, very much like the prototype. You know, there's a common product that they, you know, can adapt and change as the railroads require. So, we can do the same with the models. >> That's awesome because I know the front end of some of these Siemens engines that I've got. There's quite a few down here. I don't know where they all are, but the front ends are different on all of these. The headlight arrangements were different, and I was impressed with that through the years as that was going on. So, yeah. Rock and roll. Um, anything else from the NMRA that you wanted to talk about? >> Yeah, I mean, we've also got, of course, one of our most requested items since we announced it in N scale last year as we're doing the 1900s era our 19th century 4-6-0 in HO now. >> Okay. >> Um, so that'll be a cool um, locomotive for anybody modeling the turn of the century. >> Oh, collector's piece for sure. >> Um, and one of the road names, notable road names that we're doing that's different from the N scale version is we're actually doing the Sierra Railway number three, which is the also known as Hollywood's most famous locomotive. If you hear a steam whistle in a Hollywood movie, particularly an older one, if you see a locomotive in a live action movie, it's probably Sierra number three. There you go. So, that'll be one of the locomotives we're including in this series. Comes with TCS Wow Sound. Um it's got uh all the detail and functionality you'd expect from you know, other similar locomotives we've done recently. Um we're also bringing back the ES44AC. >> Nice. >> Um that we've only ever done before as part of our New York uh New York Central as part of our uh Norfolk Southern Heritage series. >> Right. >> Um so, we we're bringing back in some uh actual um just uh corporate road name paint schemes. So, so we're doing CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Canadian National. We're also doing um a couple of CSX heritage or commemorative units. We're doing the first responders and the uh law enforcement um commemorative locomotives. >> I see lots of beautiful photographs coming up. >> Yes. So, when you were at the NMRS show, you saw our friend Curtis from Broadway Limited. And Curtis gave us some cars to talk about on the show tonight, too. This is a brand new car from Broadway Limited. This is the ARA 70-ton four-bay hopper car that I'm showing you. I've got one of them here on the table, too. This thing's got a real coal load in it. You can touch it. We We love Curtis. Um this thing comes with the various paint schemes on the side for Union Pacific uh the streamliners and serves all the West. And I shot these outside and I'm showing you the interior shots of the car. The slope work is always one way that I like to look at a car, take out the coal load, and see the detail. And they knocked it out of the park on this. Nice car. It came in a six-pack set that they sent me this month. Check these out at the Broadway [clears throat] Limited website. Thank you very much to all the folks Broadway Limited and Bachmann Industries and Lombard Hobbies for helping us support this show for the best hobby in the world. And with that said, be sure to check out the What's Neat This Week video podcast that we shoot every Saturday night. We say that, but as you can see, the studio's hopping on one foot. But we're keeping up a decent schedule throughout the month of at least three to four shows a month and we're going to continue with that production. So with that, let's continue on with the rest of this August 2026 What's Neat. For this segment of What's Neat, [music] I'm with Steve Goring in beautiful Illinois. We saw a lot of God's country coming over here, Steve, and you've modeled that same on your layout here. Now, I've been wanting to see your layout for 5 years since you've been talking about it and I've seen it in the various magazines over the years, but what a treat. Tell us about your passion for this hobby. >> Well, it started when I was young, 4 years old. I grew up in Marseilles, Illinois along the Illinois Central. Uh my dad always said as soon as I could walk, any time I heard a train, I'd go running in the backyard to watch it go by. So it's always been uh good parts passion of my life. Just not the models, but taking pictures and uh this is the fourth layout I've built. The first three were in my other houses and they never got to this stage of completion and they're never really complete. But uh so yeah, it's uh it's always been a thing with me. I worked uh if you want to talk about an apprenticeship, I worked on D J and R and R Railroad for 30 years. So uh learned a lot there. >> Yeah, what a great layout. As they're seeing the video of your layout, I'm sure everybody's seeing the same thing I saw when I walked in the room. You've got a good eye for make making the perspective viewing of everything fit. The background, the foreground, you've really mastered the technique of making things look perspectively correct when you're standing there. And as an illustration, we've got this clip of a train running through one of your railroad crossings. And I've seen this done on a gentleman's layout before, but you've nailed it with regards