Photos from the Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers layout at 2017 Kennywood Holiday Lights

Looks great Andy and All!!  That's a lot of work!! I hope to make it there to see it and catch the latest!  

Did you and Dave get a final count on how many feet of modules there are? Hope I can make it for opening night. 

Hi Andy, Having been a Miller Ave boy (just across the bridge), and having worked as a teenager as busboy and salad-boy at the Cafeteria (1960-62), where you have been setting up the display in the past, Kennywood certainly has a big place in my heart, so hearing about your club's presentations in Kennywood have always had my rapt attention, that's for sure. Thanks for posting this latest adventure and for promising updates. I'd be especially interested in hearing your estimation of how well the layout is attended and received by adults as well as children.

Thanks again for this thread.

FrankM

P.S. Here's how the Penny Arcade looked in 1957, when we Holy Name students were at Kennywood for a Safety Patrol Boys outing.

Looks phenomenal, should be quite awesome for you all.

Keith6700 posted:

Did you and Dave get a final count on how many feet of modules there are? Hope I can make it for opening night. 

If my reckoning is correct, 248 feet of modules, not counting the yard.

Andy

Andy Hummell posted:

Keith6700 posted:

Did you and Dave get a final count on how many feet of modules there are? Hope I can make it for opening night. 

If my reckoning is correct, 248 feet of modules, not counting the yard.

Andy

Wow!!  

Have a great show!!!

great group your club!  nice going Andy

- walt

Now, that is impressive!

Peter

One word: AWESOME!!!

Chris

LVHR

Have someone take a good number of hi-res photos (not to be published elsewhere) and I will be happy to consider this layout for presentation in the magazine in our Dec. 2018 issue. We are in a transition phase at the magazine now, but you can reach me via the same e-mail address (in my profile here and in the magazine). Phone service at my home office not yet established, but I will notify the forum when that is done (around the end of this month).

Looks great Andy

Alex

Wasn't planning a trip to Kennywood this year...well now I may have to.

I'll be there on Sunday and most likely every weekend following. Layout looks great! 

Allan Miller posted:

Have someone take a good number of hi-res photos (not to be published elsewhere) and I will be happy to consider this layout for presentation in the magazine in our Dec. 2018 issue. We are in a transition phase at the magazine now, but you can reach me via the same e-mail address (in my profile here and in the magazine). Phone service at my home office not yet established, but I will notify the forum when that is done (around the end of this month).

Allan, That would be great if you are able to publish some photographs next Christmas issue!  Andy is up to the challenge on photography!  (Andy, please excuse me butting in!). These gents do a great job with so many shows in the Pittsburgh area, I would love to see them get some national/international recognition!  In my opinion, their modular layout is THE highlight of every show they participate in!!

Mark Boyce posted:

Andy is up to the challenge on photography!  (Andy, please excuse me butting in!).

Mark, I'm flattered, but I don't think my little point-and-shoot camera is up to taking photos of high enough quality for print publication.  One of our junior members (Keith6700) has volunteered to take and submit photos to OGR, so I think we have that base covered.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Andy

Andy Hummell posted:

One of our junior members (Keith6700) has volunteered to take and submit photos to OGR, so I think we have that base covered.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Andy

Just cleared the sd cards for tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow anyway. I'm real excited, this'll be a fun season. 

Alan, I'll get you some pics within the next couple weeks. 

Happy thanksgiving!

Andy,

Yes you were up to the challenge; you recruited Keith to do the job!!  Great people know when to delegate responsibilities to others who have the specific expertise; and equipment!!  

I'm looking forward to some great photographs, Keith!!  Are you going to bring your Legacy operating gantry crane to show off to the folks at some point??

WE ARE OPEN.   VERY CROWDED.     GREAT

Wow, looks great!  May get laid off soon so I will have the time to visit, but might have to beg for gas money to get back home.  

Very nice. I spent many summers at Kennywood visiting my aunt in Wilmerding. 

Will you guys be posting a video of your work (with trains running)? 

Good luck! 

Tom 

MNCW posted:

Will you guys be posting a video of your work (with trains running)? 

I will try.  Getting video is dufficult unless we have a slow night (usually only happens when the weather is bad but not quite bad enough to cancel).  I may try to get some video before opening, but some guys don't start their trains until just before opening.

Andy

A couple of shots from opening night.  We had big crowds all night.

Andy

Farmer_Bill posted:

Wow, looks great!  May get laid off soon so I will have the time to visit, but might have to beg for gas money to get back home.  

I'm sure Kennywood could use some more seasonal workers...   But then again, you would have to work with lots of teenagers, and that may drive you crazy, not home...

Andy

Here are some more photos from opening weekend:

Andy

Andy,

  Thanks for all of the pictures. Glad you had a good turnout. 

Tom 

MNCW posted:

Andy,

  Thanks for all of the pictures. Glad you had a good turnout. 

Tom 

And it's not over yet! Still 16 more nights to go

Lots of great scenes I haven't seen before!  For instance, I have not seen the narrow gauge logging before.

I am going to have to get my wife to go down to Kennywood with me sometime this year!

