MAGAZINE

THE
RED OAK
LAYOUT

www.ModelRailroader.com
Build the 3 x 7
RED OAK
LAYOUT
Part 1: Our new N scale project layout
is built on a door

By Neil Besougloff • Photos by Bill Zuback and Jim Forbes

F
ifty miles west of the Chicago, board plus a 14-inch-tall styrene back-
Burlington & Quincy RR drop divider. Around the edges of the
division point of Creston, Iowa, door we installed an 1 ⁄8" tempered hard-
lies the town of Red Oak, the board (Masonite) fascia.
inspiration for Model Railroader’s latest Track, scenery, structures, and trains
project layout. came next, and before long we had fin-
Named for the trees that line the Red ished the model railroad you see in the
Oak Creek, the town came into being photographs on these pages and in vid-
with the arrival of the Burlington in eos on www.ModelRailroader.com.
1869. Until 1901 the town was known as
Red Oak Junction, since the Burlington’s Getting started
branch to Lincoln, Neb., began in Red This layout depicts the CB&Q main
Oak. Even today, the town recalls its line west from Chicago in the early 1960s
history each summer with a Junction and includes one of the two branch lines
Days celebration. that ran north and southwest from Red
Oak. The layout is inspired by the town
Built for a small space of Red Oak (1960 population of 6,400),
Space is always an issue among our but isn’t a true model of the town.
readers when it comes to building a The Red Oak layout got its start
model railroad, so this year we went when I suggested to David Popp, the
small with our project. The Red Oak producer of Model Railroader Video
layout is N scale and built on a common Plus, that we needed a fresh idea for a
hollow-core household door laid flat to Model Railroader’s 2015 project layout.
make a tabletop. The door is 6'-8" tall and I wanted a layout with staging, a branch
3'-0" wide, so our layout’s footprint is, line, and a clear change of scenery from
rounded off, 3 x 7 feet. previous magazine projects, such as the
We built legs with braces and a shelf
below the door. However, you don’t have ▸▸ The Red Oak series
to build legs – the Red Oak layout can be
placed on a kitchen table or even a pair
of sawhorses. January: Meet Model Railroader’s
On top of the door we added two N scale Red Oak layout
layers of extruded-foam insulation February: Benchwork, terrain
and track
1. Model Railroader’s newest project March: Scenery, roads,
is the N scale Red Oak layout, built on and bridges
a common door. The layout models April: Structures, details,
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR and rolling stock
in a small Iowa town in the 1960s.

JANUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 53

 Scratchbuilt High Curved Branchline staging Mutual Grain Mainline Curved
bridge Street turnout (Griswold, Iowa) Services staging Houses turnout Backdrop
Scratchbuilt High Curved Branchline stagin
2 bridge Street turnout (Griswold, Iowa)

D
A C B
E F
A

M G H

L K

I L
O

J
1
N

Pasture Silo Barn Eaton Curved Shed Farm Producer’s Farm Red Oak Station Branchline Stockyard Tom’s Home Curved General Store
3 farm turnouts house Feed Co. field Cooked Meals turnout
4
5 Silo Barn
Red Oak 6 Pasture
3
7 Eaton
farm
Curved
turnouts
Shed Farm
hous
N scale (1:160)
Layout size: 36"x 6'-8" Red Oak
Scale of plan: 1" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Numbered arrows indicate photo locations N scale (1:160)
Illustration by Rick Johnson and Roen Kelly Layout size: 36"x 6'-8"
Scale of plan: 1" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Find more plans online in the Numbered arrows indicate photo locations
▸▸ Trackplan structure list
ModelRailroader.com Track Plan Database. Illustration by Rick Johnson and Roen Kelly
Find more plans online in the
ModelRailroader.com Track Plan Database.
A – Walthers no. 933-3230
co-op storage shed
B – Rix Products no. 704
40-foot grain bins (3)
C – American Model Builders
Laser Kit no. 651 Alton elevator
D – Rix Products no. 708
Guthrie grain set
E – Model Power no. 2554
Sinatra house
F – Model Power no. 1558
Diggers house
G – Branchline Trains Laser-Art
no. 889 grain elevator
H – The N Scale Architect
no. 10703 stockyard
I – Tichy Train Group no. 2601
signal tower
J – Walthers no. 933-3803
Santa Fe-style depot
K – Walthers no. 933-2615
Sunrise feed mill
L – American Model Builders Laser
Kit no. 614 Midwest farm combo
M – American Model Builders
Laser Kit no. 620 silo
N – Walthers no. 933-3229
Jim’s repair shop
O – Life-Like no. 433-7463 2. An overall view of the layout shows staging tracks behind the backdrop.
William’s country store Sections of the scenery extend through the track openings in the backdrop to
help hide the cutouts when viewed from the front.

54 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com

3. One of the signature trains on the layout is Kato’s Silver Streak Zephyr set. Here it passes an American Model Builders
Laser Kit farm set. The field in the foreground is from Noch. The fences are from The N Scale Architect.

southern harbor layout the staff built last ▸▸ The layout at a glance
year and the Virginian Ry. Appalachian
layout from 2012.
We tossed around a few options that Name: Red Oak Minimum turnout:
led David to the David P. Morgan Scale: N (1:160) Peco no. 6 medium
Memorial Library here in Kalmbach’s Size: 3'-0" x 6'-8" Maximum grade: none
offices (Morgan was Trains magazine’s Prototype: Chicago, Burlington Height: 47"
long-time editor). David came back from & Quincy RR Track: Peco N scale code 55
the library with a concept for a Midwest- Locale: Red Oak, Iowa turnouts and flextrack
ern railroad in the 1960s in the town of Era: early 1960s Scenery: extruded-foam insulation
Red Oak, including some photocopies of Style: island, portable board and Sculptamold
book pages showing the Burlington in Mainline run: 15 feet Control: Digitrax DCC
that part of Iowa. Minimum radius: 13"
At about the same time, a new
Walthers N and Z scale catalog arrived
in our offices with a pair of Chinese Red
Burlington Electro-Motive Division
GP20s on its cover. That, and
the Kato EMD E5-led
Burlington Zephyr
passenger train we had
previously reviewed,
sealed the deal for the CB&Q
as the prototype for this year’s
project layout.
Also on the layout is a Kato NW2,
and after we started building, Kato
released its F2 diesels painted in a gray
Burlington freight scheme. Our good
motive-power fortune continued when
Hornby announced the release of its
N scale General Electric U25C locomo-
tive, another 1960s-era diesel, in a
Burlington paint scheme.

4. The layout is built on a common

interior door and uses a 14" tall piece
of 1 ⁄16" styrene as a sky backdrop. The
fascia is 1 ⁄8" hardboard painted black.
Track plan and design line on the Red Oak layout, which fea- the main line. If the stockyard looks
We started with a concept similar tures a line that passes through the familiar, you’re right – it was featured
to the Carolina Central, which was a backdrop to its own staging tracks. in the Step by Step article on page 22
Model Railroader project layout pub- With a little persuasion and some of the May 2014 issue. The stockyard
lished starting in the December 1996 carefully placed curved turnouts, was built on a piece of 1-inch foam
issue. That railroad featured staging David was able to incorporate the insulation board. We simply cut a cor-
on the back side of the layout, hidden idea into his Red Oak drawing. responding hole for the pen in the Red
by Appalachian foothills. Since we If you look closely at the Red Oak Oak’s foam insulation board,
were modeling Iowa, the foothills were track plan, you’ll note that the two shimmed the hole, and dropped the
out and a sky blue backdrop was in. branch line staging tracks are inde- pen perfectly into place.
While David was sketching track pendent of the four mainline staging
plans, I was thumbing through con- tracks. Though they’re physically next Now on ModelRailroader.com
tributing editor Tony Koester’s book to each other on the layout, operation-
Realistic Model Railroad Operation. ally the two sets of track represent Subscribers can now watch our
On the bottom of page 16 was a track places dozens of miles apart. Red Oak Route video journals online
sketch titled “Truncated Interchange.” On the modeled portion of the and download desktop wallpaper of
It showed an interchange track pierc- branch are spurs to two elevators, a the image at the top of page 55 at
ing the backdrop of a shelf layout. small warehouse, and a small stock- www.ModelRailroader.com.
I adopted Tony’s idea for the branch yard. A feed company is on a track off
56 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 5. The branch line ducks behind a set
Backdrop divider right. We started with a Google search of Rix grain bins before it passes
In a way, we cheated when building of the Internet for photos of the Iowa through the backdrop and into its own
the sky backdrop on this layout. It is a countryside. To keep us on target, staging area. This train is led by a
1 ⁄16" piece of styrene without any support during much of the construction phase Proto N from Walthers GP20.
structure. The sky doesn’t fall because it’s we kept more than a half-dozen print-
wedged into a groove cut in the foam outs of the Google photos draped over Foliage and Fine-Leaf Foliage. Associate
insulation board. The groove is cut at a the backdrop. That way that we wouldn’t editor Steven Otte built the highway
slight curve at each end of the layout, lose sight (literally) of the scenery we using Woodland Scenics Smooth-It.
which gives the self-standing styrene were modeling. Steven also scratchbuilt the wooden
sheet additional support. The backdrop It was obvious in photos that Iowa highway bridge from a photo. The bridge
is only 14" tall, 2" of which are sunk into isn’t as flat as everyone thinks it is. hides one of the openings in the back-
the foam board. If the styrene were any So we carved rolling land forms into drop where trains pass through. Trees
taller, the top edge would start to lean. the foam, using Sculptamold to fill in the and structures are used to disguise the
But in N scale, the backdrop is tall rough edges. other openings.
enough to hide the staging tracks. The landforms are covered with The crop field is made from two
ground foam, and the trees are a combi- Noch scenery sheets. Noch is a German
Structures and scenery nation of JTT Wire Foliage Branches company whose scenery products are
None of us live in Iowa, but some of (twisted-wire trees) with added ground distributed by Walthers. Technically, the
you do, so we wanted to get the scenery foam and Woodland Scenics Clump Noch field is an HO scale rapeseed field.
JANUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 57
6. Freight trains, one led by a pair of Kato F2s, meet in front of a Walthers feed store kit. Along the backdrop are plastic
grain bins and a laser-cut wood elevator, both on the branch line.

