The Fox Creek Railroad - Layout update thread

[BunkerTheHusky]

Welcome to the Fox Creek Railroad! This is an N-scale layout that I began in November of 2022. It is 19 feet long with two 7 foot modules that are 2.5 feet wide and one 5 foot module that is 4 feet wide. I made the layout modular to hopefully make it capable of being moved. I currently live in a condo where my layout room is my one car garage. I do plan to get my own house one day, and can't bear the thought of having to tear it all down like I had to with my previous layout. I am using an NCE Power Cab for this build. My first dive into DCC!

The whole idea of this layout is to showcase some of my biggest interests, and not to fit any one specific era. As such, it will be broken down into three separate areas: an industrial section, a residential/suburban section, and a mountainous section.

This first section featuring a horseshoe curve of sorts and a railyard will be the industrial section with a factory, storage yards, and other dirty, grimy goodness.

Separating the section will be a shipping channel with a functioning lift bridge. This will also be one of the locations where the modules split.

Onward we go to suburbia and a section based on the Metra lines of Chicago that I've lived off of all my life. This section will have several single family split levels in the foreground, including one that resembles my late grandfather's house, whom I owe my love of trains to. Near the back in front of the 3% grade of the rear tracks will be multi-residence condos and apartment buildings, first level shops and a train station. As you can see, two buildings are already present. Those were both 3D printed, with the brownstone being a modified design that I found on cults3D.com while the taller tan building is my own design.

Finally, we come to the hilly section featuring a cross over 150' Pratt Truss Bridge by Central Valley models. This section will feature a pine forest reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest and be home to the Fox Creek Railroad museum, which is an excuse to run older equipment for those picky about anachronism.

With most of the foam work done, and plaster starting to go down, there is still much to do, and I look forward to supplying updates to everyone in the future! Keep an eye on this thread if you're interested in following along with my progress on the Fox Creek Railroad! Cheers everyone!

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Nice - neat and tidy and interesting

 

[Rico]

Off to a good start!
You’ll have a great track to scenery ratio!

 

[migalyto]

well done!!

 

[Lynnb]

Looking good , it would probably be a good idea to scenic in the WS risers before moving forward too far , like if there’s going to be embankment or a creek running .

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Thanks everyone for the kind words! It feels good knowing that I've got something solid here!

Looking good , it would probably be a good idea to scenic in the WS risers before moving forward too far , like if there’s going to be embankment or a creek running .

Thanks! I'm afraid I don't quite follow what you mean. I have been building the terrain up to the risers. There are a few sections left that still need to be done due to me waiting on picking up some retaining walls to surround my tunnel portals. Any tips on what I could do better would be greatly appreciated, however!

 

[Lynnb]

Thanks everyone for the kind words! It feels good knowing that I've got something solid here!



Thanks! I'm afraid I don't quite follow what you mean. I have been building the terrain up to the risers. There are a few sections left that still need to be done due to me waiting on picking up some retaining walls to surround my tunnel portals. Any tips on what I could do better would be greatly appreciated, however!

I’m referring to any very rear area like where the rail is on the risers against the wall, if you leave this too long you will be reaching over sceniced area. It’s probably just me but find it’s always best to complete the rear before the forefront. Does look nice and neat so far though.

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

I’m referring to any very rear area like where the rail is on the risers against the wall, if you leave this too long you will be reaching over sceniced area. It’s probably just me but find it’s always best to complete the rear before the forefront. Does look nice and neat so far though.

Oh I follow! Yes, that is really good advice, thank you. I've made that mistake in the past, and reaching over finished scenery is a massive pain that often ends up leaving damage. I do plan on working background to foreground when it comes to scenery, although the current plan is to leave the gap between the wall and the rear tracks, though I may make removable inserts to prevent derailed trains from falling into the gap.

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Well my friends, it's been awhile since my last update, and a lot more has been done! The main focus has been on the hilly region adding foam to build up the scenery to track level.

For those with sharp eyes, you'll have noticed a new building added to the hillside. That house is actually one that I built out of polystyrene back in 2009 for a long gone layout I used to have. Luckily I put some structures away safe when I had to move, and while it got a little battered, it wasn't anything a little 3D modeling and fresh paint couldn't fix!

And here is a picture of the same house just about 14 years ago!

And finally, I began laying out the final sections of where the Fox Creek will run, along with some culverts I 3D printed for the water to flow under the tracks. Carving into this pink foam is a pain. I gotta take a trip to the hardware store and find some better tools for the job.

And that wraps it up for now! One last thing, I recently got a new phone, so I was trying out its camera filming some trains running, so I'll leave a link to that video here in case you are interested in viewing it!
click for video

Cheers everyone!

