SnowVid-19: Big Model Trains In The Snow!

A pandemic (of snow) struck at my house... so, let's call this video "SnowVid-19"!

When I saw snow in the forecast, I left some model train tracks set up on the patio in my back yard so that they would get covered in snow. I was hoping to be able to shoot some video of my trains plowing the snow off the tracks. That turned out to be easier said that done, as we got a lot of snow... and when the trains ran in to the piled up snow, it was like running in to a brick wall. After a few attempts to get my "model trains plowing snow" video, I finally just gave up.

The next day, I awoke to find that more snow had fallen and we now had a total of six-and-a-half inches of snow... way to much for model trains to deal with. So, I shoveled the snow off the tracks, and ran my White Pass & Yukon Route diesel locomotives in a double-header configuration on the layout as snow continued to fall. The weather was lousy and not very conducive to having fun playing outside with model trains, so I gave up for another day.

Another three-and-a-half inches of snow fell that night and that meant the next day there was ten inches of snow in my back yard! Once again, I shoveled the snow off the tracks... but this time I also tried pouring warm water from the hot tub on the tracks, and that worked extremely well at clearing all the snow and ice. Finally, conditions were right for some serious model train runs!

I had my White Pass diesel train and my Santa Fe Super Chief running on parallel tracks. I think the video is really interesting to watch, especially as one train passes the other.

Most of the video was shot with a GoPro attached to the trains. A few scenes were shot with my DJI drone.

Hopefully, things will be much warmer the next time I shoot a model train video in my back yard!

These model train videos are extremely expensive to make. The trains you see in this video cost in excess of $5000 and I'm sure my entire collection cost in excess of $15,000. Each one of the locomotives cost approximately $1000, each rail car about $200, and each foot of track about $7. The cost of the cameras and production equipment is another factor. If you enjoyed this video, please consider becoming a patron of this channel to help fund the addition of even more model train equipment for future videos. Even a commitment of just $1 per month will help, if enough viewers participate. For more information on becoming a patron, go to   / jimzim  

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