58 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com

 7. The stockyard, an N Scale Architect
We liked the material and used it to The layout has feeders soldered to each kit, was built on a piece of foam
represent a generic N scale crop. section of flextrack, and all joints are sol- insulation board and painted and
Structures on the layout are a combi- dered. The layout is wired as one power weathered at the workbench before it
nation of laser-cut wood and plastic kits. district. The command station and power was dropped into place.
Our goal was to build the models as supply sit on a shelf built onto one of the
designed to show how an effective layout sets of legs, and the plug panels were Micro-Trains. The cabooses are from
can be built even without kitbashing. mounted one on each side of the layout. Atlas and Micro-Trains. Associate editor
It took a bit of work to track down all We installed Digital Command Control Eric White was given the task of weath-
of the structures we desired. A few had (DCC) decoders from TCS and Digitrax ering the cars, which he did with pow-
to be bought through the mail from out- into all of the locomotives. dered pastels and Testor’s Dullcote.
of-state hobby shops, and a few are our We will be using the Red Oak layout Otherwise, we left the rolling stock as
second choices. as a test layout for new N scale locomo- manufactured (apologies to our N scale
Vehicles on the layout are mostly tives that the MR staff reviews, so to columnist Jim Kelly for not converting
from Classic Metal Works and Wood- facilitate reviews of DC-only locomo- the cars to body-mounted couplers!).
land Scenics. They help establish the lay- tives, the Digitrax command station/
out depicts the early 1960s. booster is connected to the layout’s Looking ahead
wiring with a plug and socket. I used a We had fun building the Red Oak lay-
Control system matching plug to make a second wiring out, and in the coming months we will
For this layout, we chose a Digitrax harness for DC use. It takes less than a share with you our construction tech-
Super Empire Builder Xtra starter sys- minute to convert the Red Oak into a niques, starting with benchwork and
tem. We also purchased a second single block DC layout. track, and then scenery, structures, and
Digitrax throttle, a second plug panel, rolling stock. While you’re waiting for
and a 5-amp power supply that easily Rolling stock the February issue to arrive, go to
meets our layout’s needs, since at most The locomotives on the layout pull www.ModelRailroader.com to watch the
we’ll have three locomotives running at rolling stock from many manufacturers, start of the video blog that we recorded
the same time. including Atlas, Fox Valley Models, and as we were building the layout.
JANUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 59
Build the 3 x 7
RED OAK
Part 2: Benchwork,
terrain, and track

LAYOUT
By Neil Besougloff
Photos by Bill Zuback/Jim Forbes
Model Railroader’s newest project is the N scale Red Oak layout. In part 2 of our series, we explain how we built
benchwork, started work on the terrain, and laid track.

L
ast month we introduced our We built legs under our layout, but ▸▸ The Red Oak series
staff-built N scale layout mod- you can build a door layout and place it
eling the Chicago, Burlington, on a folding table, a pair of bookcases,
and Quincy RR. The layout, or even two sawhorses. When not in January: Meet Model Railroader’s
built on a hollow-core door, is loosely use, two people can easily lift a door N scale Red Oak layout
set in Red Oak, Iowa, in the early 1960s. layout off a table and lean it against a February: Benchwork, track, and
Why a door instead of a sheet of wall to save space. rough scenery
­plywood? Because it’s lightweight, it By using 1 x 2 and 1 x 3 lumber for March: Scenery plus roads and
doesn’t flex and therefore doesn’t legs, the Red Oak layout benchwork as bridges
­require a frame, and it can be brought shown can be built with nothing more April: Structures, details, and
home from a lumberyard easily in an sophisticated than a handsaw and an rolling stock
SUV or a minivan. electric drill.
FEBRUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 59
BENCHWORK CONSTRUCTION

Fig. 1 Simple and sturdy. The completed benchwork is Fig. 2 Bracing for legs and shelf. This underside view
made from a hollow-core door and dimensional lumber. shows the L-girder legs and diagonal braces.

Plywood shelf frame

Caster
with
brake Carriage bolts
and wing nuts Double
bolts
to keep
leg from
80" wobbling
joist to
support
door

Fig. 3 End view of leg assembly. Fig. 4 Legs built up for casters. The Fig. 5 Diagonal braces. Carriage
Another look at the underside shows legs are made from 1 x 2 and 1 x 3 bolts hold the legs and braces in place.
that the door is glued and screwed lumber, but the ends are built up to They are doubled at the top of the leg
into place. accommodate casters. to prevent wobbling.

Follow along to learn how we built construction for bedrooms, bathrooms, We used carriage bolts and wing nuts
the benchwork, roughed in the terrain closets, and other interior locations. We to attach the four legs and diagonal
using extruded-foam insulation board, bought an unfinished lauan plywood ­braces, just in case we needed to separate
and laid traditional cork roadbed and door measuring 36" x 80" from a home the layout from the leg assembly. The legs
code 55 track. center down the street from Model each use paired 2" carriage bolts to keep
­Railroader’s offices. things from wobbling, as seen in fig. 5.
Benchwork construction David Popp, producer of Model The upper ends of the diagonal braces
The Red Oak layout is built on a ­Railroader Video Plus and our former use 3" bolts to pass through an addi­
­hollow-core door, the type used in home managing editor, built our benchwork, tional wood block that keeps the braces
shown in figs. 1 and 2. in alignment with the legs.
▸▸ Benchwork materials list The assembly uses 1 x 2 and 1 x 3 The door itself rests on two 80" long
pine, some of it fastened into L girders, horizontal joists. We built these to reach
with a plywood shelf near the bottom of the very ends of the 80" door, as shown
Lumber the legs, as shown in fig. 3. The pieces in fig. 3. That way we could sink screws
1 x 3 – 8 feet (4) are glued and screwed together for from below into the perimeter frame of
1 x 3 – 6 feet (1) strength. At the bottom of each leg we the door for a better bite. Otherwise, we
1 x 2 – 8 feet (5) used additional pieces of 1 x 2 and 1 x 3 would be fastening screws into the thin
1 x 2 – 6 feet (2) to build a base for the casters shown in veneer of the door with nothing but air
2 x 4 plywood (shelf) fig. 4. As long-time readers of Model behind the veneer.
36" hollow core door Railroader know, we like to put our lay- On our layout, we ran a bead of wood
outs on wheels, but the choice is yours. glue between the top of the 80" girders
60 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 Top of L-girder leg
1 x 2 notched on outer
ends to match
L-girder joists
1⁄8" hardboard fascia
1 x 3 sits on outside
of leg assembly on all four sides

1 x 3 /1 x 2 L-girder,
80" joist, L-girder
251⁄2" across with
faces inward
holes for leg bolts
Leg attachment detail

