Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers' Layout at Kennywood Holiday Lights 2022

I've been to Kennywood 50 times or so, but haven't been there since around 1996.  I never saw a train exhibit unfortunately.  I'm glad to see the park is still going.

How long do you have for setting up before the opening night, Andy?

Andy, does Thom Shepler still meet with you?

@Mark Boyce posted:

How long do you have for setting up before the opening night, Andy?

Opening night is Saturday, November 19, 2022, so, counting Monday, we have 12 days total (one day more than last year).  We hauled 4-5 more trailers full of modules in yesterday and last night, and we are building a new yard module tonight.  We have to get all the big stuff in before Kennywood crews start on putting up the lights in front of the building (due to the cherry-pickers, it restricts our access to just a man-door and what we can carry through it).  This coming weekend will be the all-out blitz to get the layout together and operating, then evenings next week will likely focus on getting the scenery in place, curtains up, and the plexiglass installed.

Andy

@jim sutter posted:

Andy, does Thom Shepler still meet with you?

Yes, but he doesn't do the Kennywood setup any more.

Andy

Andy, thank you for that information. Good luck with your display. I'm sure you will make a lot of people happy. Most of all have fun.

Thank you Andy!  Work safely everyone!

Andy;

Your annual Kennywood thread is one I always look forward to. I love watching your videos despite getting long train envy I particularly look forward to the whimsy your group always adds to the display (my current favorite - Santa running afoul of the wind turbine!!!).

Looking forward to more pics.....always a spectacular event......all the hard work shows!

Peter

Very cool that stuff like this still happens in some places

Andy, the module construction looks very interesting.  Have you ever posted the construction technique?  The table tops seem wider than most modular construction and the legs remind of Mianne benchwork construction even though they are obviously different.

@coach joe posted:

Andy, the module construction looks very interesting.  Have you ever posted the construction technique?  The table tops seem wider than most modular construction and the legs remind of Mianne benchwork construction even though they are obviously different.

Our modules start at around 32" in depth and go as deep as the owner wants and can carry (mine is 48" deep).  Basic modules are 4 feet long, but we have and use modules that can be up to 12 feet in length and as short as 2 feet in length, not counting smaller filler pieces we use in odd-shaped layouts like Kennywood.

The legs are just 2"x2"'s held together by leftover plywood or scrap wood with eye-bolts installed in the bottom end to use for leveling.  The legs are attached to the modules with floating-board clamps built into the underside of each module.  You can see this in the following pix:

We use polarized 2-prong plugs to carry the track power around the layout, and most modules also have a 110v in the back to allow accessories and small transformers to be plugged in as needed.

For normal 1-2 day setups, modules are just clamped together and we adjust and shim the ends of the track as needed.  For Kennywood, because of the duration of the event, we take the extra measure of pinning the modules together so that we don't have to constantly adjust track as modules shrink & expand due to temperature changes (the building is heated, but was never insulated -- the heaters were installed just for us when we moved from the cafeteria building).

Here are pictures from our work session last night where we built a new yard module.  In the pix you can see the basic frame, installation of the luan plywood, routing of the edges and velcro groove in the fascia boards, installation of the fascia boards and chalk-lining the track locations.  The track will be installed later, on site at Kennywood.

Andy

Andy, it looks like photographs 1,2, and 5 don't show up.  You gave a great explanation of the process.

My daughter who loves Kennywood said “Hey Dad, do you know they have a big train display at Kennywood for the holidays?” I said of course I do. I know all those guys. Good luck with the display!

Here are some progress pix from the weekend.

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

As of the end of work Sunday night, all mainline modules and the two big yards are connected, and work has begun on scenery.  Five days remain to complete the scenery, get power and control hooked up, get mainlines tested with running trains, and get the curtains up.  Saturday, November 19, 2022 is opening day, and we will be fine tuning the layout all the way to the minute first visitors come through the gates, but that is not the end of it.  We add new details nearly every operating day so that repeat visitors will always have something new to find.

Andy

Andy, you fellows are hosses!  I know you have it down to a well oiled machine, but there are always wrenches that fall into the works!  Congratulations thus far.

How does this layout compare in size and scope to the last few Kennywood layouts?

@Mark Boyce posted:

How does this layout compare in size and scope to the last few Kennywood layouts?

This is our biggest Kennywood layout so far.  We are getting a better handle on filling up this asymmetrical space.  We could have added two more 4-foot modules to this layout if they had been available.  They will be next year, but we are already thinking about changing up the layout plan to add even more, if we can figure out a plan that works in the space.  There have been rumors floating around since last year that they may enclose one of their pavilions, add heat and give us an even bigger space to fill.  If that happens, we will rise to the occasion.

Andy

Sounds great, Andy!  Thank you!

Andy I was going to ask if that enormous space was dedicated to the layout or if you shared the space but I interpret your previous response to Mark to mean that entire space is the layout's to fill.  Your club always rises to the occasion so I believe your layout will be right at home in a larger space.  BTW heat is always a nice bonus in the winter.

