A stunning masterpiece in the making to say the least. What is more remarkable is the fortitude required to "stay the course" (despite a five year hiatus), and continue with the singular vision. The whole layout reflects the builders overall skill and understanding in terms of what it means to actually model a railroad. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work of art Grant. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family this holiday season. Cheers ~ Boomer.
Thanks so much Boomer. Your comments mean a lot to me as I truly admire the artistry you bring forth in your modelling. Hope to one day sit down and discuss philosophies over a beverage of choice. Merry Christmas to you and family. All the best. -grant
That's a beautiful layout. The French have a saying: C'est dans les plus vieux pots qu'on fait les meilleures soupes. That means, "The best soups are made in the oldest pots."
Grant, I’m so glad I came across your video of your N scale layout. I am widowed and I now live in a small apartment with an 11’ x 12’ room available for a train layout. I have been “struggling” with the decision to model in N scale or HO scale. After viewing your video, I have decided that N scale will give me the expansive scenery look that I’d like to achieve. Thanks for sharing your layout and your talents and giving me the encouragement to get started modeling. David
I had the same problem, so I ended up making a layout that has both. You have to suspend belief a bit with both tracks together but otherwise I can run my long n scale Union Pacific modern consists through the same typical south west mountain scenery as my steam era HO Canadian Pacific trains, just not at the same time. It works for me.
I believe (but am not sure) that your layout was featured in N scale magazine over 25 years ago. I was big into N at that time, and thought your scenery was the absolute best. Thanks for the inspiration way back then.
Thanks Paul, good memory. The old layout first appeared in N Scale Railroading about 20 years ago. I tore that one out shortly after the article was published.
Grant, there are many problems for me in N scale, but given the lack of space, I've resigned myself to it. I find the perspective on your backdrop and landscaping (trees) extremely useful. Thank you for doing this tour. Very helpful. -Bob
Love to see the different scales and scenery,Canada is great. I started modeling HO European in New Zealand in 1970 still doing it with a 40 year break in between. In my 60s the eyes are not getting any better so N scale too small but appreciate what N scalers do!
Thanks Simon. I hear you on the eyeball issue. After hitting 50 I had to buy a magnifying loop to work on rolling stock. Ahh the joys of getting older!! Cheers. -grant
Well done! As a HO modeler, I can see what you say about N Scale. Your scenery looks fantastic and it really swallows the trains. Fantastic. Thanks for posting and I look forward to future updates.
Simply stunning Grant. Everything about it. Even the hidden staging looks fantastic and highlights your skill. I really like how you've done the staging below the visible scenes, it would have the advantage of being easy to clean/maintain and also looks really cool. I think when model railroaders dream about building a layout, what you have accomplished is everyone's goal. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
Thanks Ben. As you know accessibility and maintenance is something that should be considered. I made sure I could easily reach every piece of track on the layout. Some sections not as easy as others... but those areas force me to keep in half decent shape!! Cheers!
Remarkable! What a pleasure to watch your trains running. I'm certain I'm not the first to say this but It's hard to believe I'm watching N scale using micro trains couplers. What a great job overall and more specifically figuring out how to get N scale freight cars to work realistically. I am happy to have found your channel and blown away by your skills. Great job! Dominic
I'm happy you found your way over as well Dominic and I really appreciate your feedback. Almost every car on the layout has had bolsters removed and replaced, aftermarket trucks installed and been converted to body mount couplers for maximum reliability. Just another aspect of the hobby I enjoy. Hacking and chopping rolling stock! Cheers. -grant
Grant, my pet peeve in N has been the slinky effect of the micro trains couplers. Thought I was out smarting the hobby by using atlas accumates on the cars on my small in progress switching layout. Going forward, I'll be body mounting micro trains couplers. I am also using metal wheels with restraining springs in the trucks although my spare parts bin is from Ho slot cars! Thanks for the reply and kudos to you for sharing your good common sense in the hobby. Dominic
Couldn't agree more Dominic. The "Slinky Effect" is a real bummer. If you want even more info on body mounts, building couplers and fabricating mounting brackets for various tough to body mount cars I have a bunch of videos on my members channel. Cheers. -grant
I have recently subscribed and am going back through your older videos I had no idea this is an N Scale layout and you have done a marvelous job on the scenery. Well done!!!