1" spacer block behind joist

where brace attaches

Wood screw driven 36" x 80"

into frame of door hollow-core
door
1 x 2 brace

2x4 plywood shelf with

1x2 frame on underside

Door rests on
1 x 3 brace, 80" joists
24" across

1x3 / 1x2 L-girder

legs, 40" tall Additional 1x3 between
shelf and bottom of leg
Door 1x2
1x3 (side of layout)

1x2
1x3
Caster plate
Joist detail
Caster detail

Fig. 6 Benchwork diagram. Here’s how the different pieces of wood went together into the benchwork for our layout.

and the underside of the door as well as the layout is ­complete, the trough is hid- l­eaving a 1-inch gap all the way around
using the four screws. den by the layout’s fascia. If access to the the door.
Details and dimensions of the bench- wiring is needed at later time, it’s easy to We cut the second sheet of foam, our
work are shown in fig. 6, and the lum- unscrew a section of the fascia board. top sheet, the full size of the door –
ber and fasteners we used are listed in Why the trough? Normally, we just 36" x 80" – and temporarily placed it on
the bill of materials on pages 60 and 62. would have drilled down through the top of the layout. We used a yardstick
layout surface to bus lines running un- and some turnouts to determine where
Foam board surface derneath the layout. But it can be tricky to draw the track centerlines, as show in
The surface of the layout is two sheets to fish feeder wires through the open figs. 9 and 10 on page 62.
of 1-inch extruded-foam insulation space in the middle of a hollow core door Then we marked out the sunken areas
board. Our foam was pink, but the blue and out the bottom side. Also, should of the landscape, such as the crop field
stuff works just as well. someone build this as a tabletop layout – and adjacent farm in the front left, plus
Why two pieces of foam board? First, without the leg assembly – sliding a lay- the highway that runs across the layout.
it allows us to carve terrain that drops out with dangling wires along a tabletop We used a foam-cutting knife (which has
below track level and lets us cut a deep isn’t a great idea. a blade longer than a utility knife) to cut
slot for the otherwise free-standing sty- We cut one sheet of foam, the bottom out these features. The result is shown in
rene backdrop. Second, by making the one, 34" x 78" to allow for the previously fig. 11.
bottom piece an inch smaller than the mentioned wiring trough. We glued this Down the middle is a backdrop made
dimensions of the door on all four sides, to the surface of the door with foam-safe of .060" styrene, 14" tall. It fits through a
we created a trough for track wiring. See ­Liquid Nails for Projects (the solvent- cut in both layers of the foam board, and
figs. 7 and 8 on the next page. Once based kind will dissolve the foam), that, plus a slight bow at each end, helps
FEBRUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 61
EXTRUDED-FOAM INSULATION BOARD SURFACE

Fig. 7 Two sheets of foam. David Popp used two sheets Fig. 8 Styrene backdrop. The gap between the top foam
of foam board for the surface of the layout, with the lower sheet and the door is for bus wires; the backdrop cuts
piece cut smaller to create a wiring trough. through both sheets.

Branchline Branchline
goes through enters staging
backdrop
Outline of road
Branchline
staging

Farm

Mainline
staging
Field

Fig. 9 Track centerlines. We used a Fig. 10 Staging tracks. The space Fig. 11 Below grade scenery. We
straightedge, marker, and some track between tracks in the staging area on marked off and cut out areas of
pieces to help transfer the track plan the back of the layout is tight, so we scenery that would be below track
to the foam sheet. took extra care marking centerlines. level, such as the farm and field.

▸▸ Besides foam, you’ll need ... it stand upright without any other sup- ­template, as shown in fig. 12. Once we
port. The layout is 80" long. but the sty- were happy with the template, we trans-
rene sheet actually is 811 ⁄2" long to ferred the shape to the foam.
Miscellaneous ­accommodate the bow. We used the For our layout, we made sure to cut a
1-inch extruded-foam insulation track centerlines to carefully cut out rectangular hole for the cattle yard (see
board (2 sheets) openings in the styrene with a utility fig. 13) that was built a few months ear-
No. 10 x 1½" screws (16) knife where the tracks passed through lier as part of a diorama on a 1" thick
No. 6 x ¾" screws (1 box) the backdrop. Fig. 8 gives a good view piece of extruded-foam insulation board
¼" carriage bolt 2-inches (16) of the styrene backdrop in position. (see Step by Step, page 22, May 2014).
¼" carriage bolt 3-inches (4) If you prefer, 3 ⁄16" tempered hard- ­Associate e­ ditor Steven Otte built the
¼" wingnuts (20) board, sometimes sold under the brand cattle pen with its use on this layout in
¼" washers (20) name Masonite, would work just as well mind, so once we trimmed the edges off
casters (4) for the backdrop. It would be a little the d
­ iorama, the pen dropped right into
Liquid Nails for Projects (1 tube) tougher to cut the three openings for the our new hole, shown in fig. 13.
gray latex adhesive caulk (1 tube) track, though. As we cut and shaped pieces of foam
wood glue We also began cutting and stacking board, we glued them in place using
foam-cutting knife pieces of scrap foam for elevated areas, ­Liquid Nails for Projects, which comes in
.060" sheet styrene 14" x 81½" such as along the backdrop where the a tube that fits into a caulk gun.
inches (for backdrop) track passes through. In trickier areas, After letting the adhesive dry over-
we used a piece of newspaper as a night, we glued the styrene backdrop
62 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
Fig. 12 Paper templates first. To get a good fit in Fig. 13 Space for cattle pen. Our previously built cattle
elevated scenery areas, we made paper templates and then pen fit right into the hole we cut for it in the scenery. We
transferred them to foam pieces. glued it in place using Liquid Nails for Projects.

into its slot. We also added foam blocks

to raise the landscape as it neared the
backdrop, especially where the track
passed through. This allowed us to better
conceal the unrealistic openings once we
started final scenery.
About this time we also started
­applying a base coat of Sculptamold, a
papier-mache-like product, to fill in
some of the seams in the foam.

Track and wiring

Our next step was to lay cork roadbed Fig. 14 Splitting the roadbed. Using Fig. 15 Tacking down the roadbed.
for the Peco flextrack and turnouts. We split roadbed allows the strips to Although wood glue and foam seem
used Midwest Products N scale cork, conform to curves without buckling. like a mismatch, it works well.
separating the two halves (especially
important on the layout’s 13-inch radius
curves) and laying the pieces down side
by side, attached with carpenter’s glue
and pinned in place with T-pins over-
night until the glue set, as shown in
figs. 14, 15, and 16.
Under turnouts we used precut sec-
tions of cork from Itty Bitty Lines, except
for the five curved turnouts, which
required a custom fit of strips of cork
roadbed. See fig. 17. We used sheet cork
cut to fit for the staging yard area.
The layout uses Peco code 55 N scale Fig. 16 Holding cork in place. We Fig. 17 Cork strips and pads. We
flextrack and Peco Electrofrog turnouts. used metal T-pins to keep the roadbed used pre-cut cork pads under turnouts,
There are two sizes of turnouts: Peco curves from moving as the glue dried. but in other places we cut and fit cork.

FEBRUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 63

TRACK AND WIRING

Curved turnout
Curved turnout
Curved turnout
Curved turnout Red
RedOak
Oak
N scale
N scale(1:160)
(1:160)
Layout
Layoutsize: 36"x
size: 36"x6'-8"
6'-8"
Scale of plan:
Scale of plan: 3⁄4"3= 1'-0", 12" grid
⁄4" = 1'-0", 12" grid
Branch line staging tracks have Numbered arrows indicate
Numbered arrows indicate photo locations
photo locations
Branch line staging tracks have Illustration bybyRick Johnson
polarity opposite
polarity oppositeof of
main line
main line Illustration Rick Johnson
staging
stagingtracks
tracks Find
Findmore
moreplans
plans online in in
online thethe
ModelRailroader.com
ModelRailroader.com Track
TrackPlan Database.
Plan Database.

Turnouts areare
Turnouts Peco medium
Peco medium
unless otherwise
unless otherwisenoted
noted

Fig. 18 Curved turnout

Curved turnouts
Curved turnouts locations. This simplified
version of the Red Oak track
Curved turnout
Curved turnout plan shows the locations for
the Peco curved turnouts.