@coach joe posted:

Andy I was going to ask if that enormous space was dedicated to the layout or if you shared the space but I interpret your previous response to Mark to mean that entire space is the layout's to fill.  Your club always rises to the occasion so I believe your layout will be right at home in a larger space.  BTW heat is always a nice bonus in the winter.

Joe, the space is mostly ours to fill now.  The first year in this building we shared the space with some craft vendors and Kennywood's "Letters to Santa" area where kids could write letters to Santa and "mail" them.  The crafts vendors did not do well at all (we really felt sorry for them), and the low volume of "mail" prompted Kennywood to give us the entire space.  We also shared our space with a small display from the Jimmy Stewart Museum that consisted of a small display case with memorabilia, a Christmas tree with JS ornaments, and a monitor that played "It's a Wonderful Life" on a continual loop (and since it can play through twice per night, it means that most of us have now seen it, or at least been exposed to it, over 400 times! ).

As for the heat, we would NOT do a cold-weather event without heat (and we have been asked).

Andy

Andy, thank you for all the great information!  You fellows do a whale of a job!

The final part of the pre-scenery layout was put up last night (the "little yard" pictured below), and power was hooked up.  Scenery work is in high gear now.  Coming up is installing the platforms for the ceramic village, track cleaning, test running of trains, and the installation of the curtains and plexiglass.

As this layout is asymmetrical, we always have to use a "filler" piece to make it work.  This year, it was a 6.625" piece:

And now for some statistics:

• Our 4-track mainline is roughly 324 feet, which works out to 2.945 scale miles
• We used 58 modules for the mainlines of this layout (5 more than last year)
• The mainlines have a total of 1296 feet of track -- that is almost a quarter of an actual mile!
• Add the 520 feet of yard track and the total track is over a third of an actual mile!
• Our mainline curves work out to be O-135, O-126, O-117 and O-108 (roughly)
• We have two turntables and two roundhouses on the layout (both will be operational, but will be operated sparingly to keep visitor foot traffic moving)

Andy

Here are some more pix.  The first batch are from Friday night as we were finishing up.  We were still tweaking scenery and adding detail items almost up to the minute we opened on Saturday.

The biggest additions this year were two turntables and two roundhouses.  Here is the biggest roundhouse/turntable area:

Some new equipment, and some old favorites will be present:

Here are some overview shots from opposite corners of the layout as of the end of work Friday night:

And finally, here is a shot taken less than a minute after we opened:

More pix to come as the season progresses.

And for some more trivia about this setup: it took nine of our active members around 500 man-hours spread over 12 days to get this layout up and running.  It is a good thing that we like what we do.

Andy

Impressive.  In size, how does this compare to the one at the Buhl Planetarium (I guess it's called the Science Center now)?  I haven't been there since the mid-80s, but the overall length and width looks about the same.

Looks great Andy and the gang!  The turntables are really a nice addition!

This year's Kennywood layout looks great, as do the decorated red walls. The layout in the Carnegie Science Center is 83'x30'.

@texgeekboy posted:

Impressive.  In size, how does this compare to the one at the Buhl Planetarium (I guess it's called the Science Center now)?  I haven't been there since the mid-80s, but the overall length and width looks about the same.

The layout is roughly 70' x 54', but it is not symmetrical.  As viewed from the entry, the right leg of the layout is 62' and the left leg is 70'.  The front is 48' wide, while the back, from the outside of the right leg to the outside of the left leg, is around 54'.  The two layouts are comparable in size, but we have empty space inside the layout and between the legs where the layout folds in on itself.  The CSC has a lot more scenery, but we have a lot more mainline track.

Andy

@Andy Hummell,

Thank you for your explanation of the building of this massive portable layout.  It takes lot of time, money and expertise to accomplish this endeavor. It looks beautiful and incredibly entertaining. Thanks for taking the model railroad hobby out of the basement and into the eyes of the public.

@Wood posted:

@Andy Hummell,

Thank you for your explanation of the building of this massive portable layout.  It takes lot of time, money and expertise to accomplish this endeavor. It looks beautiful and incredibly entertaining. Thanks for taking the model railroad hobby out of the basement and into the eyes of the public.

Thanks!  This is our favorite setup of the year precisely because it gets our hobby into the eyes of the public.  Train shows and meets are great and lots of fun, but our audience there is already in or adjacent to the hobby.

Here, we get lots of compliments and field lots of questions about the layout and the hobby in general, and we even help a few that are inspired to get out their parents' or grandparents' trains and get them running again by referring them to local shops that do repairs.  It is also so much fun to watch kids pointing out all the little details we add to the layout that their parents missed.   Through this event, we have also had the privilege of getting to know some of our repeat visitors, including local RR employees, retired RR employees (including one who worked on steam locomotives for the B&O), and kids we have watched grow up over the years -- one, in particular, started coming as a small child whose mother carried a plastic stool for him to stand on to view the trains and layout, and now he is more than tall enough to see everything on his own.

