Scenic Ridge N scale

Rick’s been in touch with his Scenic Ridge N scale layout:

“Al,

I started working on my bucket-list and decided to look into making an N gauge layout.

I had some old trains and models that I had purchased back when I was young in hopes that someday I would start my layout. Well, years went by, the kids are out on their own, and now the time has come.

I stumbled onto your website (nice adds) and read a lot of great tips on what to do and what not to do. Well I had already done many of the what not to do’s.

So far I have spent four months working on my layout with all of the criticizing from family members and friends. I often here “Toy trains”. Anyhow, it’s my bucket-list.

Here are some pictures of what I have done so far.

It started as a modified Manning Oaks layout and then added the Scenic Ridge layout.

Thanks and keep up the good work,

Rick”

Scenic Ridge N scale

Scenic Ridge N scale

Scenic Ridge N scale

Scenic Ridge N scale

Scenic Ridge N scale



N scale track plan

Scenic Ridge N scale

model railroad

model train

end view scenic ridge

n gauge mountains

model railroad end view

n scale switches

n scale factory

n gauge bridge

n scale houses

n gauge platform

Scenic Ridge N scale

n scale box cars

model railroad

model train locomotives

model railroad yard

model railroad lanscape

n scael car park

A huge thanks to Rick for sharing his Scenic Ridge N scale – such wonderful detail.

There’s quite a few Scenic Ridge N Scales on the blog now, Dean’s springs to mind: Scenic Ridge railroad

His comment, “…I’ve read a lot of great tips on what to do and what not to do. Well I had already done many of the what not to do’s.” raised a smile – that’s what the Beginner’s Guide is for.

Course I’m biased, but it makes your day dreams morph in to real life – but without all the blood sweat and tears in the middle.

Lastly today, for some reason, some of you didn’t get one of the recent posts, which is here (it’s on Peter’s stunning custom liveries).

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here. Still going strong.




51 Responses to Scenic Ridge N scale

  1. Dave Ewing says:

    Rick, nice job and in so little time. I’m 76 heard all the critism, my response is usually “why aren’t you into toy trains. “. Beginners Guide was a golden find for me too.
    Dave in North Carolina

  2. Robert Brady says:

    Great layout lots of work and planning,picturesque .wish all the pics were expandable . Maybe you’ll show a video of action.
    Robert,B

  3. Rod Mackay says:

    Very neat, excellent bit of scenic landscaping round the tunnels, well done.
    Rod

  4. Eric says:

    Excellent work Rick, decent trackwork and scenery and all in just 4 months that is going some, well done. People often used the derogatory name toy trains possibly because they can’t find anything that approaches a constructive hobby themselves, ignore them and carry on the good work.

    Eric (Leeds) UK

  5. Hemi says:

    EXCELLENT WORK Rick!!!!!! ~Hemi

  6. Brad says:

    Very nice work in that short of a time span. TOY trains you wind up or push along the floor.MODEL RAILROADS require a stunning amount of effort(that never ends). Maybe your friends are jealous that they cannot re-create what you have accomplished. When someone says “toy trains” again,simply smile at their ignorance 🙂 and know that as MODEL RAILROADERS,you have a VAST supporting net.Great layout!!!!

  7. NJ Mark says:

    Great layout with spectacular attention to detail. I can’t believe you did that all in just 4 months. I’d love to see what you can do in 4 years! Cheers! NJ Mark

  8. Brad says:

    Your friends are jealous HAHA

  9. Cary B says:

    Wow, Very nice layout indeed.

    Cary B

  10. Dave Gould says:

    Great work. Thanks for a nice set of photos.

    Dave G

  11. Bruce says:

    What’s left in your bucket on this layout? Upward expansion?
    Very nice layout.
    Bruce in SC USA

  12. Marasco, Art says:

    Beautiful layout lots of creativity! WHAT IS OVERALL SIZE?

  13. Mike A. Hooper says:

    Great modelling and detail! You certainly have great skills . Congratulations!!

    Mike in Ottawa, Ontario.

  14. John Fitzwater says:

    Grate layout. Two questions, (1) why did you use the pink foam. (2) How do you get to the house on the top of the hell?

  15. I really love this layout. You should be and probably very proud of it.

  16. Franco428 says:

    An excellent job by any standards. I do not see any “toy trains” on your awesome layout.

    What is your layout base made of? Reminds me of a door I once had to shorten.

    Also, That is a nice Jukebox to have in your professional model train area!

    Thanks for sharing!

  17. Franco says:

    I wanted to add that I was surprised that you did not have a station platform between the two layouts. Not criticism, just a thought. Super job on both layouts!!!!!

  18. Bob says:

    I am 73 and have been fooling with train all my life. When I was young N gauge didn’t exist. I think it would be great if I could start over but that thought is just as foolish s being twenty one again. Layout really looks great.

  19. Kirk Breakey says:

    Wow…4 months…really impressive! Great detail and nice variety of scenes…really like the tie-in with the backdrops. Maybe there is hope for me yet!

  20. Bob Zimmerman says:

    Very realist. You did nice Job. What track did you use?