“medium” and Peco curved turnouts. learned over years of project layout con- s­ ections of staging track instead of drop-
Their positions are marked in fig. 18. struction that it can be risky to build a ping feeders from each to the wiring bus.
On a small layout, the curved turnouts model railroad without soldering the See figs. 21 and 22.
make a big difference. The staging rail ­joiners, which always seem to It’s important to note that the two
tracks on the back side of the layout ­loosen up with time, becoming poor staging tracks for the branch line,
would have been roughly 8 inches conductors of electricity. though right next to the back of the loop,
shorter had we not used curved turn- David Popp did most of the wiring on actually branch off from the front. So the
outs, and the passing siding on the front the layout. The layout is controlled by rails’ polarity is reversed compared to
of the layout would have been notice- Digital Command Control (DCC). David the adjacent mainline staging yard. You
ably shorter, too. soldered 22 gauge feeders to the track can’t continue a jumper wire pattern
We used rail nippers and a flat mill and before and after each turnout. across the mainline staging tracks and
file to cut and clean the flextrack rail The feeders are soldered directly to into the branchline staging tracks with-
ends as needed. the outer web of the rails, or in some out accounting for the change of polarity
All metal rail joiners are soldered in cases­where sections of track were put or you will create a short.
place, and we used Peco plastic rail ­together on the workbench, to the under- For a time the staging area, shown in
­joiners to insulate the turnouts. We’ve side of the rails. See fig. 19. We were fig. 22, was quite colorful: brown ties
careful to stay away from the plastic ties, and pink foam with red and white feed-
▸▸ Track components and we removed a tie or two as needed to ers. We toned things down with brown
make room for the feeders. Later, ­before and green paint, as you may recall in the
painting and ballasting, we came back photos of staging in January’s issue.
Peco (code 55 N scale) and slid scrap ties, which we had sanded As the track was wired, we used adhe-
SL 300F Flex track (20 pieces) slightly thinner, into the voids. sive caulk to attach it to the cork road-
SL-E395F Electrofrog no. 6 med­ To keep the underside of the layout bed. We did this in stages, paying partic-
ium radius right-hand turnout (5) smooth, we didn’t drill holes to run our ular attention to alignment and using a
SL-E396F Electrofrog no. 6 med­ wiring underneath. Instead, David used sanding block on the roadbed to mini-
ium radius left-hand turnout (6) a hobby knife to cut narrow trenches mize any rises or dips, especially at track
SL-E386F Electrofrog no. 8 curved in the foam from the rails to the edges joints. To keep the flextrack in place as
right-hand turnout (2) of the layout, where the bus wires ran. the caulk cured, we again used T-pins.
SL-E387F Electrofrog no. 8 curved Working carefully, David pushed the Where the road passes under a girder
left-hand turnout (3) feeder wires into the trenches, which bridge, we intentionally left a “plug” of
SL-311 insulated joiners were easily concealed by ground cover. pink foam that would be removed later
SL-310 metal joiners The feeders were attached to the 18 AWG once we laid the roadbed and track, as
bus lines with insulation displacement shown in fig. 23. Keeping the plug in
Midwest Industries connectors, also called suitcase connec- place at this stage made it easier to lay
3019 N scale cork roadbed (1 box) tors because of their appearance, as track without any unwanted bumps.
3020 N scale cork sheet roadbed shown in fig. 20.
(1 box) The staging yard isn’t intended to be Now on ModelRailroader.com
scenicked, so there was no need to hide
Itty Bitty Lines its wiring. David partially built the stag- We recorded a video blog of our
1340 right-hand turnout cork ing tracks at a workbench, where it was progress building the Red Oak
roadbed (5) more comfortable to solder the rail sec- project layout. Magazine subscribers
1341 left-hand turnout cork tions together. Taking advantage of the can watch the videos on our website,
roadbed (6) proximity of the yard tracks, David sol- www.ModelRailroader.com.
dered a series of jumper wires across
64 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
Fig. 19 Feeders at the workbench. Fig. 20 Bus lines and suitcases. The Fig. 21 Jumpers in staging yard.
We soldered some of the rail joiners feeders connect to the bus lines in the Since the staging yard is not
and feeders at a workbench and then trough between the foam layers along scenicked, it was easier to use jumper
moved the assembly to the layout. the outside of the layout. wires than traditional feeder wires.

Fig. 22 Colorful trackwork. Fig. 23 Temporary plug. We used a Fig. 24 Painting the track. Once
Jumpers connect the staging tracks; temporary plug to smooth tracklaying laid, the track was airbrushed rail
they were later painted to match the where it will pass over a highway. brown; turnouts were colored by hand
track and surrounding terrain. Compare to the “after” photo below. with a paint marker.

Lastly, we drilled one set of holes

through the door itself near the right-
side set of legs to get the bus lines be-
neath the layout to a DCC command
base, which we planned to install on a
small shelf at the top of one set of legs.
Your power supply location may vary
­depending on the type of equipment you
are using.
Throughout the track-laying process
we used a DC locomotive and a DC
­power pack to test our work. Attaching
the power pack to the track or the feeders
temporarily with a pair of alligator clips,
we wanted to be sure that each section of
track was properly powered ­before we
kept going. Last winter, when we were
building the HO scale Rice ­Harbor lay-
out, we got lazy and presumed our wiring The Silver Streak Zephyr crosses the girder bridge. Next month’s article will
was perfect. When we finally ran a test cover the construction of that bridge, the highway, and other scenic features.
locomotive, our bubble burst, and we had
to backtrack to find the short. mask the switch points, since we didn’t At this point, except for a temporary
We had one more task to complete for want any paint to gum up the mecha- power supply and cotton candy-pink
this stage of the layout. Cody Grivno nism or block the flow of electricity. scenery, we had a functioning layout.
used an airbrush and rail brown-colored ­Afterward, I came through with a paint Next month, we’ll build the highway and
acrylic hobby paint to finish the ties and pen to carefully cover the unpainted bridges, install a DCC system, and start
rails. See fig. 24. He was careful to rails and tie tops on the turnouts. covering that pink scenery.
FEBRUARY 2015 • Model Railroader 65
 HOW TO MAKE SCENERY

Though the track on our N scale Red Oak project railroad is flat, the terrain surrounding it isn’t. Layers of extruded-foam
insulation board were stacked and carved to make low hills and gentle slopes, lending the layout visual interest and realism.

Build the 3 x 7 ▸▸ The Red Oak series

RED OAK January: Meet Model Railroader’s

N scale Red Oak layout
February: Benchwork, track, and

LAYOUT
rough scenery
March: Scenery plus roads and
bridges
April: Structures, details, and
rolling stock

Part 3: Terrain and scenery

By Steven Otte • Photos by Bill Zuback and Jim Forbes

O
ur Red Oak project railroad is to depict elevation changes in the sur- passes over the railroad on a wood
set in the heart of Iowa farm rounding terrain by building up and bridge on the left. You’ll see how I built
country, which doesn’t pro- carving away layers of extruded-foam those two bridges starting on page 63
vide the same oppor­tunity for insulation board. and how I paved High Street on page 65.
dramatic vertical scenery as do the Another scenic feature that adds ver- Before we could work on the scenery,
­Appalachians or the Rockies. But central tical interest to a basically flat tabletop though, we had to finish the track. In
Iowa isn’t as table-flat and treeless as you layout is High Street, which extends February’s article we showed you how we
might think. Our online research found from one side of the layout to the other. laid and wired the track. We begin this
photos of low, rolling hills and plenty of This road passes under a through girder month by weathering it with an airbrush
dense forests. So even though the track rail bridge on the right side of the layout, and paint markers. Read on to see how
on our project layout was flat, we decided crosses the branch line at grade, and we did it.

