Congratulations on the 1000 subs Dan. Isn't it amazing how we can take some foam, newspaper and and plaster and create a small world. Keep having fun, Chris
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.
Just subscribed, your layout looks great! I’m looking into buying this kit to build on the 4X8 table I built for my family’s HO layout project! Happy model railroading!
i dan... congrats on hitting your first major mile stone.... i didn't know that you get a full sized template with this kit... it's awesome to see this layout coming to life...thx 4 sharing...vinny
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. 👍🏼
It is a very nice small railway , previously I scoffed at small H O railroads but I downsized to a 4x6 and I totally love it and have no more attraction to spend-scale ( N ) , IT IS SO COOL WHAT YOU CREATED !
I know this is already done, but congrats 👏. Everyone of your videos is helping me along. Will be putting train table in my home theatre room and gluing down foam this weekend. Can you tell me how you got the stone look on the tunnels? Looks great. Keep on chugging. David from Australia 🇦🇺
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
Yes definitely enjoyed the step-by-step. And I agree with using the 164 scale diecast cars, if you have diecast trains you should have diecast cars very nice
Congrats on the 1k subscribers! You do great videos and you deserve it. I'm doing the N scale scenic ridge myself but there are a lot of similarities between these kits and techniques. Your channel is a great and entertaining resource.
Dan, thanks for the new video and all the great advice. I’m still in the developing stages and taking ALL your great advice in. And congratulations on reaching over 1K subscribers!
Fantastic work Dan. I have a few Woodland Scenics trees on my layout and they look great. Even though Woodland Scenics products can be pretty pricey, they’re very nice.
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. 👍🏼
Dan, Congrats on the subscriber record!! This video was really helpful to see it again in the early stages. I'm in the middle of adding an outer loop like Mark's GV Plus video.
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. 👍🏼
Congrats on the 1000 subscribers. 👍 According to the box, this is an HO scale train set. What is the size of table it was originally built on? I'm just starting out and I like this track layout. Much more interesting than a large oval with a small oval inside.
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.
Congratulations on hitting 1000 subscribers, Dan! Very cool scenes from the build. You know I have a similar collection of images too from my build. You never get to go back into that tunnel, haha! Not without some surgery anyway I guess. I bought a Gorilla brand glue gun which has a Low and High setting. I keep it on Low and it works great! Also went with a generic hot wire cutter kit from Amazon which came with a few different cutting tools. If I ever expand it'll be fun cutting some new profiles. Seeing all the foam makes you want to build a diorama or something, doesn't it?
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.
@@BobLay-t9i it took me about two to three full weekends to get it to the point where I could run trains on it. The rest, turf, trees, buildings and roads came along slowly over time. It is still not 100% done. Not sure it will ever be, but that’s what is nice about the hobby. You have something that you can continuously improve on. Thanks for watching Bob.
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.
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!
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.
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! 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. 👍🏼
Maybe a question that has been asked before, but is that the only track you can use? Or can you use another brand's track for easier expansion later on?
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. 🤗✌️
Hello Dan! I would like to ask what do you think about foldable layouts from walls to save space like the man in this video: ruclips.net/video/xjmyQPvwN2o/видео.html (not for advertising him I just found this, because I plan to make layout this myself too in the scale of 1:120 TT) Thanks for answering!
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!
Congratulations on the 1000 subs Dan. Isn't it amazing how we can take some foam, newspaper and and plaster and create a small world. Keep having fun, Chris
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.
Nice Video and thx for sharing !! 👍 Greetings from Berlin Germany ✌
Greetings!! Thank you for watching and commenting. 😁
Just subscribed, your layout looks great! I’m looking into buying this kit to build on the 4X8 table I built for my family’s HO layout project! Happy model railroading!
Thank you Dave! The kit is definitely a blast to build and customize! Have fun! Thanks for the sub, welcome in!
Boy that brings back a few memories
Haha doesn’t it?! It was fun, but could really seem daunting at times! They came out great though! Yours is phenomenal, love it!
i dan... congrats on hitting your first major mile stone.... i didn't know that you get a full sized template with this kit... it's awesome to see this layout coming to life...thx 4 sharing...vinny
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. 👍🏼
It is a very nice small railway , previously I scoffed at small H O railroads but I downsized to a 4x6 and I totally love it and have no more attraction to spend-scale ( N ) , IT IS SO COOL WHAT YOU CREATED !
Thank you so much!! Spend-scale, haha never heard that one! Thank you for watching! Much appreciated! 👍🏼
Congrats on the subscribers Dan. You've done an excellent job of sharing what you have done. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much Mark!