to matching the roads up with the background scenery, and then your backdrops aren't just aren't just glued in place, [music] they're feathered. Tell us a little bit about what went into creating the realistic effect [music] you have. >> Well, a lot of it went into I would walk the old right-of-way, which is now a walking trail. Took pictures along at all the places I knew were going to be modeled. I brought them home. Uh printed them out in 8 by 10 in sheets. Cut the sky out of them. >> [music] >> Then I'd glue them on with uh 3M Super 77 uh glue. And then of course with the sky cut out, I tried to fix it. My wife did not like that, and so she started in by feathering the colors in and everything. And as she got doing it, she got better at it and ended up coming back and doing the original which she started [music] at. So yeah, she's very good at what she's done there. She even put a tree in on one crossing that I didn't notice. >> No, that's amazing. Not only did she feather the scenery, but she also added atmosphere by adding a little gray to the tree line. I noticed that when we were shooting some of this video. So tell us about what year this is. Tell us about the layout itself, a little bit about the era. >> Well, the era is 1961, summer. >> [music] >> We actually modeled July 18th, which is as close as we can get. Um it used to it was the old Illinois Central or Illinois Terminal's O'Fallon branch that ran from Troy Junction off the main line south. It interchanged with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Pate, which is short for Pennsylvania Illinois Terminal. >> [music] >> Then it ran on down to a Fallon, went into a Fallon, crossed the Baltimore and Ohio where it interchanged there. It serviced the lumber yard, it had a team track, and then serviced St. Ellen mine. >> That's very, very beautiful. You said the height of the slide is about 54 in, and I suspect, just based on rumors around town, that this might be an operational layout. It's a point-to-point. >> Oh, yes, it's a point-to-point. >> So, you are really into that aspect what I call work, but you call fun is operation. Now, tell us a little bit about what goes into that. >> Well, in our operation sessions, we usually have two people. We have [music] four trains that run the railroad, and uh we have the uh Alton Yard and road job, the Alton mine job, services the mine. We have an Illinois Central that comes from Mont, where the IT and the IC crossed one another, and that's a fictional train servicing Springfield Power and Light. So, it runs up here to the mine as well with IC power. And then uh we have a fourth train, the McKinley Yard and road job, >> [music] >> which runs from McKinley Yard up here to Troy Junction, and interchanges cars that have been picked up from the B&O and the Pennsy that go to uh McKinley. >> Right. Now, earlier, when we had just arrived here, Joshua was demonstrating something over here with a lock and a key, and I shot video of that where we started the train right here. I think it was stopped. Why don't you walk me through the video that we're watching where the train is here, and then Joshua had to do something with this lock? >> Yes, what we do is is years ago, and this is modeled as prototypically close as I can get it. Um the Illinois Terminal would come down here to the station, would stop. The conductor had to come along, go over to the B&O cabin, unlock the unlock the door, and go in. Now, I've replicated that with this little box on the side of my fascia. When he would go in, he would hit a button that would check the B&O for three blocks each way to make sure there were no trains coming. Now, when he pushed that button, the door locked going into the cabin, so he could not get out of the cabin until they cleared the signals. Cleared the signals. Um [music] the IT crossed, and then he hit the button again to reset it. And once it was reset, then the lock then the door would unlock itself. >> Wow. >> And they did this because back in the 1940s, an IT crew came down here. They crossed over, but they did not reset the interlock back to the B&O. And in those days, there were frequent freight trains and passenger trains. So, for about 3 hours, the B&O didn't didn't know why they had red boards >> [music] >> up until they found out. Well, once they found out, then they took care of that issue. >> Wow. Safety first. Yeah. But, that's amazing that you had the insight to model that, which meant not only did you get the scenery right, but you're modeling accurate locations. >> Yes. I've actually had a couple of IT guys come in. One of them, Gary Forshaw, retired IT guy, and he came and looked at the railroad. And he said Yeah, he says it looks very, very good operational wise and scenery wise. He said it looks just like it. In fact, he gave me this, which is actually out of that tower, which was the B&O signal. Yeah. >> All right, let's take the seriousness away from it. Let's go back to the fun scenery part. Um, I see all the trees. Tell us about your scenery technique with regards to the grass, the trees, the bushes. Give us some insight on why this looks so naturally re- realistic. >> Well, the one thing people got to