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Looking good Sir!

 

[migalyto]

Coming along nicely!!

Great work!!

 

[Smudge617]

Very nicely done, looking forward to watching your progress with this.

 

[Lynnb]

Coming along nicely, what are your plans for ground cover?

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Thank you so much everyone! Glad to be getting everyone excited for more progress on this project!

Coming along nicely, what are your plans for ground cover?

So after the plaster cloth is down, I'm going to paint it, then use Woodland Scenic ground foam as well as flocked grasses.

 

[Lynnb]

Thank you so much everyone! Glad to be getting everyone excited for more progress on this project!



So after the plaster cloth is down, I'm going to paint it, then use Woodland Scenic ground foam as well as flocked grasses.

Good plan , you may also want to consider blended up dry leaves and twigs and build up in layers , it really does add a nice texture.

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Good plan , you may also want to consider blended up dry leaves and twigs and build up in layers , it really does add a nice texture.

Oh I'll definitely try that! Thanks!

 

[Chrιstιαη]

I totally agree with all the kind comments above.

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Fear not, everyone, for I have finally returned! For someone who works at a school, you'd think I'd have more free time in the summer! Boy, between coming home exhausted, summer fun and obligations, plus a hot and humid garage, it's been a challenge finding time to work on the layout! Sure, there have been things done, and I plan to make an all inclusive update very soon, but while I'm excited about it, I thought I might as well share one big update tonight! I have been working on some of the structures through the late spring/early summer, and have nearly finished the first one! So without further ado, here we are!

Now obviously, I still need to figure out how to decorate the interior so it doesn't look so bland. So far I'm thinking finding some room decor imagery and print out paper sleeves to slip inside. I also want to add some figurines and gardens to the front yards. But otherwise, I'm extremely happy with how this building has turned out. The lighting was especially fun. As a child, I always loved layouts with a bunch of fun lighting effects, and plan on having a lot on mine! For the electrical engineer nerds in the audience, these lights are controlled by a PWM module so I can control the brightness. This entire building uses only 32mA to light.

Well, that's the update for tonight! I'm planning on making a full update on the entire layout tomorrow, so stay tuned!

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

Wow, there is nothing like an update post to show just how much progress has been made cumulatively over the past several months! But before we get to the layout itself, here is a sneak peak of the next building I have decided to light!

It's hard to tell from the picture, but I am using LEDs that are more yellow than the first building to mimick sodium vapor lights. It really adds that boost of realism and uniqueness to the display that I'm trying to achieve, and I'm very pleased with the result!

So onto the layout itself, I had forgotten that the last update I did, the tunnel portals hadn't even been put into place. They have now been more or less permanently mounted. I have decided to paint and weather them in situe when the time comes, which is a decision that may come back to bite me. However, I feel it's the best way to blend them into the scenery without leaving large gaps, or destroying the paint job with plaster residue. I also built up expanding foam around the tunnel and it finally feels cohesive with the rest of the layout.

I also finally sorted out the position and flow of the Fox Creek, which will run throughout the hilly portion of the layout. The culverts will also be painted in situe along with the tunnel portals.

One of the biggest, but also extremely fun challenges of this layout thus far has been finding buildings to fill the urban section of the layout. So far I have a grand total of three of what will ultimately be probably 15 or more individual structures just in that section alone, and will be a mixture of kits and 3D prints. The biggest issue I've been facing is just how tall they need to be to block the risers of the return track along the back wall. 4 1/2 inches in N Scale is quite the height!

And with that, we have come to the end of another layout update. I think I got a bit overwhelmed for awhile with just the shear scale of a project this is, and that led me to making excuses to not work on any bit of it. However, seeing the overall progress of this post has given me some much needed ambition and energy. Focusing on individual areas and smaller sections really helps as well!

Thank you for all your support and kind words of encouragement! This is a really fun hobby that requires a lot of different crafts and skill, but in the end, the challenges are very much worthwhile!

 

[BunkerTheHusky]

The Fox Creek isn't just a normal slice of life layout. It exists in a realm of fantasy where the world isn't facing a lot of the struggles our real one is. Beyond the news cycle, however, it has another quirk that I have not yet mentioned. This is a world of animals, not humans! Yeah, I guess my love for animated movies got the best of me while planning, and honestly, I've never seen it done before!

Just another structure update tonight, but it's been fun adding some actual detail and scenery for a change! Foam and plaster is only exciting for so long! The billboard was drawn by me! The other billboard that doesn't have an ad yet is being drawn by my wife and should hopefully be finished soon!