I struggled for a long time between creating a prototype railway and a completely fictional one and have reached an interesting compromise.
My HO railway will be based on the fictional town of Derry, Maine - a very familiar place to any Stephen King fan. For those who are not fans, King grew up and lives in Bangor Maine and Derry, while fictional is in reality based on Bangor.
It is the town that the Novel 'IT' is based in, and for fans, my layout will have scenes and things that fans of 'IT' will recognize right away.
My track layout remains exactly as it has been finalized and I am happy with it. The changes to transform the layout into Derry involve the building of the Kenduskeag Canal and river through Derry, and the streets and buildings.
Rail will be predominantly Maine Central now, although my CN cars can still be used as CN freight cars often travel through Maine.
A tourist passenger train will consist of old New Haven and CN Budd RDC cars.
The Derry Train Yard was a crossover between several railways so many cars from the eastern U.S. and Canada can be found here.
Here are a few shots of the beginning of building Derry:
For more pics - check out my link below:
My Build Thread: https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/185298.aspx
Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephenkingsmaine
You've got some pretty good photos of your layout progress. While I have not seen the movie (yet), you seem to have done some research.
I followed your link and you have some good pics.
If you look at the pics labeled "Witcham Street" and "The Barrens" there is the number 13 shined on the backdrop from the windows.
Will
wholeman If you look at the pics labeled "Witcham Street" and "The Barrens" there is the number 13 shined on the backdrop from the windows.
I saw the light reflection there when I took the photo but did not see that it looked like the number 13 - how Stephen King! Spooky.
cool idea, i saw "IT" a long time ago it was a good movie but i don't remember much of the scenes so next time i will pay attention. Langliers was one of my favorites mr. tewey for president! when i was a kid i thought of doing the samething based on hazzard county and the Dukes of hazzard, and later on walnut grove from little house on the praire, did'nt some company produce kits for walnut grove?
keep up the good work
mark in Pennsylvania transplanted from new hampshire, railfanning Rigby yard was fun
In reading the book, some time ago, I remember a reference to the railroad that went through town when they were children. Not sure if I remember correctly but I thought it was the Boston and Maine. It seems to me this was when the kid with the breathing illness took a bunch of lobsters home after a railroad employee tossed them off of a train and made a comment about the railroad being on hard times and it's last run.
J.Rob In reading the book, some time ago, I remember a reference to the railroad that went through town when they were children. Not sure if I remember correctly but I thought it was the Boston and Maine. It seems to me this was when the kid with the breathing illness took a bunch of lobsters home after a railroad employee tossed them off of a train and made a comment about the railroad being on hard times and it's last run.
1958: "The great long freights still came through Derry. They headed south loaded down with pulpwood, paper and potatoes, and north with manufactured goods for those towns of what Maine people sometimes called The Big Northern - Bangor, Millinocket, Machias, Presque Isle, Houlton. Eddie particularly liked to watch the northbound car-carriers with their loads of gleaming Fords and Chevies.
There were six tracks in all, swooping into the station like strands of cobweb tending toward the center:Bangor and Great Northern Lines from the north, the Great Southern and Western Maine from the west, the Boston and Maine from the south and Southern Seacoast from the east."
Southern Seacoast was the one that Eddie got the lobsters from.
I'm pretty sure a lot of those (other than Boston and Maine) are fictional.
Looks good... you've made a lot of progress.
But you're going to need one of these...
And a '58 red Fury parked out front!
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Yup - planning 29 Neibolt Street and the Fury
Very nice work, looks like your layout is coming along nicely, if i may suggest something to you which i have unfortunately learned the hard way.Before you get to far ahead of where your at right now I would work on putting in your backdrops cloud painting photo backdrops etc. so your not working over an almost finished layout. I made the BIG BIG mistake of not doing this before my bench work was installed and am now paying the price for it. As Howard Zane would call it extreme model railroading. bending and stretching way out over stuff to set photo backdrops and paint clouds etc.and trust me it ain't a pretty sight.Nice railroad look forward to following your progress.
Allegheny2-6-6-6 Very nice work, looks like your layout is coming along nicely, if i may suggest something to you which i have unfortunately learned the hard way.Before you get to far ahead of where your at right now I would work on putting in your backdrops cloud painting photo backdrops etc. so your not working over an almost finished layout. I made the BIG BIG mistake of not doing this before my bench work was installed and am now paying the price for it. As Howard Zane would call it extreme model railroading. bending and stretching way out over stuff to set photo backdrops and paint clouds etc.and trust me it ain't a pretty sight.Nice railroad look forward to following your progress.
Yesterday as I was leaning over to do some work, I was thinking about putting my backdrop up. I just need to finalize the level of the land in a couple of places - but good advice! It's already a bit late for me too...
Updates on work to date - temporarily put up some backdrops, planning my scenery elevation, got a new Guilford MEC U23B Loco off eBay - discovered that the backdrops glow under blacklight which can create a cool eerie moonlit night effect - perfect for Derry, Maine. Also got my 'Christine' - Woodland Scenics Autoscenes - Picnic minus the picnic!
For more pics - click on the link below:
In my previous reply I forgot to add that your progress to date is impressive. Based on what I see you are going to have a very nice layout with a very unique theme.
