Paul’s been back in touch with his HO scale model train layout:
“Hi Al,
These pics show my newly named existing railroad and the addition I have been working on since last September.
The name is “CHICKADEE HOLLOW RAILROAD” this was inspired by our recently installed bird feeding station that we enjoyed observing all winter. We would often be visited by Carolina Chickadees and it was fun watching their energetic flights.
The first photo shows the sign my wife painted that I hung over the RR.
The second, third & fourth photos are an overview of the RR.
This is a closeup view of the engine shed & repair area showing the concrete paved work site.
This is a closer view of the concrete pad & my Doodlebugs
Closeup of concrete pad made from 2 mm foam sheets from craft store that I painted with concrete color paint and used a pencil to simulate cracks.
View of engine shed — note the grass growing between the rails of the little used siding. I put that there with the use of a static grass applicator
Overall view of Red Rock Farms
Loading cattle in cattle car ( the car actually moos when moved)
Side view of bridge connecting original layout to new section. In the near future I will submit details and photos of the mechanical and electrical workings of this bridge. This bridge is both removable and mechanically adjustable.
View of Red Rock Farms showing the various buildings, animals, and the sidings leased by the RR.
Ducks swimming in puddle beside the RR track.
Stream with small bridge
Dairy processing plant
Gas Station
Sheep grazing on the hill —see if you can spot the special sheep. If you are trying to guess the significance of that sheep well that is where plaid comes from.
Shepards log cabin
People sitting behind house around fire pit.
Various photos around the harbor scene Al showed recently in his blog.
A huge thanks to Paul for sharing his HO scale model train layout – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
If you’d to see some more layout, there are lots more HO scale train layouts here.
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing what pops up in my inbox each morning.
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Sure got a lot going on there Paul …plenty to see , welll done on this great layout you have built ….
Wish i had room for a layout that size amazing detail love the little whisp of smoke coming out of the steam trains stack
Quite windy at the harbor this morning . Gale warnings today, lol.
The Critic
So that’s where all the toilet paper and paper towels went to! Lol.
Not sure if naming the railroad after chickadees would work so well here in the UK. We have a different name for the birds…
Hey Paul, really nice work. And thanks for putting all the pictures together and sharing them the way you did. Its always fun to look at a layout display that represents a specific time era.
You’re.layout is a masterpiece , great job ,it looks awesome Paul,
Very nice, you’ve got so many terrain features and different buildings in the space you’ve built.
Paul
WOW
Awesome job. What scale? I dont recognize the turnouts. You must be running DCC because the sounds and speeds were spot on. Very creative and busy layout. Very jealous of the size.
All be safe and well
George from LI, NY
“Doolebug”,,, have not heard that name in close to 70 yrs,, but I do remember seeing then here in Kansas {USA) when I was a young lad. Thank you sir for the memories !!
WOW, Quite the layout. Good variety . GOOD JOB
Wow! Your creativity is matched only by your imagination! Inspiring!
Paul…… WOW…what a great layout…… I had to watch your video twice and looked at your pictures over and over. Love the detail and set up. AND YOU GOT THE SPEED OF YOUR TRAINS RIGHT. Many model railroaders run their trains to fast for the scale they have. You got it right. Great Job.
George the scale is HO and the tracks and switches are Micro Engineering. I also have a couple of Peco switches in the new section since the ME items were severely backordered. I am also running an NCE Powercab with a wireless Procab unit. FYI the main layout is 10 x 13.5 feet and the new section is 7 x 3 feet giving me 20.5 feet along the wall.
Impressive and very well done layout! Obviously a labor of love.
Love the individual scenes and how it flows.
John H.
Look very nice.!! Keep up the good work. Mine going look something like that win i am dune.
Please tell about the removable/adjustable connecting bridge. We must build a similar access bridge for our enlarged museum layout this summer.
Paul you have some very nice details on your layout. It is a feast for the eye. Nice going, keep on modeling, Rob McCrain – Farland Howe
Lot of pictures, enjoyed the video. Rewatched several times to understand the trains routes, very interesting
Great layout with wonderful details. For me the picture of the Sealtest milk truck was the highlight. I use to ride to school in the back of one of those in Detroit in the 1950s. They were a god send when it was freezing out in the winter. Those little details make all the difference!