WEATHERING TRACK

Airbrush Extruded-foam
insulation
board cube

Turnouts masked with

blue painter’s tape

Latex gloves Paint sticks to foam

Enamel paint marker

Abrasive track
cleaning block Gauge (inside of rail)

Field (outside of rail)

With all of the track in place, Model Railroader associate had the exhaust fan running and wore a respirator and latex
editor Cody Grivno used an airbrush and Model Master Rail- gloves for safety.
road Tie Brown (no. 4885) to paint the rails and ties. Shortly after Cody finished painting, editor Neil Besougloff
However, before he could start the painting process, he came in with a scrap of extruded-foam insulation board to
needed to do a little prep work. First, Cody used a toothbrush clean the still tacky paint from the rails. He used an abrasive
and denatured alcohol to clean flux and other soldering residue track-cleaning block to remove any stubborn paint.
from the areas where feeder wires were attached to the rails. Finally, Neil touched up the turnouts using a Floquil Rail-
Do a thorough job of cleaning, or the paint won’t adhere well. road Tie Brown enamel paint marker. [Testor’s enamel paint
Second, Cody masked all of the turnouts with blue painter’s markers are now part of the CreateFX line. Rail Tie Brown
tape. Even though the turnouts are Peco Electrofrog, he still (new name) is in set no. 73801. – Ed.] He used a Micro­brush
masked the points and heels so paint wouldn’t gum up the with Model Master acrylic paint to cover hard-to-reach areas.
moving parts or cover any electrical contacts.
With the prep work complete, Cody airbrushed the track.
Though no thinning is required for most Model Master ­acrylic
paints, he slightly thinned the Railroad Tie Brown with 70 per-
cent isopropyl alcohol (approximately 9 parts paint to 1 part
alcohol). The layout was too big to fit in our spray booth, but he
MARCH 2015 • Model Railroader 61
 LAYERING FOAM SCENERY
Stacked foam glued with
Opening in Liquid Nails for Projects
backdrop

Scrap foam
board
Lowered
area

Paper template

Though the layout is essentially flat – there are no changes the next page), was simple to create. We used only one layer of
in track elevation – there are parts of the terrain that fall both foam here, easily lowering the area 1" below track grade. Using
above and below track level, giving the impression of Iowa’s ­utility knives and serrated kitchen knives, we sloped the sur-
rolling countryside. We accomplished this by both stacking rounding terrain down to that level. There was no wiring in
and cutting away the layers of extruded-foam insulation board this area, so we didn’t have to leave a channel in the foam here.
that formed our scenery base. More subtle is the farm area, which is only slightly below
Model Railroader Video Plus producer David Popp used grade. David lowered these areas by cutting out the top layer of
newspaper to trace the shapes needed to build up foam hills foam, cutting it into strips, and thinning them about 1 ⁄2" with a
around the layout. After cutting them out with scissors, he serrated knife before gluing them back in place. While this
transferred the patterns to pieces of foam board. He glued technique would be perfect for creating complex slopes over
these in place with Liquid Nails for Projects adhesive. large areas, David says in retrospect that a large, flat area like
The lowered front-right corner of the layout, where the track the ones on Red Oak would be easier to model by cutting a
passes over High Street on a ballasted-deck girder bridge (see replacement piece out of 1 ⁄2" foam.

Removed piece of roadway Roadway leading up hill

Sloped roadway

Raised right-of-way Sculptamold

Lowered area
Lowered area (one layer of foam)

High Street, which slopes down from left to right across the lot of rail tunnels in Iowa, so having our terrain rise toward the
layout, was made similarly. David used a utility knife to cut out backdrop gave us the ability to disguise those openings
a 2-foot-long section of the top layer of foam along the road’s ­between hills and under bridges. [We’ll cover how we dis-
gently curving path. He then cut away the bottom of the road- guised those backdrop openings in part 4 of this series, coming
way section at an angle, creating a ramp, and glued it back in in our April issue. –Ed.]
place. The surrounding foam was cut away at an angle to form Next, we mixed up a batch of Sculptamold. This is a light-
sloping banks. We used coarse-grit foam rubber sanding weight material somewhere between plaster and papier-mache.
blocks to smooth the slopes alongside the road and eliminate It trowels on easily, dries to a bumpy texture, and can be
sharp edges. carved, sanded, stained, and painted. We used it to fill in the
More hills were added toward the back of the layout, both to gaps between foam pieces and introduce more natural varia-
provide more support for the styrene backdrop and to disguise tions and contours.
the openings where the track passes through it. There aren’t a
62 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 THE GIRDER BRIDGE

Track laid over bridge span

Sculptamold

Bridge deck,
.080” styrene

Roadbed not glued to temporary block Styrene wing walls wedge deck in place

The through girder bridge on the right side of the layout wing walls out of the same styrene, trimming them until they
carries the Burlington Route main line over High Street, which both matched the profile of the terrain on either side and held
runs the length of the layout. It’s typical of many small over- the deck wedged securely against the bottom of the cork road-
passes seen in rural areas even today. bed. I then removed the pieces and painted them Concrete
After the general shape of the surrounding terrain was ­before replacing them and brushing Plastruct Plastic Weld liq-
carved into the layers of extruded-foam insulation board, the uid ­cement onto the joints. The gaps between the wing walls
roadbed and track were laid, including the segment that would and the terrain were filled with Sculptamold.
become this bridge. A block of foam was used to support the
track over the roadway, but the cork wasn’t glued to this tem-
porary support. After the adhesive cured, the foam block was
removed to make room for the roadway.
I used .080" styrene sheet to make a deck under the road-
bed, cutting and test-fitting it until I was satisfied. Next I cut

Atlas bridge girders, cut down Flint Hills

Ballast
N scale
CB&Q ballast

Sidewalks
Microscale decal

Blair Line clearance sign

I paved, sanded, and striped the road before returning to walls), I added sidewalks on both sides of the underpass. I used
the bridge girders, which I got from an Atlas N scale bridge kit. .040" x .125" ­Evergreen styrene strip, which I scribed with
Using a razor saw and a miter box, I cut four segments out of ­expansion joints and equipped with curbs of .060" square strip.
the middle of each girder, reducing them to four panels wide. These were painted Concrete and glued to the roadway with
After gluing the shortened girders together, I airbrushed them Walthers Goo.
Tarnished Black. Panels of .020" styrene, bearing Burlington I also protected the approach with an old-fashioned type of
Route heralds from a Microscale diesel decal set, helped con- guard wire, made of wood posts connected with steel cable.
ceal and strengthen the splices. A set of Blair Line clearance I drilled holes in 1 ⁄16" posts and threaded Fireline fishing line
warning signs finished the girders, which I then glued to both “wire” before gluing the posts into holes in the road shoulder,
sides of the styrene deck. but did not glue the wire in place yet. After the posts’ glue set,
To provide safety for N scale pedestrians (and to conceal I pulled the wire taut and used cyanoacrylate adhesive (CA) to
any gaps between the roadway and the bottom of the wing hold it that way, later trimming it with a hobby knife.
MARCH 2015 • Model Railroader 63
 THE ROAD TRESTLE

N scale cinder ballast

⁄ " round dowel posts
1 16
Trestles glued in place

⁄ ” square wood header

1 16

Jig made from 1 ⁄8” tile styrene sheet

A prototype photo of a steel-framed, wood-decked road Next, I cut and stained 1 ⁄16" square stripwood and 1 ⁄16" dow-
bridge over a train track inspired my design for the scratch- els, then glued them together on the jig to make four identical
built trestle on the left side of the layout. Kalmbach Books’ bents. I added cross bracing of stained .020" x .040" stripwood
Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles had diagrams that looked and glued the trestles back-to-back in pairs.
like the bents in the photo, so I adapted a design for my bridge. I used a hobby knife to cut slots into the foam terrain for
Since I would need four identical bents, I made a plastic jig the trestle piles, and glued them in place with white glue.
on a sheet of Evergreen styrene scribed in 1 ⁄8" squares. After When that glue had dried, there were still gaps around the
transferring the design onto the grid, I glued on pieces of .080" piles. I covered them and the surrounding terrain with N scale
square styrene strip to guide placement of the wood pieces. cinder ballast and glued it down with Scenic Cement.

⁄ ” x 1 ⁄16” wood top rails

1 32

Styrene C-channel guard rails

Scribed wood deck

⁄ ” wood posts
1 16
3/16" styrene I-beams

.080” x .125” styrene strip Splice plates with rivet detail

Gluing the trestles in place on the layout showed me that with a tack hid the joints on the outside of the beams. I painted
my bridge would be skewed. I cut two Evergreen styrene 3 ⁄16" the outer beam black.
I-beams long enough to span the bents and glued a .080" x I laid the beam assembly on a sheet of Midwest Products
.125" crossbearer at a 90-degree angle at the end of each one, 1 ⁄16" scribed wood sheet and traced the angle before cutting it

forming two L shapes. Positioning them on the bents, I marked out. I stained the wood deck and glued it to the styrene frame-
where the crossbearers would need to be glued to the opposite work with cyanoacrylate adhesive (CA). Next, I added 1 ⁄16" x 1 ⁄8"
beams to form the skewed deck. I glued them together and wood end rails, 1 ⁄16" square vertical posts, 1 ⁄16" styrene C-chan-
added a diagonal brace. nel guardrails (painted silver), and 1 ⁄16" x 1 ⁄32" top railings.
Next, I added the beams that angled down from the main I test-fit the completed bridge atop the bents. Though I’d put
deck to the roadways on either side. I strengthened the joints a wood filler piece in place to stand in for the bridge while pav-
with splice plates on the back where they wouldn’t be seen and ing the roadway, I found the bridge wasn’t a perfect fit. Shaving
added another set of crossbearers. Splice plates made of .010" some of the plaster away with a utility knife fixed that. I glued
styrene sheet embossed with rivets pushed in from the back the bridge on top of the pilings with Walthers Goo.
64 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 PAVING THE ROAD
Pushpins