remember is when when they do scenery, especially this part of the country and that woods forest, it's more than just trees. If you go out and look on any woods, there's always a line of bushes, weeds, whatever that are right in front of the trees. And a lot of people miss that. >> Yes. >> And so you you got to go out, take pictures, study it, see what you got to do. I always put down I paint my the top of it brown. I spread some uh uh uh foliage on top of it to get a base coating. The trees are all Scenic Express Super Trees, and there's about oh, roughly 850 to 900 of them on the railroad. And I got more. But, uh anyway, then I will I you make those. I put them down. Then I put the weeds in. A lot some some of them I make myself. Others are from Martin Welberg, Lars Emhop, which is out of the Netherlands. >> Right. >> And uh there's a couple of from Woodland Scenics as well, and they make beautiful stuff. So, then I just put that all in. >> [music] >> And then once I do that, then I start adding small details, small bushes, small leaves. You may have seen some in the track and that and through there. And uh >> And the flowers. You got flowers. >> Well, it's July, so >> I mean, it's just absolutely beautiful. Now, this is code 83 rail, I think you said it is. And you didn't just skip that. You've you've painted every tie. You've weathered the rail. >> Oh, yeah. I hand painted it. I didn't spray it or nothing. >> spray it. You hand painted your track. >> painted it, and my second oldest granddaughter helped me a couple of times too, but no, I hand painted I painted the I did the rails then I used Monroe Models wash to put a wash on the on the ties and then because there's places where the engine stopped most then I put a little black wash on there for fuel dripping and everything else. Anything that I could possibly think of. >> That's awesome, man. >> That would that would go along with it. >> I love it. A wash. It's just like I say it. Um I want to talk about I mean just the the sky. I'm looking at your sky. It's simple, but the fact is you also had the insight what looks so natural to me is and Mike and I were talking about this is how your white [music] your white towards the horizon right above your backdrop and then it drops off into dark blue. >> Oh, yeah. I mean you there's haze. >> [music] >> Yes. >> Anytime. Even on a beautiful blue day, you look out on the horizon, there's haze. And that's why I try to put in is the haze. >> As the folks see the B-roll, this is why we watch what's neat cuz we're all learning from what it is you've done here. Now, what type of system do you use to run the layout? [music] >> I use Digitrax DCC system. >> That's been reliable for years. >> Oh, yeah. I've got uh I've knock on wood never had an issue. >> And when you operate on this, you've got a lot of throttles. How many operators can run this layout? >> [music] >> It can run with two >> Okay. >> because basically there's only two trains on the railroad at any given time. Um we it can run with four people by having an engineer and a conductor, but then it starts to get a little tight in the aisles. Now, I built it for myself. I mean it's if I operate it, I operate one train. Takes me 45 minutes to an hour. If we operate on a normal operating session, it's 2 and 1/2 hours. >> And it's not a big layout. Give me a dimension of this whole room. >> by 12. >> See, it's small. It's What I said outside on the driveway to Mike a minute ago was it's manageable. It's manageable. Because you've got to dust all this. You've got to keep this clean. >> Well, the one thing I found out and if you'll notice, my ceiling isn't finished. >> Yes. >> But it's painted. You can see where it's painted. >> Right. >> Well, most of the dust you get on a railroad comes from a finished ceiling. >> Yes. >> So, [music] instead of doing that, I painted the floor joists. My dust issue in here is very little. I haven't dusted the railroad or the tops of the buildings in a couple years. And it's just you run your finger on it, there's nothing there. And it's cuz I don't have anything above here that makes dust. Once you [music] paint these floor joists and everything, there's nothing left. >> This is so amazing. I want to thank you, Steve, for sharing this with the viewers of the What's Neat Show. I mean, all of it. You showed us your little lift-up sections. You showed us how on your lift-up section you use simple door latch mechanism for the jam of a door to hold these things in place. I showed video of that. You All of your little ideas are so well thought out, so thoroughly uh implicated here in the layout. It's just fantastic. All of it. So, thank you very much for sharing this work of art >> Trying to get you down here for a long time just to see it. >> All right, man. Thanks. >> All the products seen on this episode of What's Neat are available from Lombard Hobbies in Lombard, Illinois, or order online at lombardhobby.com. Broadway Limited Imports, the cutting-edge [music] leader in model trains. Check out their website at broadway-limited.com. Bachmann trains, now that's the way to run a railroad. Check out their website at bachmanntrains.com. [music] >> [music] [music]