Rob Schweitzer
St. Goar & Murren Scenic Railway
Had to watch the video a few times to figure out that one loop of your main line is three laps around the layout by comparing how the trains appear from closest to furthest at each lap. Very nicely done!
Marvelous layout! One comment, on the Shepards Log Cabin: I live in a log cabin I built from my own trees. Every wall has at least one window (no electricity for the first 11 years) for light! Also, where there’s no sunlight, grass won’t grow, especially greener than outside grass. No wonder the shepherd has his hand above his eyes, shading them from the light when he comes outside! đ You might want to makeover the grass inside his house to soil colored, and put some windows in.
I admire all the hard work Paul put in to build such a grand layout with urban, rural and harbor scenes all interacting! Standing out for me was the “chuff” of the steam engine (nostalgic to the nth degree), and the liveliness of the entire scene; what with all of the human and animal presence this was a living tableaux! BUT I do hope those cattle are corralled soon in a pen or there will soon be beefsteaks on the track!!
Hi Ruben, my Shepard likes to watch TV when he is off so he keeps the shades down. There are windows on the other 3 walls that you can’t see–Ha. Also that isn’t grass in the cabin, but a green shag rug.
Hi Ed you are correct re the 3 loops the trains take. In fact the trains didn’t even complete 3 laps while the movie ran. The problem with the way I built it is that it is a chore to run a train in the opposite direction opposing traffic.
I will detail the bridge work soon and send it to Al.
Very nice. I would add curtains or paneling so the road would look more grounded.
Nicely done. Youâve created some great looking scenes on this layout. Thanks for sharing.
Jim AZ
What a well presented vidio of an amazing layout.
Nice job Paul. Plenty of interesting things going on. and nicely detailed. I would appreciate viewing a track layout diagram, as I am working HO in a similar sized space.
Was it laid out freehand or using one of the computer based software?
Cudo’s to your wife for the neat sign.
Stunning layout indeed , great detail and scenery really good job . Love the theme , the farms and water features are super . Overall jyst a real keen layout sir , hats off .
nicely done
Paul….great layout………love the speed of your trains…… most modelers, including me, run the trains to fast for the size model we have.
love the cattle loading station & passenger trains, great layout
Nice job! Your layout is better than most that I see on this site.
Most excellent!
Great job with a nice layout and I have to comment on the speed of your trainsâŠPerfect , very realistic compared to others that run them as they are ready to take off. It was a pleasure to watch. I actually run âGâ series trains inside and outside and when I run them outside all neighbors comment on how my trains run like actual trains. I actually turn off all videos on this site when I see the trains running at a thousand miles per hour. Sorry about that to the people who spent a lot of time but then run them way to fast
Awesome layout, well done !!!!!
Great layout, it has so many different aspects. What makes this one of the best is the fact that you added a video with trains running. Not one, not two but at least three trains running. Thank you for being all-inclusive in showing your entire layout. Enjoy your train layout Paul as I will enjoy mine someday.
Really nice work and a great variety of scenes. I especially liked that you posted several long shots of the whole layout. Most posts are weak at that point. Closeups are great, and I enjoy them, but I enjoy the forest as well as the trees.
I am very new to this site and hobby but I do have a general question: Is it acceptable to place Animal figures straight out of the box onto a layout without toning down the appearance? Same with buildings? I see so many layouts that have potential but because you can still smell the factory packaging, they may be a candidate for weathering…. Thoughts? I love this guys layout and wish I had his space to build something similar…
very nice, very busy, and a lot of good work.
Very nicely done. Enjoyed watching the video and the scenery and trackwork are superb. Now to my pet peeve… but not about this layout! Notice how the edges of the table flow right into the scenes? No garish uncomplimentary colors and hard stops but everything blended into the layout. Some of the edges don’t even have a fascia. It’s very pleasing to the eye to follow the edge into the scene. I’ve been saying this forever that more attention should be paid to blending the edges of the layout into the scene. GREAT JOB ON THE PERIFERY OF THE LAYOUT Paul! Cheers from Rob!