Andy

Andy,

  Very nicely done. I have not been to Kennywood since the 1970's, as my relatives have since moved from the area. You and your fellow railroaders have put together a layout that should entertain all that attend. Enjoy!

Tom

Spectacular.......wished I lived in driving distance!

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

Spectacular.......wished I lived in driving distance!

Peter

I live only an hour and a half away and have never made it there.  I have seen the HiRailers ‘regular’ layout many times, and enjoy it immensely, but I always get skunked on days this time of year that I thought I could go to Kennywood!  🤷‍♂️

Nice looking layout and I see someone got one of Eric’s Trains new Locomotives. Nice 👍

Here are some pix from our first full weekend.  Warm temperatures meant big crowds on Friday and Saturday, and even though Sunday was a little rainy, we still got a good number of visitors.

Here are some pix of the first leg of the layout:

At times, we had long lines waiting to get in.

Here is an outside view through the left side window:

Here are a couple of shots of our "small" turntable and roundhouse:

Andy

@Andy Hummell,

Looks fantastic!  Not to put the cart ahead of the horse, but perhaps next year I might be able to convince the wife to go back to the Pburg area for a couple of weeks around Christmas to see some relatives.  We haven't been there since 2013, and before that it was 2008.  How long do you anticipate having this display up, and do expect next year to be about the same?

@texgeekboy posted:

@Andy Hummell,

Looks fantastic!  Not to put the cart ahead of the horse, but perhaps next year I might be able to convince the wife to go back to the Pburg area for a couple of weeks around Christmas to see some relatives.  We haven't been there since 2013, and before that it was 2008.  How long do you anticipate having this display up, and do expect next year to be about the same?

Thanks!!!   We have been doing Kennywood Holiday Lights since the beginning (2011 or 2012 I think).  The event currently runs from the weekend before Thanksgiving until the New Year (this year we are scheduled to be open Dec. 31 and Jan. 1), weather permitting -- they usually only close if they can't keep the parking lots and midway clear of ice and snow or if it storms or for heavy rain.  KHL is on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus weekdays between Christmas and New Years.  It is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas day this year.  We expect next year to follow the same type of schedule.

We will likely begin tear-down of the layout on January 2 (unless they extend the season one more day, as has been rumored) because we have a setup at Monroeville Greenberg the following weekend.

Andy

This week, Kennywood featured an article about us on their blog.  You can check it out at:  https://www.kennywood.com/blog...-lights-model-trains

Here are a few more pix:

This is our control setup this year.  We added a second ZW-L because we found that we were really taxing the limits of one last year with all the big steamers, double and triple headed diesels, smoke units, sound cars and passenger cars we were running simultaneously.

Kennywood's Public Safety Officers always get a kick when they spot this custom car.

And Kennywood likes that we display models of their exclusive custom cars that MTH has done for them over the years.  The Steelers Country (roller coaster) car is still available in the gift shop inside Kennywood (at least as of last weekend).

This Corgi Heavy Hauler is a big hit and an eye-catcher on the layout this year.  One of our younger visitors was even overheard explaining to a parent that those are the cars that were run over by the monster trucks they saw on the layout earlier. 

More pix and a special video to come later today.

Andy

@Andy Hummell posted:

This week, Kennywood featured an article about us on their blog.  You can check it out at:  https://www.kennywood.com/blog...-lights-model-trains

Here are a few more pix:

This is our control setup this year.  We added a second ZW-L because we found that we were really taxing the limits of one last year with all the big steamers, double and triple headed diesels, smoke units, sound cars and passenger cars we were running simultaneously.

Kennywood's Public Safety Officers always get a kick when they spot this custom car.

And Kennywood likes that we display models of their exclusive custom cars that MTH has done for them over the years.  The Steelers Country (roller coaster) car is still available in the gift shop inside Kennywood (at least as of last weekend).

This Corgi Heavy Hauler is a big hit and an eye-catcher on the layout this year.  One of our younger visitors was even overheard explaining to a parent that those are the cars that were run over by the monster trucks they saw on the layout earlier. 

More pix and a special video to come later today.

Andy

Those are the same kind of "rocket Ship ride we had at Idora Park in Youngstown Ohio.  made by the R.E.Chambers Company in Beaver Falls, Pa.

Ron

@PRRronbh posted:

Those are the same kind of "rocket Ship ride we had at Idora Park in Youngstown Ohio.  made by the R.E.Chambers Company in Beaver Falls, Pa.

Ron

Kennywood had one as well, and I think Kennywood's sister park, Idlewild, also had one, or maybe it was the one from Kennywood after they took it out.  I remember riding it when I was very young.  The one on the layout is by Coaster Dynamix (as is the Turtle, which is still in operation at Kennywood and is even operating this year during Holiday Lights).

Andy