Starting The Woodland Scenics Grand Valley Layout Kit From SCRATCH! 

Thanks so much Chris! It really is fun to create this stuff. I would have never guessed that I could use foam and get this result. Haha. Thanks for watching my friend.

Hi David! Thanks for watching. The stones on the inside of the tunnel are pictures glued to the walls. I got them on eBay, and they have all different kinds. www.ebay.com/itm/153652635809?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=92DcqPFvSCy&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=lp6siSErREC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Thanks so much Vinny! Yeah, the kit was a lot of fun to build. It really helped me being a newbie, having pretty much everything I needed in one package. A lot of fun for folks who want a smaller, yet expandable layout. Thanks again for stopping in my friend. 👍🏼

That would be cool!

Heck yeah it would! That’s the biggest challenge & fascinating thing about G (for me) - all the scenic is real 😅

Thank you Dave! The kit is definitely a blast to build and customize! Have fun! Thanks for the sub, welcome in!

Haha doesn’t it?! It was fun, but could really seem daunting at times! They came out great though! Yours is phenomenal, love it!

Thank you!! 👍🏼

Thanks Jesse! 👍🏼

Thank you so much Mark!

Thank you Doc! Scenic Ridge is an awesome layout! Thanks for visiting and sharing! Have fun with that kit! 👍🏼

Thank you so much!! Spend-scale, haha never heard that one! Thank you for watching! Much appreciated! 👍🏼

Thank you so much!! 👍🏼

Greetings!! Thank you for watching and commenting. 😁

Thank you so much! 😁

Thank you very much! 👍🏼

Gracias Cesar! 👍🏼

Hi Hunter, thank you very much. I have found a few other brands that work well, but sometimes don’t last as long as the WS stuff. I bought some trees at Hobby Lobby and the sun coming through the window turned them all yellow. That’s great for an autumn effect but not all the time. Thanks so much for watching. 👍🏼

Thank you Peter! 👍🏼

Haha thank you very much. 👍🏼

Oh wow Dave, that’s cool! I can’t wait to see your results. I am seriously considering getting started with a two-line main around the whole outside of the layout. Gotta talk to the CFO about financing options though. Haha. Thank you my friend, and thanks for sticking with me all this time. 👍🏼

Thanks Tom! And thanks for being with me pretty much from the beginning! It’s always fun to hear your take on my presentations. Yeah, I was editing that video and remembering back with fondness. That was a very large part of the fun of the whole build. All except the plaster cloth, especially on the outsides. Hahaha, thank you my friend.

Hi John, check out this video and go to about the 2:30 mark. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DwApWf8ujic.htmlsi=VHzPkJFj-8rM9tuT

Thanks Dan. I will apply your foam board method for the parking areas on my modified Grand Valley. JOHN

You would have to heavily modify the entire layout to accomplish that. I don’t think there’s enough width unfortunately. If you try it, let me know how it goes, I’d love to know.

Hi, thank you! It is designed for a 4’x8’ table. I built the bench that size with a small 6” extra shelf on the front edge which I eventually expanded to 12” creating a small yard. Yes, I def liked the mountains and tunnels over a flat layout. The grades and the 18” curves do sometimes pose a problem for larger trains. You pretty much have to stick to running smaller 4-axle locos (some larger 6-axle ones do exist that supposedly run on 18” curves), and smaller freight and passenger cars. I can’t usually pull more than about 6-8 freight cars unless I consist. Just be aware of those few limitations that is has. But it is s great place to start. And it’s really easy to expand and modify. Thanks for watching.

Thank you! I have ideas of adding a two-line main with cross overs around the outside someday. That way I could have 22” or larger turns, and be able to run some large passenger trains. We shall see though. Thanks for watching!