HO scale cork roadbed

Coarse sanding block

Foam and Sculptamold terrain

To pave High Street, I used Smooth-It, a lightweight plaster- sanded the surface to smooth the texture and remove rough
like product from Woodland Scenics. I like using it because it’s edges on the shoulder. It was now ready for the Smooth-It.
easy to mix, spread, and sand, and tints well with liquid pig- I mixed the Smooth-It a bit thicker than the box called for
ments. But first, I needed to shape a foundation for the road. so it wouldn’t slough down the slope of the hill before drying.
The first step was to smooth the terrain under the road. I mixed it with a shot of black Woodland Scenics Earth Colors,
I used a coarse foam sanding block to remove sharp edges a concentrated liquid pigment. This tinted the material gray so
where the terrain transitioned from one thickness of extruded- that I could sand and shape it after drying without exposing
foam insulation board to another. Doing so added some inter- white plaster. I eyeballed the proportion, keeping in mind it
esting and realistic variations to the road’s height. would dry much lighter than it looked wet. I wasn’t worried
Next, I laid a foundation of HO scale cork roadbed. This about matching colors between batches. If two parts of the
­elevated the road’s surface, providing for drainage on either road didn’t match, it would look like it had been repaved.
side. I used wood glue to affix it to the surface, tacking it down Earlier, I’d glued a Blair Line wood grade crossing between
with pushpins while it dried. In some areas, I had to use two the rails where the road would cross the branch line. I ­protected
layers to even out a dip or raise the elevation on the bridge it, and the rails, with a piece of masking tape before troweling
­approach. Once the glue was dry, I pulled the pushpins and the tinted Smooth-It up to the level of the railhead.

Grade crossing protected with tape

Homemade
Tinted stencil
Smooth-It is Stripes
lighter after masked with
sanding painter’s tape
Streaks of
weathering
powder

After the Smooth-It dried overnight, I used ­medium- and v­ ersions, like the 1961 manual I referred to, are archived on
fine-grit sanding blocks to smooth the surface. In some areas various websites and can be found with a quick Google search.
where the Smooth-It layer was thin, this exposed the cork I used thin strips of blue painter’s tape to mask off center
roadbed. I covered them by brush-painting these areas with and shoulder stripes along the road’s width and filled them in a
several shades of gray paint. Since there was no way to exactly paint marker. For the railroad crossings, I created the graphic
match the shade of the tinted Smooth-It, I gave my painted on my computer, printed it out to scale, reinforced the paper
­areas square edges to represent pavement patches. with ­painter’s tape, and cut it out with a ­hobby knife to make a
Next, I consulted a copy of the 1961 Manual of Uniform stencil. I then used a brush to paint the road markings white.
Traffic Control Devices to see how roads would have been The next step was to brush full-strength white glue along
striped in 1961. This United States Government publication is the edges of the pavement and sprinkle on medium gray N
used by highway departments nationwide to govern the signal- scale ballast to simulate gravel shoulders. Finally, I weathered
ing and marking of roads, streets, and highways. The current the road with medium gray and black weathering powders
version is available online at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov; older from AIM Products.
MARCH 2015 • Model Railroader 65
 FASCIA AND DCC PANELS

Cable raceway

⁄ " hardboard fascia

3 16

Throttle
pocket, New
Throttle plug, Digitrax UP5 Rail Models
40020
Edge of hollow-core door

1 x 2 splice plate

The fascia on the Red Oak layout serves two purposes: It Finally, wider fascia frames a layout better. The larger
hides the wiring that runs through the foam trough at the edge ­ eutral surface area makes it easier for your eye to be drawn
n
of the scenery, and it finishes the edges of the model railroad. into the finished scene. We painted the Red Oak’s fascia
For this project, Model Railroader Video Plus producer David semi-gloss black, much like a museum display. When viewing
Popp used 3 ⁄16" tempered hardboard. the layout, you immediately look past the black border into
If you’re building the layout to be supported on a table, the bright world of our detailed Iowa landscape.
you’ll want the fascia to end flush with the bottom of the door To make the fascia, David used pre-cut 2 x 4-foot “handy
– anything extending beyond that could be damaged when panels” and cut the sections with a reciprocating saw, follow-
moving the layout. David used this method on his own N scale ing the scenery’s contours. Where sections joined, he
railroad, and reports it’s worked quite well. ­installed 1 x 2 splice blocks at the seams and corners to keep
We built our Red Oak layout with the door permanently them together. He attached the fascia to the layout with
­attached to its L-girder frame, however, so David extended the no. 6 x 3 ⁄4" pan-head screws, making it easy to remove should
fascia 4" below the bottom surface of the door. Should we we ever need to get to the wiring.
choose to take the layout off of its legs at
some point, the layout will rest on its frame,
protecting the thin hardboard fascia.
We used a deeper fascia on this layout
for several reasons. First, it provides a larger
surface for mounting Digital Command
Control plug ports and throttle holders.
You can still install plug ports on a lay-
out that has the fascia flush with the bottom
of the door, but you’ll need to cut holes into
the foam scenery to make room for the back
of the plug port. When David did this on
his own model railroad, it was a bit fiddly.
Instead, using deeper fascia ­allowed for easy
installation of plug ports below the door.
Second, when the day comes that we set
the layout up for operation, the deeper fas-
cia provides more room to attach bill boxes,
town maps, and other operating aids. The
fascia also serves to protect these items
when the layout is moved.

Now on ModelRailroader.com
Model Railroader magazine subscrib-
ers can watch a series of video jour-
nals we recorded during construc-
tion. Find them under Online Extras
at www.ModelRailroader.com

66 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com

 DCC SYSTEM INSTALLATION

Loconet cable

Digitrax throttle socket

Hole in L-girder DCC booster, Digitrax PS514

Power supply

Leg cross brace

For the Red Oak project, the MR staff selected a Digitrax middle of the layout on both the front and on the back. Every-
Super Empire Builder Xtra starter set. It comes with nearly thing an operator will need to do on the layout is an easy reach
­everything you will need to set up a layout the size of the Red from those positions.
Oak or larger, including a DB150 5 amp command station, With the command station, power supply, and plug ports in
DT402 master walk-around throttle, and a UP5 plug port. We place, he then followed the instruction manual to make the
chose a Digitrax PS514 4 amp power supply to run the system. final­connections. This involved either connecting wires to
We also added a second UP5 plug panel and a couple of Throt- screw terminals or plugging flat cables with RJ connecters into
tle Pockets from New Rail Models (item 40020) to hold the sockets. ­Digitrax requires you to follow a simple initialization
walkaround cab. procedure the first time you use the system – after that, it’s
Installing the DCC system is easy. To begin, David built a ready for use.
5 x 18-inch shelf on top of one of the leg supports for the com- David had the parts installed and the layout ready to run in
mand station and the power supply. Since the layout is small, less than an hour – considerably less time than it took to ­install
he next installed one plug port and one throttle pocket in the the decoders in our locomotives.

Painted black, Red Oak’s tempered

hardboard fascia visually isolates the
model railroad, helping to draw the
eye into the scene.

Model Railroader Video Plus sub­

scribers can watch a video showing the
entire Digital Command Control instal­
lation process on the Red Oak layout at
www.MRVideoPlus.com

MARCH 2015 • Model Railroader 67

The branch line’s Electro-Motive Division NW2 switcher works the elevator on our N scale Burlington Route Red Oak project
layout. In this final installment, we tell you how we built the grain complex and the layout’s other structures and scenes.