Hey Grant tones1957 from New Zealand here, I just needed to let you know how fantastically wonderful your layout is. You are absolutely right when you say N scale really works in a large space, right from the moment you enter the room from the stairs there is this overwhelming illusion of huge space and distance twice that of HO scale. You are a craftsman in every respect and your scenic work is second to none, keep on rolling them looong consists man. Best regards tones1957 (HO man)
Adding your layout tour to the NRail Channel’s “N-spiration” playlist was a no-brainer… you have 4,249 views since 12/17/21!!! Your scenery and track work is stunning. Yet, your narration and RU-vid channel skills and quality really caught our attention! We Liked & Subscribed today and we look forward to seeing and hearing SO MUCH more from you and your layout.
I like this presentation. Great great lay out. As N scale I agree on N shouts for space. Also all we deal our limits. I live in one of the smallest houses of the country (NL). an L of 2 8 ft by 2 ft.. Its good enough to set up a station .. with lots of landscape. For beautiful track scenes not much space..You show the potential. on long trains in the "wide open" . Real nice
Three points: 1. Although I model N scale, I haven't had the budget/time/motivation to do anything with it over the last few years, and I love living vicariously through this and other layouts. 2. I rode Silver Solarium once, on the 2004 NMRA convention trip over Stampede Pass. It was very easy to imagine myself in the dome again for this tour. 3. I've been watching too much Red Green lately. After your "Thanks for watching," I was fully expecting to hear "Keep your stick on the ice."
I lost interest and stepped away from the hobby for five years. Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective after being away for a while. Stampede Pass would have been a great trip. Memories to last a lifetime!! Cheers! -grant.
N scale has certainly come a long way and the smoothness of operation is quite evident. The scenery is top notch and the ratio of landform to trains is very realistic. Nicely done!
This is my first look at your channel and this tour was AMAZING!!!! I dabbled in model railroading as a kid (O scale and HO), and then got out of it for the next 40 plus years. Now I'm back and apartment life has me seeking out N scale and so I've been watching LOTS of videos to get ideas. My wife is also a train nerd (both of us are more transition era steam to diesel in ear of interest), and her father has modeled HO for probably 50 years. So SHE KNOWS a good layout when she sees one as if it wasn't already blatantly obvious looking at your work. Can't say it enough, but this is SIMPLY AMAZING and your skill with terrain and creating hyper-realistic scenes is giving us both TONS of inspiration for planning our own mini-living room layout. We're definitely going to be spending time going through your whole back catalog. Excellent stuff - keep up the good work!
Wow thanks a bunch for that! Glad you enjoyed the tour. Much has changed on the layout since! I think you should find stuff to enjoy on the public channel and if you want more... I offer a members area where I go into great detail the steps I take to get the results you see. Thanks so much for the kind words and I hope you two have a blast with the new layout. Cheers. -grant
Impressive layout, I’ll be honest, when I first saw your layout I thought it was HO or even O scale, but now that I know it’s N scale, I am highly impressed. Keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing.
The whole thing is amazing but some of those long shots are real jaw-droppers. Those angles don't come up often in regular videos but they give a sense of just how massive your layout is. Thanks for making videos on the regular, there is always something to draw inspiration from whether it's water reflections, prototypical operations, rolling stock weathering, backdrop painting, willingness to rip and replace sections, etc.
@@SouthernAlbertaRail Hey Grant, I was in the pass recently and it dawned on me - any reason you don't model Frank Slide? It's such a unique and striking place.... Just curious! Cheers.
Great question ... I'm not sure I could do it justice so opted to bypass it with one of the hidden sections. Most of it would be on the backdrop anyway and I try not to paint recognizable scenes on backdrop (except in very specific circumstances) as they can't rotate through three dimensions. -grant
This layout is absolutely incredible. I wish I had one millionth of the talent you have. Just a thought, have you ever thought of having the lighting switch on and off as the train as it makes its way through the different scenes so only the occupied area is lit ?
Great layout! Absolutely incredible harmony in the colors of the landscape. I really like that you have invested in a "clean" landscape, really beautiful! I save the video for inspiration on a gloomy day. Thanks for a nice movie.👏🙂
Fantastic video and layout. This is why I have been in N scale for over 40 years, The ability to provide perspective relative the train, Awesome realistic perspective. Henk
Thanks Grant ... an awesome tour of an awesome layout. Absolute pure inspiration ...and a showcase for some of the advantages of N scale: trains enveloped in scenery; wide, gentle and prototypical curves; longer train lengths; and a real sense of 'working' over the length of a railway. Agree with your thoughts on the reasons for choosing N scale in a larger space. Really looking forward to seeing the continued progress on the SAR - greetings of the season to you and yours.
