Mill Brook Railroad

06/06/2026

A winter snowplow did a number on the Shady Pines Railroad track, leaving it completely impassable. With the future of this little miniature railroad up in the air, I wasn't quite ready to let it go just yet. In this video, we're doing some quick, utilitarian track maintenance—swapping out rotten ties and salvaging hardware to get the trains rolling again before time runs out.
​Support the track crew on Patreon: patreon.com/millbrookrailroad
Learn more about the project: millbrookrailroad.com

​A winter snowplow did a number on the Shady Pines Railroad track, ...

06/05/2026

Today, we're mapping the Shady Pines Railroad and talking a little bit about the track.


For more information and to get a Moasure 2 PRO of your own, follow this link: https://moasu.re/MillBrook

Today, we're mapping the Shady Pines Railroad and talking a little ...

06/03/2026

Sometimes you have winners and losers. Little battery electric locomotives get most of their traction from the weight of their batteries. We stuck some small LiFePo4 batteries in this loco, just to test it before bringing it into the shop, and it didn't have enough weight to pull a normal flat car, so we grabbed the 102 off the dead line because it was missing the most parts and therefore must be the lightest car. What follows is the last run of the 102 with its rotten body and a successful test run for this visiting loco.
The metal parts are still good, so the plan is to eventually build a new body for the 102 at some point.

Paid members on Patreon get early access to videos and exclusive content! www.patreon.com/millbrookrailroad

millbrookrailroad.com

Sometimes you have winners and losers. Little battery electric loco...

05/30/2026

The Shady Pines Railroad features some incredibly intense backyard engineering. Today, we’re using the Moasure 2 Pro to map out all 1,150+ feet of the layout to see exactly how the numbers stack up. What we found was an intense 21-foot total elevation change and a brutal 8.1% climb—making this the second steepest railroad I have ever been to. Let's trace the line up the logging branch and reveal the full 3D plot ending inside the massive indoor car barn.
​A huge thanks to Moasure for sponsoring this video


For more information and to get a Moasure 2 PRO of your own, follow this link: https://moasu.re/MillBrook

​Support the crew on Patreon: patreon.com/millbrookrailroad

​The Shady Pines Railroad features some incredibly intense backyard...

05/27/2026

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont, which means it's time for the Mill Brook Railroad's annual Spring Work Weekend.
Volunteers gathered to replace ties, repair rail joints, clear brush, haul materials, and tackle a long list of maintenance projects after a long winter. Along the way we cut a fresh batch of ties from pressure-treated lumber, moved work trains around the railroad, tested a new Teslong leaf blower, and naturally dealt with a few derailments.
A big thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help keep the railroad moving, including Eric, Jared, Patrick, Tony, Jonathan, John, and Harry. Your hard work makes projects like this possible.


Teslong: https://teslong.com/MillBrookRailroad

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Support the Mill Brook Railroad on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/millbrookrailroad⁠

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont, which means it's time for th...

05/23/2026

What started as a simple maintenance job quickly turned into something much bigger.

Jared brought over a gondola truck that needed a little attention: grease the journal boxes, chase a couple of threads, and re-secure a loose wheel. Easy enough... or so we thought.
Once the truck came apart, we discovered badly worn journal boxes, scored axles, evidence of past hot boxes, and bearing surfaces that had long since worn beyond what anyone expected. By the end of the inspection, the repair plan had changed from a quick tune-up to planning a complete rebuild.

Sometimes maintenance finds problems. Sometimes maintenance finds all the problems.

Join us as we tear into a set of well-traveled miniature railroad trucks, investigate years of wear and tear, and figure out what comes next.

Early access and exclusive content at Patreon.com/millbrookrailroad

millbrookrailroad.com

What started as a simple maintenance job quickly turned into something much bigger.Jared brought over a gondola truck that needed a little attention: grease ...

05/20/2026

I recently had a phone call with a 19-year-old viewer asking how to get started in 7.5-inch gauge railroading and wanting to know if he should wait until he's older. My answer? Don't wait.

In this video, we’re taking a walk along the Mill Brook Railroad tracks and through the woods where the future tracks will eventually be. I’m sharing some thoughts on procrastination, the lessons learned from manual labor (like hand-digging a 4.5-foot fill), and why the 'journey' of a big project often teaches you more about yourself than the project itself.

No matter what you're in to, the message is the same: If you have a dream, chase it. It’s not going to chase you back.

In this video:

Why you shouldn't wait for retirement to start your hobby.

Lessons from Tony at Shady Pines.

Why failure is just another way of learning how things work.

Building community through shared interests.

Support the build:

Patreon (Early access and exclusive content) patreon.com/millbrookrailroad

millbrookrailroad.com

I recently had a phone call with a 19-year-old viewer asking how to get started in 7.5-inch gauge railroading and wanting to know if he should wait until he'...

05/16/2026

The KLW&K Railroad in Illinois has been sold, and we’re on-site to help with the initial stages of pulling up the track. All of this equipment is heading to the Canton Cuba and Western Railroad. Since it's been years since a train has run here, I wanted to document Lawrence Johnson's innovative engineering before it's gone.
​In this video, we look at:
​The unique movable point frog switches and handmade harp switch stands.
​The "Groovy Track" system Lawrence pioneered.
​A tour of the yard, including the three-way switch and the 10-12 foot steel box bridge.
​The process of pulling up track panels with Rich from the CC&W.

The KLW&K Railroad in Illinois has been sold, and we’re on-site to help with the initial stages of pulling up the track. All of this equipment is heading to ...

05/13/2026

Most people in the live steam hobby know Tom Bee for his industry-standard trucks and couplers, but his personal shop in Michigan holds some incredible surprises. From a multi-cylinder stationary engine that runs a ceiling fan to an ingenious air-powered pencil sharpener, Tom shows us that "his engines don't just sit around—they work!"

We also get a deep dive into his "E-Steam" philosophy, looking at a 700lb electric 2-8-0 that uses plastic parts in ways you'd never expect, and a sneak peek at the massive "Prairie Mallet" project currently under construction.

Stick around until the end for a sneak peek at the new rail arriving at the Mill Brook Railroad!

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction to Tom Bee
0:45 - Air-Powered Stationary Engines
2:15 - The Ceiling Fan Engine
2:45 - The Air-Powered Pencil Sharpener
3:30 - Building Switch Stands
4:15 - The 700lb "Secret" Electric Locomotive
6:00 - Motor and Controller Specs
7:30 - The "Prairie Mallet" (2-6-6-2) Project
8:15 - Shop Tour: Bridgeport, Lathes, and Presses
9:00 - New Rail for the Mill Brook Railroad!

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Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/millbrookrailroad

More about the Mill Brook Railroad at millbrookrailroad.com

Most people in the live steam hobby know Tom Bee for his industry-standard trucks and couplers, but his personal shop in Michigan holds some incredible surpr...

05/09/2026

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