Build the 3 x 7 ▸▸ The Red Oak series

RED OAK January: Meet Model Railroader’s

N scale Red Oak layout
February: Benchwork, track, and

LAYOUT
rough scenery
March: Scenery plus roads and
bridges
April: Structures, details, and
rolling stock

Part 4: Scenery, structures, and rolling stock

By Steven Otte • Photos by Bill Zuback and Jim Forbes

T
he track is laid, wired, and run- ­ roduce results that would be up to the
p Model Railroader editor Neil
ning. The terrain is roughed in. standards of more experienced modelers. ­ esougloff and Model Railroader Video
B
We’ve added roads and bridges. By relying on tried-and-true scenery Plus producer David Popp started off the
Now comes the part that makes methods, building structures from ground cover and trees, setting the
or breaks a model railroad, the final ­unmodified kits, and populating the ­example that associate editor Eric White
touches that can transform a layout into railroad with weathered ready-to-run and I followed to finish the scenery. We
a work of art: the scenery, structures, cars and loco­motives, we think we’ve then added structures that Eric and
and rolling stock. achieved both goals. I had built and painted. Finally, Eric
When we plan our annual project lay- For instance, a sticky dilemma facing weathered the freight cars with powders,
outs, we put great thought into the level many modelers is how to disguise track while David used an airbrush to do the
of expertise a modeler would need to that needs to disappear through a hole in same for the locomotives.
­duplicate our work. This year, we the backdrop. Depending on where your We had a lot of fun building this
­decided the N scale Red Oak should tar- railroad is set, the obvious answer of a year’s project layout. We hope that you
get the beginner-to-­intermediate ­model tunnel portal may not be appropriate. enjoyed reading about it, and perhaps
railroader. We wanted to make the proj- We show you the three approaches we gleaned some ideas for your own model
ect accessible to beginners, but still used on the next page. railroad along the way.

HIDING ENTRANCES TO STAGING

Clump foliage Clump foliage Fine leaf foliage
glued to backdrop
Backdrop opening

Hill

Foreground trees

It’s important to visually separate staging areas from the On the right side, we used Woodland Scenics ground foam
main layout to preserve the illusion that a model railroad con- clump foliage and fine leaf foliage to make the tracks seem to
nects to a greater rail network. On our less-than-3 x 7-foot disappear into the trees. We glued the clusters around the top
tabletop, this requires a backdrop. of the backdrop opening to simulate branches arching up and
To keep our tracks from disappearing into an unrealistic over the tracks. The fine leaf foliage, which is a natural product
hole in the sky, we needed to conceal these track openings enhanced with ground foam, was used to model shrubs
somehow. While there are no mountains on our layout to around the base of the backdrop and random branches stick-
­justify disguising the entrances to staging with tunnel portals, ing out the top of the tree line. The occasional larger pieces­
Iowa does have hills, trees, and structures. We put our two with distinct stems became foreground trees. More trees
mainline portals in terrain cuts and used structures to further planted­on the hills flanking the curve further screen the stag-
shield the staging entrances from view. ing entrance from view.
Distant treeline Shadows under
glued to backdrop bridge hide opening
Track ballasted
through opening
Foliage-
covered
view block

To disguise the portal on the left, which would have fewer Behind all three openings, we added short view blocks cov-
trees to shield it, we made the surrounding hills higher and ered with clump foliage. These visually continued the foliage
added a highway overpass above the track and in front of the from the front of the layout so the trains weren’t seen disap-
opening. [Bridge construction was covered in our March 2015 pearing into an unscenicked void. We also continued the track
­issue. – Ed.] There’s still foliage on the backdrop, representing a ballast and ground cover through the opening.
distant tree line, but the shadows under the bridge most effec-
tively conceal the opening.
APRIL 2015 • Model Railroader 39
 HIDING ENTRANCES TO STAGING (CONT’D)
Rear view
block Grain bins
Front view block not yet screen
installed opening

The branch line that cuts across the middle of the layout has have to, because we also placed a set of tall grain bins in front
its own staging tracks behind the backdrop. These staging of the foliage view block. This leaves the ­backdrop opening still
tracks need their own entrance, because although they parallel visible from certain angles, but not from the front or left. As
the four-track mainline staging yard, they don’t connect to it. with the other two openings, another foliage-covered wall
The branch line passes through the backdrop at a sharp angle, ­behind the opening helps shield view of the staging area.
so we screened it from the front with a thin wall of foliage and
trees. It doesn’t shield the opening completely, but it doesn’t

COMPLETING SCENERY
Burnt Grass
Woodland Scenics static grass GrassTech II
Blended Turf (fine) flock static grass
applicator

Ground foam
sprinkled into
paint while wet

Brown flat Grounding wire

latex paint with clip

To make our pink-foam-and-white-Sculptamold terrain look scenery layers. In other areas, coarse ground foam and bits of
more like dirt, we brush-painted it with a flat dark brown latex Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage in several colors was
interior house paint left over from a previous project. We sprinkled on to model weeds and shrubbery.
brushed the paint on in small sections so we could sprinkle Where the branch line skirts a hill to reach the stock pen,
ground cover onto it while it was still wet. I made the steep hillside look like an eroded cut by covering it
On most of the layout, we simulated wild grass with a mix with Real Dirt, then adding small rocks and talus sifted from a
of Woodland Scenics Fine Turf in green blend and earth blend batch of leveling sand that came from our local hardware store.
colors. Bare dirt was covered with a sprinkle of finely sifted All scenery was secured by wetting the area with 70 percent
Real Dirt from Highball Products (item no. 510). isopropyl alcohol to break the surface tension, then applying
On some areas where the grass would be untended, such as Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement with a pipette.
along the right-of-way, we applied Burnt Grass Static Grass
Flock by Woodland Scenics (no. 633) on top of the previous
40 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 COMPLETING SCENERY (CONT’D)
Clump foam and netting
used to enhance foliage

Trunks twisted
together to make
larger trees JTT Tree branch trees
Foam
clump
foliage
Woodland Scenics
Raw branches Fine Leaf Foliage

We used a few methods to model trees on the layout. To For most stand-alone trees, we used Wire Foliage Branches
depict the treeline against the backdrop, we simply used yellow from JTT Trees. These armatures, twisted from four to eight
wood glue to stick Woodland Scenics Clump Foliage ­directly wires, painted brown, and tipped with green ground foam
to the backdrop. clusters, can be used as tree branches in larger scales. But in
For low trees and shrubs, we used more Woodland Scenics N scale, they were just about right to represent trees on their
fine leaf foliage. We generally used this as a transition between own. We used single branches for saplings or combined several
the backdrop treeline and the foreground, and to cover hills for larger trees. I used pliers to twist the wire trunks of two to
surrounding our tunnel entrances. But in several spots, we also four branches together, coated them with wood glue to dis-
broke out small branching clumps of the foliage to represent guise the twisted wire texture, and painted the trunks with
foreground bushes or taller branches sticking up out of the earth-colored acrylic hobby paint. We also enhanced the foli-
background treeline. age with various brands of ground foam and foliage netting.

Brown card-
stock painted
and sprinkled Scalloped shape
Distant
with green represents rolling terrain
hill glued
ground foam in place
against
backdrop
Brown ground
foam represents
more distant hills

Where the junction between the terrain and the backdrop For the distant hills, he sprayed the foam and cardboard
wasn’t concealed with foliage, we wanted to depict distant hills with a mist of gray primer to simulate atmospheric haze. He
without drawing too much attention. Associate editor Eric then cut low, scalloping silhouettes from both colors and lay-
White accomplished this with cardstock hills. By painting ered them against the backdrop with wood glue. He further
them the same brown as our terrain, he made sure the hills disguised the transition from backdrop and terrain with a line
would tie in with the rest of our scenery. He then sprinkled of white glue at the joint, into which he sprinkled fine green
fine ground green and brown foam into the still wet paint. ground foam to match the turf.

Hot pink VW
Beetle repainted Blair Line
an appropriate road sign
Light gray
color
N scale
ballast,
Highball
Products
121

Blair Line billboard

with custom sign

In addition to the highway down the middle of the layout We added some details to make our rural highway more
[construction of which was covered in our March issue –Ed.], realistic. Plastic roadside signs on wood posts were made by
our layout needed a few driveways, dirt roads, and parking lots Blair Line. We found the billboard in another Blair Line kit.
to serve its businesses and homes. I made these by adding a I created a Model Railroader ad on my computer to decorate it.
fine sprinkling of Highball Products N scale ballast in Light Finally, we added vehicles from various manufacturers. One
Gray or Limestone colors. I first soaked the area to be paved Volkswagen Beetle in an anachronistic shade of hot pink irked
with isopropyl alcohol. Where a defined edge was needed, Eric White. He researched the paint colors in which Bugs were
I used a piece of paper to keep the ballast off of adjacent ground available in the 1960s and repainted the offending vehicle in an
cover. I then secured the roadways with Scenic Cement. ­authentic (and custom-mixed) shade of Brunswick Blue.
APRIL 2015 • Model Railroader 41
 STRUCTURES AND SCENES
Woodland Scenics 4936
AMB LaserKit 620
Faller 155507