I know this is already done, but congrats 👏. Everyone of your videos is helping me along. Will be putting train table in my home theatre room and gluing down foam this weekend. Can you tell me how you got the stone look on the tunnels? Looks great. Keep on chugging.
David from Australia 🇦🇺
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
Maravilloso trabajo ! , saludos desde sonora México!!!
Gracias Cesar! 👍🏼
Yes definitely enjoyed the step-by-step. And I agree with using the 164 scale diecast cars, if you have diecast trains you should have diecast cars very nice
Thanks Jesse! 👍🏼
So glad to be a part of your first thousand, congrats!!
Thank you!! 👍🏼
Congrats on the 1k subscribers! You do great videos and you deserve it. I'm doing the N scale scenic ridge myself but there are a lot of similarities between these kits and techniques. Your channel is a great and entertaining resource.
Thank you Doc! Scenic Ridge is an awesome layout! Thanks for visiting and sharing! Have fun with that kit! 👍🏼
HO scale layout kit , cool .
I wanna N scale layout kit Atlas code 80.
Congratulations on the 1,000 subscribers! Always enjoy watching your updates. Looking forward to watching the updated build video.
Thank you very much! 👍🏼
🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃 Let's see a G scale version of this interesting layout . 😊
That would be cool!
Heck yeah it would! That’s the biggest challenge & fascinating thing about G (for me) - all the scenic is real 😅
Best video I have seen, showing the progress. Thanks pbh
Thank you Peter! 👍🏼
Dan, thanks for the new video and all the great advice. I’m still in the developing stages and taking ALL your great advice in. And congratulations on reaching over 1K subscribers!
Thank you so much!! 👍🏼
You're making my decision to buy this kit, pretty darned easy Dan :)
Subscribed!
Haha thank you very much. 👍🏼
Great video and fantastic job!
Thank you so much! 😁
Fantastic work Dan. I have a few Woodland Scenics trees on my layout and they look great. Even though Woodland Scenics products can be pretty pricey, they’re very nice.
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. 👍🏼
Dan, Did you do a video on how to use a black foam board for the parking areas? Can you show the link if you did, please? Thanks... JOHN
Hi John, check out this video and go to about the 2:30 mark.
ruclips.net/video/DwApWf8ujic/видео.htmlsi=VHzPkJFj-8rM9tuT
Thanks Dan. I will apply your foam board method for the parking areas on my modified Grand Valley. JOHN
Dan, Congrats on the subscriber record!! This video was really helpful to see it again in the early stages. I'm in the middle of adding an outer loop like Mark's GV Plus video.
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. 👍🏼
Congrats on the 1000 subscribers. 👍 According to the box, this is an HO scale train set. What is the size of table it was originally built on? I'm just starting out and I like this track layout. Much more interesting than a large oval with a small oval inside.
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.
Congratulations on hitting 1000 subscribers, Dan! Very cool scenes from the build. You know I have a similar collection of images too from my build. You never get to go back into that tunnel, haha! Not without some surgery anyway I guess.
I bought a Gorilla brand glue gun which has a Low and High setting. I keep it on Low and it works great! Also went with a generic hot wire cutter kit from Amazon which came with a few different cutting tools. If I ever expand it'll be fun cutting some new profiles. Seeing all the foam makes you want to build a diorama or something, doesn't it?
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.
How many hours does it take?
@@BobLay-t9i it took me about two to three full weekends to get it to the point where I could run trains on it. The rest, turf, trees, buildings and roads came along slowly over time. It is still not 100% done. Not sure it will ever be, but that’s what is nice about the hobby. You have something that you can continuously improve on. Thanks for watching Bob.
Can you use twenty four and twenty two radius terms instead of eighteen that the kit calls for question
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.
Wow man that's cool!!! Are you going to add on to it?
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
How do you know what trains will run on the grand valley layout?
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! 👍🏼
The pics and video was nice, but I won't say the same thing for the music.
Agreed. I made a new one a few years ago that changes it up a bit. It is much better.
Where did you get the paper with the stone print on it, and was it embossed? Thanks!
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!
Where do I find wiring information for the layout?
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
Dan would it be possible to modify this Woodland Scenics kit to make an On30 rather than an HO layout?
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. 👍🏼
Maybe a question that has been asked before, but is that the only track you can use? Or can you use another brand's track for easier expansion later on?
Hi. You can use any HO scale track you’d like.
Can I use Kato Unitrack for this layout?
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. 🤗✌️
Hello Dan! I would like to ask what do you think about foldable layouts from walls to save space like the man in this video: ruclips.net/video/xjmyQPvwN2o/видео.html (not for advertising him I just found this, because I plan to make layout this myself too in the scale of 1:120 TT) Thanks for answering!
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!