The Fox Creek Railroad - Layout update thread
- Thread starter BunkerTheHusky
- Start date
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Thank you! It's fun making things rusty, grimy and unappealing! I love the aesthetic of graffiti
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
While I am planning to do a year end wrap up post about the layout tomorrow, I am super excited to announce that I have finished* a project that I was adamant that I was going to have done by the end of this year.
This building has been shown in several update posts before now but I, at best, only have talked about it in passing before tonight. What started as a heavily modified 3D model I found online quickly because a thorn in my side. You see, I printed this model many months ago, but from the moment I removed it from the printer, I was not sure it would ever see a spot on the layout. It had printing errors and a slight bend to it, and I even tried to reprint it twice more, which those printed failed even more than the previous two. I'm sure I could have gotten it eventually, but I was burned out on the model and wasn't keen to continue wasting time on it. Still, I at least sprayed it with primer and a base layer of paint to see if it would pretty up a bit.
Queue my lovely wife, who has endless patience for me, listening to me gripe about how I don't like this model and was contemplating throwing it in the bin. Bless her for her cutesy way of issuing me challenges. She told me that she loved it and demanded to see it on the layout, and told me that it looked like an old downtown hardware store. Bait taken like a fish at the end of a rod held by a hungry fisher. I was off seeing it through to the end!
So welcome to Quillcraft Hardware Store! To add some flair to the otherwise boring model, I made some interior modules to fill it out. That had the added benefit of prying the warped structure back mostly square. I then added lights including a color changing LED that a friend and coworker gave me. Funny story, she wore a light up Grinch sweater to our Christmas party, but the lights weren't working. After trying to fix them, we discovered multiple wire breaks and she opted to just remove the light circuit entirely. She also knows about the train layout and told me to use one to make it look like a TV was on in one of the houses. Another challenge! That's precisely what this light is supposed to represent!
But in order to light the upper floor properly, I had to inset the bulbs in the ceiling so they wouldn't dangle down too far, which required me to 3D design and print the roof module with hollowed out detail to make room for the lights. One was easy as the building needed an air conditioner, but the other posed a challenge. After ruminating several ideas, I thought of an interesting one. Screw building code. The grouchy old man who owns the building and runs the store needed extra storage and opted to place an old shipping container on the roof! This is something I have actually seen before around Chicago, so it didn't feel totally farfetched. Finally, during final painting and weathering, my wife said it would be cute if the crate was painted like a little house, so I handed over the paints and detail brushes and had her add the final touches to the building that wouldn't have existed without her!
But enough exposition. Here are the photos!
I gotta say... It does look good all finished up and on the layout after all
Now, while it's technically New Year's Eve as I post this, I still have to sleep, so tomorrow I will post again. So please stay tuned for the last layout update of 2023, and some preview of what is coming in the new year!
This building has been shown in several update posts before now but I, at best, only have talked about it in passing before tonight. What started as a heavily modified 3D model I found online quickly because a thorn in my side. You see, I printed this model many months ago, but from the moment I removed it from the printer, I was not sure it would ever see a spot on the layout. It had printing errors and a slight bend to it, and I even tried to reprint it twice more, which those printed failed even more than the previous two. I'm sure I could have gotten it eventually, but I was burned out on the model and wasn't keen to continue wasting time on it. Still, I at least sprayed it with primer and a base layer of paint to see if it would pretty up a bit.
Queue my lovely wife, who has endless patience for me, listening to me gripe about how I don't like this model and was contemplating throwing it in the bin. Bless her for her cutesy way of issuing me challenges. She told me that she loved it and demanded to see it on the layout, and told me that it looked like an old downtown hardware store. Bait taken like a fish at the end of a rod held by a hungry fisher. I was off seeing it through to the end!
So welcome to Quillcraft Hardware Store! To add some flair to the otherwise boring model, I made some interior modules to fill it out. That had the added benefit of prying the warped structure back mostly square. I then added lights including a color changing LED that a friend and coworker gave me. Funny story, she wore a light up Grinch sweater to our Christmas party, but the lights weren't working. After trying to fix them, we discovered multiple wire breaks and she opted to just remove the light circuit entirely. She also knows about the train layout and told me to use one to make it look like a TV was on in one of the houses. Another challenge! That's precisely what this light is supposed to represent!
But in order to light the upper floor properly, I had to inset the bulbs in the ceiling so they wouldn't dangle down too far, which required me to 3D design and print the roof module with hollowed out detail to make room for the lights. One was easy as the building needed an air conditioner, but the other posed a challenge. After ruminating several ideas, I thought of an interesting one. Screw building code. The grouchy old man who owns the building and runs the store needed extra storage and opted to place an old shipping container on the roof! This is something I have actually seen before around Chicago, so it didn't feel totally farfetched. Finally, during final painting and weathering, my wife said it would be cute if the crate was painted like a little house, so I handed over the paints and detail brushes and had her add the final touches to the building that wouldn't have existed without her!
But enough exposition. Here are the photos!
I gotta say... It does look good all finished up and on the layout after all
Now, while it's technically New Year's Eve as I post this, I still have to sleep, so tomorrow I will post again. So please stay tuned for the last layout update of 2023, and some preview of what is coming in the new year!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
And just like that, another year is gone, and it's time once again to reflect on what has been accomplished. To think that just a year ago I was waiting on the Loctite Pl-300 to dry after getting the pink foam cut and placed down on the bench work. Some track was laid, but not enough to run the trains, and indeed the track plan wasn't even fully finalized!