A good day to you from Southern California !! Honestly I never pay attention to descriptions of channels but when I was watching I didn't at all realize that this absolutely beautiful museum quality was that of a n scale layout..Awesome and thank for sharing.... Darrell
Thanks Darrell, really appreciate the comments. Love hearing that people don't realize what scale it is. All the best from cold and snowy Alberta to you in SoCal. -grant
Stunning layout, love your trains in the scenery concept and the use of scenic breaks. Very inspiring, although I don’t have anything like the amount of space that you have, it’s great to see what can be achieved.
Having watched a lot of your videos from time to time it still gets me that this isn't HO scale. It's not until you back up and show the facia or something else that it becomes apparent. The amount of detail on everything is just stunning. Though I won't be switching from HO scale, your layout is still an inspiration.
Thanks for that! I really appreciate the comments. I found the Utah Belt to be a big inspiration back in the day. Didn't matter that it was HO, the modelling and the premise were sound. I think there are too many hang ups when it comes to scale. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Just have balance the compromises necessary in each. Cheers and Happy Holidays. -grant
@@SouthernAlbertaRail on top of getting too hung up on scale I think people also have a tendency to shove too much into a layout, be it track or buildings. I think that's also why people feel that N scale is only good for tight quarters, they want 35 industries on a hollow core door.
This layout is just Phenomenal. This is museum-quality stuff. Thank you for making the video to share your layout!!! It's telling when the areas you're "unhappy" with are outstanding!!! :)
Thanks for the tour of your wonderful layout. I model in O Scale but I'm happy to say layouts like yours inspire and motivate me. Kudos on the accomplishments you have made on your layout.
I also ook to all the scales for inspiration, as the modellers in each have different ways to approach projects. Scale bias just limits the resources we can all have access to!! Thanks so much for the kind words. Cheers! -grant
I always enjoy your videos. As a fellow N scaler. I enjoy the long runs your trains make. Your scenery is fantastic. I have a Denver and Rio Grande and a Santa Fe layout I am working on. Not quite as large. But as big as I can afford space. One day I'll start posting pictures. Till then. I am so happy to get to see yours.
The scenery on your layout puts it in my top three best sceniced layouts. These top three are so close with their excellently well done scenery that I want to say they're all number one on my list. So the scenery on yours and the others are so well done you'll all have to settle on sharing the top spot. I'm just amazed with how exceptionally real your layout scenery looks. The weathering on the locomotives and other rolling stock is extremely well done and just adds to the reality and your model railroad is on my top 5 list of best rolling stock weathering. I'm just amazed everytime I watch your videos. Keep these great videos coming. Stay well. -Wil 👍 Concerning the rather old trees you talked about, they aren't terrible looking by any means. I think they are rather good. I don't know what your plan for them is after you replace them with new trees but I would use them on the layout. In larger forested areas they could be added one here and there to help thicken up the forest and kind of hide them at the same time. Just a suggestion if you think they are worthy of remaining on the layout. 🤷♂️
Thanks a bunch Wil. Wow... really appreciate the commentsl!! When I get around to the reforestation project I will likely keep the trees that are half decent and repurpose them amongst the others as you suggest. I'll be thinning the area out as well. This part of Alberta is pretty windy and the cones have a tough time rooting. All the best. -grant
It would be really cool if you did a few “how to” videos on how you did things like make your trees and mountains. Everything looks so amazing. Really inspiring for newbies.
Stop over and have a peek at the channel Chad I have a few how to vids on trees, backdrop painting etc. I have a whole pile of detailed videos on specific projects for members as well. Have a Happy New Year! -grant
Absolutely outstanding grant. I'm in total awh again. Thank you ever so much for sharing with us. Please take care and you and yours have a wonderful blessed holiday.
Very nice tour and a very nice layout. I really like how the staging is set up and that is black like that to blend it in and kind of hide it, yet its there.
Thanks for the full layout tour, it is spectacular. You have done a marvelous job on the scenery. Is it possible to extend the lighting valance in the area that extends past it and gets dark rather than hacking up the layout there? It’s nice that that section is deeper than most of the rest of the layout.
