James' N Scale Train Layout Project

So I’ve caught you up to mid December, 2021 with the story of the making of my first train layout. I developed a SCARM track plan, purchased Kato UniTrack and set it up on my Beginner’s Benchwork table.

I got my Digitrax Zephyr controller and hooked it up to a few feeders using Kato’s 3-way couplers. It was so easy!

I got a bunch of Woodland Scenics supplies based on the first chapter in the Complete Guide to Model Scenery, building Subterrain. This included foam components including risers, since my tracks were going to be going up grades (4%!) I set them up on the baseboard temporarily with T-pins.

One day, I ran my Whistle-Stop steamer and my GP40 diesel across the tracks, and recorded video of it. I was so pleased I posted the video to my Facebook. My friends were really impressed and it excited me how much fun filming my trains in action could be.

Using Splice, my iPhone’s video editor, I put together a little “show” featuring video from my earliest days in the hobby. I used video I never intended to make public so it’s not that great, lol. But I realized that video would be an excellent way for me to journal and document the process of making my first 4×8 layout, for myself if for nobody else.

I call the show “James’ N Scale Train Layout Project”. This first episode is long and not-so-focused; I just didn’t think anyone would ever see this video! I think I got better at it once I committed to the “TV Show” format and put the effort into it. Here’s the first episode:

And here’s a 2:39 minute video with just the trains on UniTrack, without the commentary. I posted this one for my non-modeling friends who just don’t care about how I got those trains to run–