Andy;

Congrats on a very successful opening. Your layout looks marvelous!!! You have some incredible vignettes, but my favorite has to be the vintage firefighting equipment. You and your group are a real credit to the hobby. Hope the rest of your nights are as busy. 

WOW Andy!! You guys sure know how to put on a nice show. Those look like some massive crowds that really enjoy the magic you all have produced.

Amazing job as usual Andy! Congrats to you and the crew!!

I cant wait to see it.  a highlight of my Christmas season.  They had their setup at monroevilles Greenberg train show this nov.  it was cool but this one looks way better with the inner yard to stage engines.  

We are all proud of this setup, especially since circumstances limited the time we had to get the layout up and running.  We put it up and had it operational in just five days.

Here is a walkaround video shot during preparation for Sunday's show with a little train action at the end:

Andy

Mark Boyce posted:

Lots of great scenes I haven't seen before!  For instance, I have not seen the narrow gauge logging before.

The narrow gauge scene only comes out for longer setups like Holiday Lights, but there are some brand new scenes making their debut at this event.

Andy

Thank you Andy for all the photographs and great video!

Here is a local TV overview of Holiday Lights.  Our layout is discussed around the 3:18 mark:

Andy

Delightful seeing that news tape and the walk-around video. Thank you very much for sharing them.

FrankM, a Duquesne Place boy, and a Kennywood boy

Another great train-related feature of Holiday Lights is the Polar Express 4-D Experience.  This is a shortened version of the film (about 15 minutes run-time) in 3-D with the 4-D being probided by vibrating seats, air jets, a bubble machine, a snow making machine, and piped-in scents (hot chocolate during the musical number, and pine tree scent at the end with the kids around the Christmas Tree.  It is a lot of fun to experience!

This weekend, it is even more special due to an appearance by a guest Polar Express celebrity, Eddie Deezen, who played the Know-It-All kid.  He is signing autographs and taking photos (for a very modest fee).  He is a great guy and has some wonderful stories of his time making the Polar Express.

Andy

Andy,

I finally listened to the KDKA interview.  Great exposure once again!

That is neat that Eddie Deezen came for the Polar Express Experience!  Thank you again for posting!!

That layout is HUGE!!! Your walk around video really shows how impressive your group is in displaying high end scenery with your modules. 

Here are some shots from this past weekend.  Some of these details were added just this weekend.

Andy

Cute.

Very nice sense of humor.

Moonson posted:

Cute.

Very nice sense of humor.

The second MOST expensive way to produce electric power now taking Santa out along with eagles.

Funny!

Ron

Thank you for many more good photographs, Andy!!  The altercation between Santa and the windmill is great!!

Andy Hummell posted:

Here are some shots from this past weekend.  Some of these details were added just this weekend.

Andy

Andy; 

I am continually amazed at the artistic whimsy of your group's layout. I am particularly impressed by the Godzilla vignette. But tanks, cannons and infantry don't mix well with Sunoco... to quote Captain Ramius in Hunt for Red October, "be careful what you shoot at. Most things in here don't react too well to bullets"   

Keep up the good work!!!

Andy,

  As usual the layout is incredible, Merry Christmas buddy!

Incase nobody has said it, thanks much for all you and the guys do to make it all happen at Christmas time!

PCRR/Dave

Hey Andy, I see Godzilla made an appearance. It looks like he is lighted(back scales look like it, maybe the flash?). At first I thought he was moving, but I guess he paused for the photo op 

Apples55 posted:

Andy Hummell posted:

Here are some shots from this past weekend.  Some of these details were added just this weekend.

Andy

Andy; 

I am continually amazed at the artistic whimsy of your group's layout. I am particularly impressed by the Godzilla vignette. But tanks, cannons and infantry don't mix well with Sunoco... to quote Captain Ramius in Hunt for Red October, "be careful what you shoot at. Most things in here don't react too well to bullets"   

Keep up the good work!!!

Paul,

A command decision was made to try and stop Godzilla here at the storage tank facility,   even if it meant "lighting him up" with the available storage tanks contents.   Can't let him get to dahntahn Pittsburgh and destroy the city.

Nick

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Hey Andy, I see Godzilla made an appearance. It looks like he is lighted(back scales look like it, maybe the flash?). At first I thought he was moving, but I guess he paused for the photo op 

Dave,

You never know where Godzilla will show up!    Yes,  his back scales do light up(powered by 2 sr44 button batteries).   I like the classic old style version of Godzilla-he was totally misunderstood

Nick

Too bad you all couldn't get the real Godzilla, though I think he may be a little out of scale(smaller or larger, I don't know).

Here are some more shots that include some details added since opening night (we are constantly adding and changing little details around the layout so that our repeat visitors can always find something they haven't seen before).

Andy

Apples55 posted:

Andy Hummell posted:

Here are some shots from this past weekend.  Some of these details were added just this weekend.

Andy

Andy; 

I am continually amazed at the artistic whimsy of your group's layout. I am particularly impressed by the Godzilla vignette. But tanks, cannons and infantry don't mix well with Sunoco... to quote Captain Ramius in Hunt for Red October, "be careful what you shoot at. Most things in here don't react too well to bullets"   

Keep up the good work!!!