Good question Derek.... Anything is possible but it's not the most practical. Extending the upper lighting valence would hinder operator access to the Burmis crossovers and the log reload on the upper level. I'll cover the renovation and the reasoning when I eventually get at it. Cheers. -grant
I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have dispatched and operated on this layout. You are spot on in your view that N scale isn’t just for small spaces. And of course, there have been more than a few times that I wished I didn’t dislike rolling stock maintenance, or that there was good 4 axle power in the form of GP9’s and GP38AC’s (not to mention, good running RDC’s) because I know I would love to switch my HO Scale Esquimalt & Nanaimo to N scale… A great video Grant. Like button was definitely smashed!
Thanks Jon. Hope to be getting back to ops in '22. Thinking with all the changes there may be some re-qualifying required for operators and RTC's!! Cheers Pal and happy holidays.
I think N scale is the way to go if you want as much long run length as possible. That’s where ho really hurts when your someone wanting a large layout but even 150-200 feet still feels cramped and condensed when trying to represent more than maybe 4-5 towns,
Thanks for the run through of the entire layout to pull together all the bits and pieces you've been showing this year. I smiled at your comment about some parts being 20+ years old...amazing how quickly those years have gone by. I just replaced some track on mine that was of that vintage myself. Outstanding work and a great representation of what can be done in N-scale. Merry Christmas!
Hey Mark Merry Christmas to you as well!. Yah 20 years goes by pretty quick. Seems like I was just visiting you for the first time checking out the Feather River..... How many versions ago was that??!! Hope all is well and hoping to get to GA in the not too distant future to see what's going on with the latest interpretation.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad I found your channel as this is easily my favourite layout of any I have seen - either in real life or on RU-vid. Simply stunning. It is so impressive from any angle, from birdseye views or trackside (eg. at 10:24). Merry Christmas to you.
Careful what you wish for!! With the space I've allotted I have come to realize that this is a lifelong project and not something that will be done anytime soon!! Cheers.
I have said it before and I will say it again, AWESOME. Totally agree with your comments about N not being just for small spaces. Looking forward to your endeavours in 2022. You and yours have a great Christmas Grant.
I always wonder when I see someone building a layout in a large space just how much more scenery could be done in N,you have more hidden track than most layouts have visible
Most HO model railroads don't look this good. (Have I said that before?....probably) World class railroad in any scale is the SAR. Again, congrats on the RMC article! You deserve it, Sir.
Wow, u have been busy, but lookin good, nice layout to watch@, thanx, hey , could u enlighten me on ur anti slinky, rubber band trick, thanx for sharing....
Are you in the area yourself or are you American? I note you say "rayroad" like an American! 😄 A tremendous amount of work you've put into this, and to ask for more, I hope we'll see trees in *front* of the trains as well some day. I'm just blown away by the mileage of excellent scenery, thousands of trees, and restraint when it comes to overly dramatic features or dozens of imaginary industries, as we so often see. Also appreciated is the exceptionally clean, well finished staging area treatment - but I could on and on. I enjoyed the visit and look forward to a future trip!
Canadian, I'm a few hours north of the Crowsnest but it's the weird Scottish/Icelandic/Canadian hybrid pronunciation coming through!!. I really appreciate all your observations, especially regarding the staging yard. I wholeheartedly agree on your desire for trains ducking behind trees. Significant progress has been made on the west end of the layout and you will find many instances of just that. Have a peek at some of the latest videos to see the result. Again thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Cheers! -grant
This was my first view....WOW. Really impressed! Especially likethe train/senery ratio. One cant tell it's N scale on the video. Too bad I'm old, half blind, etc. At least i can still work with On30!
Thanks for the input,I really appreciate it. Ah On30. Dabbled with HoN 2 1/2 way back when. I can relate to your eyesight woes. I need more and more magnification as the clock ticks!! -grant
Hi Grant. Happy new years and of course thanks for all the high quality vids and of course your layout. Have you ever covered rail expansion or how your layout deals with the temperature extremes of living in Alberta?
Great question. I have had a few issues over the years and have had to cut a gap or two. Nothing too serious though. I lay all my straight sections with a wee bit of space in the joints to allow for the temperature fluctuations.
Really great stuff! You've really taken advantage of N Scale's potential for enveloping scenery to create a superb setting for the action. Thumbs up from an HO adherent. Looking forward to more videos.