    Bob Me. USA

  21. Don says:

    Excellent work, I’m envious.

  22. David Schaffner says:

    Love the close-up shots, especially the train depot and the blue mountains in the background in one shot. Great detail and realism in your layout. Love it.

  23. tom in az says:

    AS everyone says great job, I have a question if you don`t mind. Where did you get your back ground mountain pic`s? I love the simplicity of them looks real but not over done Thanks Tom in Payson AZ

  24. Jim AZ says:

    Great bit of modeling there. Nice details and backdrop too.

    Jim AZ

  25. Tom says:

    Can I please ask where you got back ground sceens Thanks Tom

  26. Rick Mallon (Houston Texas) says:

    Rick, great layout and your detail work is fantastic. I am at the starting point you were in developing my N gauge layout. I like the way you have it set up and from your pictures I will probably build my layout using yours as a go-by.
    Started building the table, keeping a picture history as I move forward.
    Thanks again for sharing, this makes me want to really get going on my layout.

    Rick in Houston

  27. Rick Wood says:

    For the backdrop I….
    1) Downloaded a mountain scene from the internet
    2) cropped it to about a 1×10 size
    3) Printed it “Portrait” with “fit to” 8 by 1 pages borderless (if you don’t have borderless printer then just cut the left side of each page)
    4) Used thin foam board cut 14″x 8foot and glued pages to the board in layers.

    Hope this helps,
    Rick

  28. paul vogel says:

    Wonderful clean work on your layout Rick………….Paul—-Ohio

  29. Allan J Jelinek says:

    Awesome job Rick. Now that I live in a townhouse, I might do an “N” Gauge layout. Yours is great. Can you tell me the demention’s of you initial layout please?

  30. nice layout
    great detail
    keep em runnin fellas

  31. Steven Joyce says:

    love how you tied 2 layouts together

  32. Hugh Glasgow says:

    Rick:
    OMG! WOW! Wonderful layout! You give me hope!

  33. Gary NJ says:

    Rick, great job on you”r layout.
    To the 73 year old gentleman who thinks it would be foolish to start all over again, it’s not foolish to do something you’ve loved all your life.

  34. John Reynolds says:

    Well done,
    John from Cali

  35. James Malins says:

    Impressive and inspirational. Well done.

  36. Malcolm Hodgson says:

    4 Months!? 4 Months!? WOW! takes me that long to ponder my next move let alone build TWO layouts! Great job!

    Perhaps I should retire to have the time to focus on getting a bit further with mine.

    and as for “Toy Trains” – yep so what?! We are having fun!

    Mal
    (Wales)

  37. ANDREW SCOTT says:

    I am 76 also. Rick, thank you for demonstrating that my half-completed N layout,
    upon which I have laboured for 35 years, can yet become something worthwhile

  38. Rob McCrain says:

    Such a fun layout. It has everything. Good for you. Fabulous bucket list layout for sure. Well done. Rob McCrain – Farland Howe

  39. David says:

    Very impressed, That is a very good model railroad.

  40. Kevin McArdle says:

    That’s one helluva bucket. Great job

  41. dienzel dENNIS says:

    Love it

  42. Ross Johnston says:

    Rick! What a great layout! I really liked your photos and your track plan is very good. Thanks for sharing. Cheers Rossco, Adelaide, Australia

  43. DAN SKROBOWSKI says:

    Al; I thought you would appreciate this new version of an old chesnut. My son has started an HO layout in his basement. So far, he has a run-around track on the walls and a small switching yard. I was extolling the romantic steam age, but he is adamant about staying with Diesels. I guess the discussion went a little too far, when he said “Dad, you run your railroad the way you want to, and I’ll run mine the way I want to.”

    I don’t get no respect!!! PS: Thanks for all you do for model rr people!

  44. Randall silva says:

    Rick hit the trifecta of Studliness!
    N-scale, Kato track and DCC!
    Kato is the best there is with utterly reliable switches and 18 curve radii, plus the only reliable double crosser. You can tell its Kato by how neat all of his curves are.

  45. Very nice work Rick! Thank you for sharing.

  46. Rod Mackay says:

    What a lovely feeling of spaciousness! Well done.

  47. Graeme COLEMAN says:

    Great progress in such a short few months. I started mine about the same time as you and have nowhere near that much progress.
    Graeme
    Victoria, Australia

  48. Mark T. Pianka says:

    Rick great job! I recently did some 1″ insulation board to different area of my layout if a big if, I do it again will do foam boards again has been fun to work with. Great job again! Mark

  49. Will in NM says:

    Rick,
    You’ve made amazing progress on your layout in just 4 months. You must work on it every day for most of the day. Great detail and clever merger of two different track plans into a single more interesting entity. Please keep us posted with your future rapid progress.

  50. Norman Rosen says:

    Age? I will be 82 in October and I am still messing around with N Scale; forget the naysayers….. Did you combine Kato EZ track with regular track in the addition? Very well done!

  51. Colin Gibbs says:

    A great layout Rick, definitely not toy trains. I couldn’t help notice your Rowe Ami JAO. I hope yours is in better working order than mine. All the best Colin. Norfolk UK

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