| Last updated on February 11, 2021
CTT columnist Lou Palumbo's 16 x 28-foot O gauge layout is open for public display at his train store, the Underground Railroad Shoppe.
We have received your request for this missing video! We are working on uploading & replacing this file. Please visit the trains.com YouTube page to find other content you may enjoy in the mean time.
In addition to writing “Views from the Underground,” a popular column in CTT, Lou Palumbo owns the Underground Railroad Shoppe in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Inside the shop dwells a 16 x 28-foot O gauge layout packed with trains, structures, and fun! The layout is open for public display between Thanksgiving and the end of January – get a preview with the video!
Footage courtesy TM Books & Video.
Members enjoy 15% off any purchase in our store. Join Today!
Lionel® Trains Pocket Price Guide 1901-2025
The Lionel® Trains Pocket Price Guide is back for 2025 with 3,000 updated entries and prices!
Great Toy Train Locomotives Puzzle
This 500-piece puzzle features some of the greatest toy train locomotives of all time!
I visited Mr. Palumbo at his shop a couple years ago – and it was delightful. He's a great guy, and his layout is beyond compare.
If you haven't been: Go. Go. Go!
I lot packed in to a small space. Too bad the video is so short, I would have liked to see the action much slower to be able to take in the excellent layout.
Great layout looks awesome
I was a Lionel Dealer for 14 years, and made several working layouts to promote the products… and I always enjoy seeing the extent others have gone to in promotion. I truly miss those days… now long gone. All I can do now is buy trains from "downsizers", and enjoy those trains that I've been running for over 73 years now. Thank You again for these videos.
Outstanding work! Great Railroad!
Great Article. Cool short video here. It was a short video with all the circus action. Was that a snip it video of Joe's layout? Or did I miss something here. Oh by the music was. REALLY, REALLY, GOOD, cheery and upbeat. I am a Jazz musician. Somebody over there has great taste in music. It took me an hour to get updates to Adobe Flash for my old XP Windows. But it was well worth it. Keep up the web site it's great. Remember, the music can make or break the video. I would rather hear just someone speaking if the music is bad. This video back up music didn't sound canned at all. Praise to the one who does the music choosing. Keep this person on staff. You have a winner.
I enjoyed the layout video and I read your column every issue.
What a GREAT Layout! Forget about the Kids enjoying the operating multi train layout, my wife, Connie & I LOVED it!!
I can only imagine the amount of time an effort that went into this Layout, but…..Boy it came out BEAUTIFUL!!
JOB WELL DONE LOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH For the video, and for sharing your GREAT railroad with us!! Man, sure wish we had something this GREAT down here in Charlottesville VA 22901!! Gonna try to get up to New Castle some day!
Thanks for sharing Lou!!
Craig & Connie
It is really a joy to read your column every time the magazine comes out. The display is filled with some great stuff and is great to see.
Lou The layout is wonderful and I enjoy your column every month in CTT.
The master does it again! Beautiful layout Lou. Hope to see you at York in a couple weeks.
Great layout, I am anxious to order the DVD to enjoy more. I appreciate Lou's articles, his down to earth and comfortable approach to the hobby. I wish New Castle was a little closer to Philadelphia, but would love to make the trip to visit the Underground Railroad.
Going to watch this several times as there is so much to see and enjoy. Great layout Lou.
I love your column in CTT and enjoyed watching your layout on the pc,someday I will visit your store and see it in person
This inspires me to make a trip to the hobby shop. I always enjoy his articles in the magazine and have not read this one yet. It was great to see the layout in action before reading about it. The only comment I have about the video is that it was not long enough to soak it all in, but from the looks of the layout, anything short of a full length documentary would be too short. Thank you for the look and hope to head to the shop soon.
great looking layout and most all the animating lemax carnival runs and the whole works with the moving trains,, the only thing that the picture goes so fast from one picture to another,, that I couldn't see all the animating layout…
Great layout!! Lou sure packed in the best of the old and new. I enjoy his monthly insights into our hobby. I also enjoyed meeting Lou at York where
he serves a hall captain in the Orange Hall. I hope someday to visit the shop.
What a well laid out set up. Interesting at every turn.
Fantastic layout. A great blend of locomotives,rolling stock, & scenery. I always look forward to reading your column when I receive my copy of CTT.
Hopefully someday when I am in your part of PA, I would love to visit your store & meet you in person. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
Great layout been in your store serval times
Beautiful subject matter, and did not have the usual sound quailty of Utube on an older computer. First video I hae been able to say I enjoyed in a long time!.
I'm fortunate to live less than hour from Lou's shop and visit several times a year. The layout has to be seen in person to believe it. Lou takes time with everyone that stops in the to shop. My cousin John from Florida introduced me to the Underground Railroad and Lou and John keep in touch regularly and Lou visited with John at Disneyworld. I plan on visiting Lou this weekend before the holiday rush and crowds coming to see the display. They do not make them like Lou anymore. Be sure to visit!
Great job Lou! I really like reading your newsletter each month. You layout is as great as I thought it would be. Love to chat with you at York! See you there.
Spectacular layout. What a great blend of different time periods. Wonderful detail and so much eye catching action. I met Lou at York a few years back. What a gentleman ! Obviously visiting the shop is on my bucket list.
Superb article.