N Scale Architect 61055

AMB LaserKit 614

GHQ 54005

Faller 180463

The farm is the largest single scene on the layout. The eye-
catching, bright yellow and green field in the front left corner
was completed first. After David Popp scenicked the area
around the track, he ­installed etched-brass three-rail fencing
Garden soil, from The N Scale Architect between the field and right-of-way.
Different
grades of
dark brown To make the mostly flat fencing more realistic, he used cyano-
fine turf
ground acrylate adhesive (CA) to glue on posts of .040" square styrene.
foam He then painted the fence with gray Rust-Oleum spray primer
model
crops and stained it with Hunterline Creosote Black stain.
The main structures of the farm house, barn, silo, and shed
came from an American Model Builders (AMB) ­LaserKit set.
Figures, I assembled them and painted the house, barn, and silo tradi-
Woodland tional colors using Model Master acrylic paints. The shed came
Scenics 2152
with self-adhesive paper siding representing a waterproof com-
posite material. I weathered it slightly with a drybrush.
Eric White and I enclosed the cow pasture with etched-
brass fencing from The N Scale Architect. I populated the pas-
ture with livestock from Faller, then added a Woodland Scenics
windmill and a 1954 farm tractor from a GHQ kit.
A set of Woodland Scenics figures and a pickup truck
loaded with produce inspired another scene on the farm. After
gluing down dark brown fine turf, I masked a section of the
farmhouse’s yard with a square of paper while applying the
grass. Into this square of bare earth I glued four rows of
ground foam in a variety of colors and grades, turning it into a
N Scale Architect 61050 garden. I set the farm figures to harvesting the crops and haul-
.040” square styrene strip posts
ing them to the truck to take to market.

Though Walthers calls the station kit we used “Santa Fe-

Walthers 933-3803 Style Brick Depot,” it resembled prototype photos of some
Midwestern CB&Q stations closely enough for us. All I did to
customize it was to apply a placard with a Burlington Route
herald decal from Microscale.
I scratchbuilt the platform by gluing .080" x .188" styrene
strip around a piece of brick-patterned styrene. I painted this
foundation Concrete, stained the entire platform with a thin
black paint wash, and glued the station model to it.
I placed it on a gravel lot of N scale ballast and added life
with a Woodland Scenics vehicle and figure set. More passen-
ger figures and benches were added to the trackside platform.
42 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 Houses

Mutual
Grain Service

Farm Grain
Producers Feed Co. elevator Stock pens

Tower

Farm field General

Station store
Restaurant

The Mutual Grain Service complex was built from several American Model Builders 651
kits
Red toOaklook like it had been expanded over the years to accom- Rix 708
modate increased business, as many prototypes were. The core
isscale
N an (1:160)
Alton Elevator from American Model Builders. Overflow bins: Rix 704
Layout size: 36"x 6'-8"
ScaleThe modern
of plan: steel
1" = 1'-0", 12" grid grain bins, by Rix, are modular. I com-
bined
Find moreparts from
plans online two kits to make three tall and two short
in the
bins. I used .125"
ModelRailroader.com Trackround styrene rod to connect the short bins
Plan Database.
to the wooden ­elevator structure, and linked the tall bins to the
Rix elevator head. I scratchbuilt a downspout and a triangular
support for it for the Rix elevator to create another loading spot
at the grain complex.
The storage shed, which would be used for bagged grain,
farm equipment, and other small lots, is from Walthers (the
Co-Op Storage Shed, item no. 933-3230).

You’ve seen the stock pens before. I wrote about how N Scale Architect 10703
I assembled, painted, weathered, and landscaped them in the
May 2014 issue. Since the top layer of extruded-foam insulation
board on the Red Oak layout was 1" thick, the same depth as
I used for the base of the stock pens, it was a simple matter to
cut a rectangular “swimming pool” in the terrain and drop the
diorama in place. (We peeled off the diorama’s track first, since
we wanted to lay our spur track as one piece.)
Then, we used Sculptamold to fill in the seam and ­added Shed/office: Bar Mills 991
ground cover and bushes to blend it into the surrounding scen-
ery. The elevator’s office, which wasn’t part of the original di-
orama, is from a Blair Line Shack Pack.

The Producers Feed Co. mill is the only other major Walthers 933-2615
i­ ndustry on the layout. Associate editor Eric White assembled
it from a Walthers Sunrise Feed Mill kit. Not wanting to make
the popular kit too recognizable, we selected a different name
for the business. Eric also personalized it with advertisements
from a set of JL Innovative Designs paper signs left over from a
previous project. He sanded the backs of the signs to thin the
paper, then applied them with white glue, pressing them down
into the texture of the structure’s walls.

APRIL 2015 • Model Railroader 43

 LOCOMOTIVES AND ROLLING STOCK

Grimy Black on roof

Draw powder down side
simulates soot

Steam-era cars got Grimy Black soot along their roofs. Eric drew powder down the sides to simulate rain streaks.

Medium Earth on sides and Medium Earth on ends

trucks simulates dirt

As the covered hopper was newer, it got lighter weathering. Earth powders on the ends simulate wheel splatter.

Running board left Heavy weathering on

unweathered to model wood boards
replacement plank

Wood sides
weathered
heavily to
represent Rust around brake gear
Rust on trucks older car

An unweathered board simulates a repair to this wood car. Older, wood-sided cars were more heavily weathered.

Eric White used an assortment of weathering powders Eric brushed Medium Earth along the side sills above the
from AIM Products to weather the cars for our Red Oak lay- trucks to simulate dust thrown up by the wheels, then streaked
out, favoring Grimy Black, Dark Rust, Medium Earth, White, this up and down to simulate rain washing loose dirt back
and Medium Gray. He applied the powders with Microbrushes. down the sides of the car. The ends got a similar treatment,
For the boxcars, he started at the top, either with Dark Rust with Grimy Black drawn down from the roof and Medium
or Grimy Black powder. Eric filled the brush and applied a gen- Earth brushed up from the end sill.
erous dollop of powder along the cars’ plastic running boards, On the covered hopper, Eric started with white powder
which helped bring out the texture. Then he brushed the pow- around the hatches, then added a bit of Medium Earth to help
der across the roof, following the ribs, and down the sides. the white contrast a bit more with the light gray paint scheme.
If he started with Grimy Black, intended to simulate soot This too, was dragged down the sides. Since this car is newer,
from steam locomotives, he followed it with a layer of Dark he left off the Grimy Black.
Rust, using the same techniques. Sometimes he started with On the ends of the cars, under the slope sheets, he applied a
the Dark Rust, then followed with Grimy Black. On newer bit of Medium Earth powder to simulate the spray from the
equipment that wouldn’t have seen service in the steam era, wheels. Again, Eric brushed the powder vertically, keeping in
Eric substituted Medium Gray as one of the heavy roof weath- mind the direction water would wash down the car. Finally,
ering colors, and went lighter with the Grimy Black. the weathering was secured with Testors Dullcote.
44 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com
 Engine Black

Reefer Gray

Rust on coupler,
leaf springs

Dabs of Engine Black

on journal boxes

Engine Black

Now on ModelRailroader.com
Registered users to our website can view Harold Russell’s
article “A tale of two shed” from How to Build Realistic Lay-
Reefer Gray outs at www.ModelRailroader.com.

David Popp used a fine-tipped double-action airbrush – one well as accumulated road dust. He used a fine-­pointed brush to
that controls both the air speed and the amount of paint dis- touch up the journal boxes and fuel filler with Engine Black to
pensed – to lightly weather the locomotives for the layout. He simulate spilled grease and fuel. He also added a bit of Rust to
thinned Testors Model Master acrylics with isopropyl alcohol the couplers and the trucks’ leaf springs.
to make the paint go on in lighter layers so he could more easi- The other locomotives got a lighter touch. We figured that
ly control the amount of weathering. as the crack passenger train on our layout, Kato’s Silver Streak
The pair of Kato F units assigned to freight service were the Zephyr would have been well maintained. So the EMD E5 that
oldest on the layout, so they got the heaviest treatment. David leads the train got only a light misting of Engine Black on the
started with a streak of Engine Black along the top, surround- roof, Reefer Gray on the trucks, and Rust on the coupler.
ing the exhaust stack and radiator fans. He thinned this paint The Chinese Red on the Walthers EMD GP20s was a fairly
about one part paint to three parts alcohol so he could build up new paint scheme in 1960, so they were also lightly weathered.
the weathering in light layers. The side intake grills also got the The Kato NW2 switcher got the same treatment. With our roll-
Engine Black treatment. ing stock and motive power set to go, the N scale Red Oak is
He next sprayed the freight engines’ trucks, fuel tanks, and now complete.
undercarriage with Reefer Gray. This brought out the details of
the molded black parts, giving the effect of faded black paint as
APRIL 2015 • Model Railroader 45