Over the past year, I've felt overwhelmed by the scale of this project. My previous layout was only a 3'x5', almost a quarter the size of this garage-sized monster. However, getting photos together for this post has shown me that it's the journey in building it that's the exciting part, and I shouldn't feel rushed or guilty when progress is slow. What you put in, even if for only an hour a week adds up on the end!
We'll start at the wide end of the layout where scenery and ballast have already started going down. I heard that stuff spreads like wildfire and it should cover the entire section completely before much longer!
Besides that, another building has shown up in this section. This is another that survived the move and over a decade in storage, and will be the railroad museum gift shop and place to purchase a ticket for the park.
So apparently my Wife had a direct line to Santa this year, and my hinting at gift ideas did not go unnoticed! Under the tree all wrapped up nicely were two Walthers kits, one of a common split level family home, perfectly styled for what I'm going for in this middle section of downtown Fox Creek, and the other a modern train station, fitting in perfectly with the commuter trains that will run through town! I didn't wait to begin putting them together for some early planning and this photoshoot.
And finally, the area that has been touched the least... Big plans exist for this section, and while I'm excited to begin building, I will have to get more foam, turnouts, and track. Until then, it sits as a lonely rail yard. Hopefully 2024 will bring more attention to this end of the layout.
Happy new years everyone from Chris and Lisa here at Fox Creek! Hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a happy, healthy 2024!
Over the past year, I've felt overwhelmed by the scale of this project. My previous layout was only a 3'x5', almost a quarter the size of this garage-sized monster. However, getting photos together for this post has shown me that it's the journey in building it that's the exciting part, and I shouldn't feel rushed or guilty when progress is slow. What you put in, even if for only an hour a week adds up on the end!
We'll start at the wide end of the layout where scenery and ballast have already started going down. I heard that stuff spreads like wildfire and it should cover the entire section completely before much longer!
Besides that, another building has shown up in this section. This is another that survived the move and over a decade in storage, and will be the railroad museum gift shop and place to purchase a ticket for the park.
So apparently my Wife had a direct line to Santa this year, and my hinting at gift ideas did not go unnoticed! Under the tree all wrapped up nicely were two Walthers kits, one of a common split level family home, perfectly styled for what I'm going for in this middle section of downtown Fox Creek, and the other a modern train station, fitting in perfectly with the commuter trains that will run through town! I didn't wait to begin putting them together for some early planning and this photoshoot.
And finally, the area that has been touched the least... Big plans exist for this section, and while I'm excited to begin building, I will have to get more foam, turnouts, and track. Until then, it sits as a lonely rail yard. Hopefully 2024 will bring more attention to this end of the layout.
Happy new years everyone from Chris and Lisa here at Fox Creek! Hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a happy, healthy 2024!
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
You often don't realise how much progress has been made till you look back at something like this montage, I'm sure next year we will see more.
Chris from France
CHRISTIAN
Love this layout ! Very interesting thread.
BigGRacing
Aka. Gary Russell
Looks fantastic so far!
Marlin338MX
Well-Known Member
Looking great so far, thanks for the updates!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Thanks you all for the likes and encouraging replies! I'm so happy to have people who appreciate the hobby to share it with!
On the eve of winter break being over, and the kids returning to school, and thus a lot more work for me
, it's time to share some more I did while I had the time!
First and foremost is a new building that will be my biggest lighting project to date! This will soon become a trashy night club with flashing lights, and large neon sign. I still need to figure out the fiber optics, but for the moment, I got the absolutely microscopic LEDs soldered in and installed. Luckily I discovered low temp solder paste and the hot air tip for my Weller Pyropen. Soldering SMD LEDs onto 38 gauge enamel coated wire would be impossible with a soldering wand.
My mind was on lighting and electronics, because after that feat on Saturday, I spent a good portion of the day in the Layout Room running trains and finally wiring in some more of the 12VDC lighting circuit. Prior to today, the main run from the transformer to the center of the layout was in, but from there, it was all temporary wiring. But now, permanent but serviceable runs have been added to 7 locations using some old boba straws as conduit.
I also finally found the location I want to mount the water tower module. It has been floating around trying to find a home since I finished it several months ago.
Back to waking up early and long hours tomorrow, but I'm going to try to keep this energy up. More plans are solidifying here and it's seriously getting exciting! Cheers everyone!
On the eve of winter break being over, and the kids returning to school, and thus a lot more work for me
, it's time to share some more I did while I had the time!First and foremost is a new building that will be my biggest lighting project to date! This will soon become a trashy night club with flashing lights, and large neon sign. I still need to figure out the fiber optics, but for the moment, I got the absolutely microscopic LEDs soldered in and installed. Luckily I discovered low temp solder paste and the hot air tip for my Weller Pyropen. Soldering SMD LEDs onto 38 gauge enamel coated wire would be impossible with a soldering wand.
My mind was on lighting and electronics, because after that feat on Saturday, I spent a good portion of the day in the Layout Room running trains and finally wiring in some more of the 12VDC lighting circuit. Prior to today, the main run from the transformer to the center of the layout was in, but from there, it was all temporary wiring. But now, permanent but serviceable runs have been added to 7 locations using some old boba straws as conduit.
I also finally found the location I want to mount the water tower module. It has been floating around trying to find a home since I finished it several months ago.
Back to waking up early and long hours tomorrow, but I'm going to try to keep this energy up. More plans are solidifying here and it's seriously getting exciting! Cheers everyone!