It's the secret non explosive M-471B "Cantaloupe Cannon" to knock the wind out of him right?

On Sunday, before we began tear-down of the layout, I shot a couple of experimental videos with two different cameras on my new homemade camera flatcar (just an old K-Line plastic flatcar with holes drilled in it for bolting the camera to it).  The first video is lower-definition and is a good approximation of a passenger's view from the train, and the second video was done with a higher resolution camera, and due to the height of the camera, the view is more of an approximation of the view of a brakeman walking on top of the train.

Note:  Keep the sound volume low or off -- the wheels on the flatcar were squeaking, and I didn't have time to oil them.

Andy

Andy,

   As usual a great Christmas Season layout, simply fantastic again Andy.  You and all the guys do incredible work!  Your Kennywood layout has become a Pittsburgh area Tradition!  Special thanks for the big Merry Christmas sign in the 2nd ride video, I loved it.

All the Best,

PCRR/Dave

Andy Hummell posted:

On Sunday, before we began tear-down of the layout, I shot a couple of experimental videos with two different cameras on my new homemade camera flatcar (just an old K-Line plastic flatcar with holes drilled in it for bolting the camera to it).  The first video is lower-definition and is a good approximation of a passenger's view from the train, and the second video was done with a higher resolution camera, and due to the height of the camera, the view is more of an approximation of the view of a brakeman walking on top of the train.

Note:  Keep the sound volume low or off -- the wheels on the flatcar were squeaking, and I didn't have time to oil them.

 

 

Andy

Andy;

Great job. Fabulous videos of your spectacular layout. I loved the "passenger's view" - it really felt (and sounded!!!) like you were riding on an old steam headed passenger train - all you need now is to add smell-a-vision!!! One of my favorite parts was when the train went "underground" and passed a parked passenger train. It reminded me of when I was commuting on Metro-North... I forget how many tracks go into each level of Grand Central, but every day, you would pass numerous other trains as they were routed in or out of their appropriate tracks.

Could you tell me what types of cameras you used - I've been thinking of getting one.

Thank.

Andy, Unfortunately my streak is still alive!!  I am still ‘oh for...’ on Kennywood setups!  Too much came up this past 6 weeks.  Thank you very much for capturing the layout, trains, visitors for us to see!  Everyone did a great job!!!

Very cool and lots of neat ideas!   I truly enjoy watching videos and looking at layout pictures!   Amazing! 

Jim 

Apples55 posted:

Could you tell me what types of cameras you used - I've been thinking of getting one.

The first video was done with a point-and-shoot camera -- a Canon PowerShot A1000IS, and the second was done with a Kodak PlaySport (1st gen) -- a video camera that also takes stills.

Andy

Godzilla and oil refineries go together like hotdogs and a coke.

Great job, Andy.  Thanks for posting the pictures so those of us that couldn't make it can enjoy it too.  I miss Pittsburgh, great city.

Art

Andy Hummell posted:

Apples55 posted:

Could you tell me what types of cameras you used - I've been thinking of getting one.

The first video was done with a point-and-shoot camera -- a Canon PowerShot A1000IS, and the second was done with a Kodak PlaySport (1st gen) -- a video camera that also takes stills.

Andy

Thanks Andy. Since they appear to be older cameras, I'll have to look for a newer model with similar features.

Sad to see it go, wish I could have seen it. Too much always goes on in December and January. Well, I can look forward to some more Pittsburgh goodness. How about the Steelers winning this coming Sunday? Wish them luck.

Andy Hummell posted:

Here are some more shots that include some details added since opening night (we are constantly adding and changing little details around the layout so that our repeat visitors can always find something they haven't seen before).

Andy

Where did you get the Mobile station, my friends dad owned a station just like it, would look great on my layout

Andy, You folks did a whole lot of thankless, selfless work for the enjoyment of others during their Holidays. I respect you and offer enthusiastic applause for committing yourselves to such kindness.

FrankM

Going through some of the pics I took. Here's my brother at the helm of my work train, clearing the right of way before the gates opened

Training your brother right, Keith!!

ENichter posted:

Andy Hummell posted:

Andy

Where did you get the Mobile station, my friends dad owned a station just like it, would look great on my layout

In case anyone else was wondering, it was made by Danbury Mint (and modified a bit for this module).

Andy

Theres a lot of work, Talent, Artistry, Electrification, Imagination, Inspiration, Technical, and Time consuming.  It’s a labor of love and friendships.  Many many hours of hard work, sweat and tears of building scenic modules to make this display the Fantastic Fully Functional Classy Model Railroader For Young, Old, simply Everyone, to ENJOY, who loves trains and the three diminional art these trains run through...Andy, It’s Wonderful! Thank You and the team members who built this wonder model wonderland....Great Thread..

I second all Larry said!!  Having seen the layout at several venues, but not Kennywood, I can really appreciate all that goes into pulling it off!  Sometimes I just watch the kids and adults who are fascinated by the layout and trains.  Also, the Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers are just a great group of nice guys!  I consider Andy and so many others to be good friends!!  Keep up the good work, and I will try to see you again soon in Monroeville!!