That's awesome! A good goal!@@DansGrandValley

Hi Thomas! Thanks for watching. The Grand Valley layout uses 18" radius curves, has sharp turnouts and some tight clearances, so you typically need to use shorter locomotives and rolling stock: 4 axle diesels, steamers with 6 or fewer drivers, and rolling stock under 50 scale feet in length work the best. Those are pretty small radius curves, so you have to look at the manufacturer’s recommendations for each locomotive that you might be considering. Some will definitely let you know if they will operate on 18 inch curves or not. They definitely vary. As a general rule of thumb, like I mentioned above, usually four axle locomotives like F units, GPs, and of course smaller switchers and stuff will work perfectly fine. The bigger 6 axle units tend not to work very well. There are of course exceptions to every rule, so it kind of comes down to each locomotive individually. Hope that helps. Great question! 👍🏼

Hi, thanks for watching! It’s actually just a photo backdrop paper. I got it on eBay and it is not embossed. It’s amazing how the rocks look 3 dimensional on the videos. Check eBay for diorama and hobby backdrops.

@@DansGrandValley Thank you very much. I love your channel!

Hi Thomas, there isn’t much wiring to be done with the kit itself, except for the power feeds and whatever lighting you decide to put in. A lot of us ran wires to the areas where our buildings would be, for future lights, to eliminate the need to do it later after the scenery was complete. You can have as many power feeds to the track as you’d like. I started with two, one on the inside loop and one on the outside near the station. I added a third for my yard a few years later. Anyways, that’s just a matter of connecting two wires to your track rails. The DCC or DC controller that you choose should have those wiring instructions provided with them. There are resources out there for wiring up buss blocks and feed lines for layouts, but that’s usually for larger ones. Hope that helps. Here is a link to the GVL instruction manual for reference. woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/images/instructions/ST1483inst.pdf

Hi. You can use any HO scale track you’d like.

Hi! Thanks for watching! I think it could be done, but definite considerations would have to be made from the start. I think the track would be no issue at all, but tunnel clearance and width would need to be expanded. Also outside areas, such as roads and sidings would need to be planned out for the larger rolling stock to freely operate. But again, the layout kit is so flexible that I’m sure it could accommodate On30 without too much redesigning. Good luck and keep us posted if you decide to do it! Thanks again! 👍🏼

@@DansGrandValley Thanks, I am thinking of a future build once I am done with my Bachmann EZ Track one. At the moment I am fiddling with a plan that uses the Steel Alloy Bachmann EZ Track I purchased. I have three pairs of turnouts, two remote and one manual and plenty of 9 inch straights and 18 inch radius curves and a 9 inch terminal/ rerailer section. On that I am working on a modified version of their Layout 1 from Bachmann's E-Z Model Railroads: The E-Z Track Planning Guide & Layout Book. So far I have two variations. One plan fits in 4 ft x 6 ft and is canted at a 10 degree angle to layout table and I have two versions of this. One has the passing track at the left end of the layout and the other has it at the right. I have designed also a 4 ft x 8 ft version that has room for a slightly larger town and puts a little more distance between my coal mine and the town. My railroad is the Kansas River and Southern. It is a freelance route inspired by the real Kansas Central Railway which started out as a 3 ft. gauge route that used to serve Northeast Kansas north of the Kansas River running from Leavenworth, Ks. to Miltonvale, Ks. My Kansas River and Southern rusn south from a fictitious river landing through Shawnee and Osage Counties servicing the northern end of the Kansas Bituminous Coal Fields.

@@d.l.hemmingway3758 wow!! Very impressive details, I love it! I’d love to see your work when you’re further along with which ever variation you decide to go with. I hope you’ll share it with us. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏼

Hi Rob! You can use any track that you would like, as long as you can get the proper switches, cross tracks, and small sections that the kit requires. Otherwise, you would have to do modifications, depending on what’s available to you.

@@DansGrandValley Ty , this is my first build. I’m wondering if a 5x 9 table would work better. I’m gonna try laying out the track first. I was wondering if styrofoam popcorn would be better than crumpled paper for mountains. I read it’s easier to mount trees etc. Any suggestions are welcome. 🤗✌️

Well, that was a very innovative video! Thank you for sharing. I’ve never seen somebody with a fold-down layout like that, and it was really neat to see how he did it. If you are limited on space like he is, I would absolutely go for it and design your own. It’s a great way to be able to utilize the room yet. Still be able to bring your trains out and enjoy them. Thank you so much for watching, and if you move forward with your plan, please keep me updated!