I just finished tearing my home layout down. Guess I could call it Castle Rock now.
Here's an old photo of my NTRAK module.
The gray car in front of needful things has been changed to a red '58 Fury since this photo. Pennywise and Cujo are on the side walk.
Nice! Glad to see other fans doing similar things. It makes the layout fun.
Updated layout:
I have added a staging track, since I ended up using the track I WAS going to use for staging (far left) as a long runaround for freight. The hidden loop track that runs through the Tracker Bros building is not much good for staging either, since it is used as a passing track. It can be used as short-term staging for the Budd RDC tourist train on it's point-to-point run out of Derry Yard.
Benchwork was extended about 10" to accommodate both sides of Center Street.
Very nice progress Aralai. I liked the slideshow on your website also!
I remember a number of us throwing in thoughts when you were designing your trackplan, and I don't recall locating the staging track behind the furnace being an option then. Its always good to find some extra room.
The photos you shared looks like you're going to have a nice layout.
- Douglas
As it turns out, the staging track behind the furnace is NOT going to work. It's too cluttered with pipes, etc back there. I'll have to either live without it or maybe consider staging elsewhere (under the bench maybe). In any event, it's not a show stopper for me. Most of my trains will be live staged on various parts of the layout.
Hi,
just a few things I have noticed:
There is a pretty sharp curve in the lower right part of your layout- Its radius appears to be much less than 18". If that´s correct, it´ll be a source of constant problems.
Do you intend to paint & Weather your track? It´ll look a lot more realistic, if you do!
Sir Madog Hi, just a few things I have noticed: There is a pretty sharp curve in the lower right part of your layout- Its radius appears to be much less than 18". If that´s correct, it´ll be a source of constant problems. Do you intend to paint & Weather your track? It´ll look a lot more realistic, if you do!
I assume you mean on the plan, not from pictures of the layout? The actual curve is at least 22" - same as the top right one - I think it is a leftover from when I was even worse at using Atlas RTS.
Yes - I will be weathering the track. I was planning to do it right before ballasting. Does that make sense?
Right now working on finishing the backdrop, then scenery - ie: putting the hills and valleys where they need to be.
Updated the layout - removed the staging track that unfortunately is not going to work, and corrected the curve radius in the bottom right corner.
I would have suggested the railroad in Stand By Me but it's set and filmed in Oregon not Maine. Looks great keep the pictures coming in.
Dan
If you cannot fix it with a hammer;
You have an electrical problem!
Coquihala and Rock Creek I would have suggested the railroad in Stand By Me but it's set and filmed in Oregon not Maine. Looks great keep the pictures coming in. Dan
I am going to have some shout-outs to other King stories so would be cool to do a Stand By Me scene. It was one of my favorites.
Working on topography, scenery etc. Here are some updated pics.
Tunnel hides a runaround track that can also be used for staging:
Bought farmhouse on eBay - gotta repaint that awful blue trim!
Backdrop mismatch will be hidden by trees:
Derry Bus Terminal & Falcon Bar from 'IT'
This is the actual Bangor Bus Terminal & Main Tavern that King based his story on:
Houses on Witcham Street raised to level required:
Witcham Street built from .030 styrene sheet:
Tunnel detail. I used some scrap white styrofoam. Hopefully it will turn out ok. Will cover with sculptamold as required:
Black paint to help the view block. This area will be covered with a wire frame and trees and foliage will cover it. The black paint is to ensure that when viewing through the building it is dark.
Witcham Street Bridge will cross the tracks here then take a sharp left. Kansas Street Bridge is visible in the background:
Kansas Street Bridge crosses the Kenduskeag River and three tracks:
Witcham Street at the top of the hill:
Blog has been updated also...
Wow. 3 1/2 years later and no progress.
Well I am going to work on the layout this fall & winter finally.
The good thing about the passage of time is that I figured out a few things I don't like.
The first is the extra real estate I added is now gone. I could not reach the edges of the layout and 3 years of reading model railroader convinced me I can do a lot in a narrower space.
See the red lines for the changes.
The other change is that the staging track I thought I could not run behind the furnace is a go again, and will act as both a staging track and a continuous running track, joining back up with the layout.
As I lost my location for Witcham Street, it has been moved and I like the way it looks better:
The arrow is pointing to the drain where Pennywise ripped off poor Georgie's arm.
Next step is to install the staging track and test.
Almost forgot - a nice shot of 29 Neibolt Street:
Aralai - good to see you back here in the forum. I am glad you will continue your work on this layout! Hope to see more ...
Just a suggestion, some flat black area where the Langoliers are tidying things up...Just sayin....
Good work.
Redore Just a suggestion, some flat black area where the Langoliers are tidying things up...Just sayin.... Good work.
Nice idea!
Wow. 6 years later and I'm finally getting back to Derry.
Working on installing my staging / circuit track. Old furnace and water heater has been replaced with new ones, opening up space for my track as well as meaning that disruption should be minimal for the foreseeable future.
Center Street is looking better - bought a nice building at the Brampton Model Railway Show this past year:
Witcham Street:
Some actual progress! I have completed the plywood "bridge" to carry the new staging/continuous run track round the back of my new furnace. Foam track bed and track started to be laid.
Pictures to follow!