Willow Creek: Layout Tour 2021

This video provides a comprehensive tour of the HO-scale Willow Creek Railroad including freelanced background history, layout construction history, and detailed track plans for every major area of the layout. The video tour shows the status of the layout as of June 2021.

[@apogeelocoworks4370]

Using N-scale buildings and figures to create the illusion of distance is absolutely genius! Great railroad and great tour!

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video and the use of really-tiny tiny people. The N-scale figures and cabin are fun scenes and the eye really doesn't realize just how small they are. Fun little trick. Thanks for your feedback; very much appreciated!

[@TheGulfwind]

A magnificent version of a truly great layout. Your work i is absolutely a work of art! .I always enjoy each of your videos, especially the operations ones. A great inspiration to me while I build my Watertown Northern Shortline railroad layout.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the great feedback. I'm not sure about a "work of art" but working and operating on the Willow Creek is a heck of a lot of fun. Best wishes on your Watertown Northern Shortline -- that's a great sounding name. Thanks, again, and high greens!

[@nicklamboy3918]

Great Tour. Loved the format and the little extras. Layout wonderful. I actually re-thought my phase 3 ideas based on some of your comments about what you would do different.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour. The Willow Creek has been a lot of fun to build and operate. And happy to hear that some of the ideas might have helped you with your layout. Thanks for the feedback; much appreciated!

[@grahamparry7200]

I can not put it better than rcava8tor and totally agree with everything said there. I always to forward to your videos. It is nice to see you introducing them in person. I also like your Concorde switching addition. Many thanks for your inspirational journey. Graham from New Zealand.

[@Vigment13]

Greetings to New Zealand! And thanks for your great feedback. It's indeed a pleasure to share the Willow Creek. The tiny people on the main layout and on the Concorde Branch also thank you. :-) Glad you liked the in-person intro; something different just for the fun of it. You're heading into winter, so a great time to enjoy the model trains! Thanks, again.

[@billkrueger7549]

Thanks, you made my Sunday morning. Great breakfast, as I toured the Willow Creek again, I have followed your RR for some time and always enjoy the free spirit and details of your RR. The hobby has changed a lot since the 50's when I started, but the sharing, learning and camaraderie are the elements that keep the hobby alive and growing. Enjoy.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for your kind words. Glad the Willow Creek could join you for breakfast! You're exactly right about the sharing, learning and camaraderie; the key our hobby. Glad that you enjoyed the video and thanks, again, for your feedback.

[@papaplays0815]

Great modelrailway. I stumbled over the track plan, while planning my own layout. I ´m very haypy that i have found you on youtube. Great work ! Greetings from Germany.

[@mariebcfhs9491]

The model is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing this masterpiece with us.

[@Vigment13]

It was my pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the video and the Willow Creek. And thank you for your feedback. Thanks!

[@modelrailroader5619]

Honestly Rod, you have created a masterpiece! I always enjoy coming back to the Willow Creek and Concorde Branch to “cherry pick” some of your great ideas. Everything is so well explained. Congratulations on your recent photo credits!🥳 Cheers, Andrew 👍🇨🇦

[@Vigment13]

Thanks much for your kind comments. I've thoroughly enjoyed the Willow Creek and am always happy when others can benefit from the pros (and the cons) of the layout. Glad you enjoyed the layout tour, and thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@rjl110919581]

thank you very much for share detail beauty love railroad and your detailed layout as great watching from Australia

[@mikparker2572]

Absolutely the best video I have ever seen , amazing story and now I feel I want to go there for a visit. Thank you so much for sharing my friend. Subscribed 👏🏼👏🏼

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video tour of the Willow Creek; it was a lot of fun to put together. Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@phil36310]

Nice and well explained layout tour. Thanks for sharing !

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video tour. Always nice to share the Willow Creek with fellow model railroaders. Thanks for the feedback!

[@flagman515]

Mr. Vance, a simple thank you is not enough to express appreciation for this video. I have always enjoyed your layout and have been in awe of your progress on the Willow Creek Railroad. The history, tour, and explanation of each area of the layout was very informative. Your work should be (and is) an inspiration to many of us who dream of such a layout. Your philosophy of the hobby being a journey and not a destination is spot on. That is also the hardest part - being patient and accepting the fact that a masterpiece railroad does not happen overnight. May all your block signals be green!

[@Vigment13]

Wow. Thank you for your kind feedback! Glad you enjoyed the latest video. And high greens to you!

[@caryhewitt1256]

A very nice looking layout! Thank you for the tour.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video and the Willow Creek. Thanks for your feedback; much appreciated!

[@jasonminier6782]

Ver, very nicely done! Thank you for sharing your journey.

[@Vigment13]

Glad that you enjoyed the tour, and thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@scottwooddell7799]

Thank you very much for sharing your model railroad with all of us. It has been nice seeing the many videos you have created and learning from your experiences.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you've enjoyed the Willow Creek. The tiny people of the subdivision and I thoroughly enjoy sharing our experiences. Thanks for the feedback!

[@michaelsmulik]

Thanks for recommending the 2021 tour. Informational and inspiring.

[@Vigment13]

My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed the tour! High greens!

[@michaelsmulik]

@@Vigment13 Boy, you don't sleep much do you? 😉

[@Vigment13]

@@michaelsmulik Ha. Gotta stay busy, you know!

[@RailroadingWhenICan]

Thanks for your videos. I really love these and the Willow Creek.

[@SleeTheSloth]

Great model railroad and wonderful presentation. :)

[@EndlessFilmLimited]

Any time I get more Willow Creek it is a good day. For years now I have held it up as an example of truly exceptional model railroading (and your informative operations videos on it are some of the highest quality model railroading operations explainer videos on KZbin). I was nearly shocked that there were design flaws as the layout is portrayed so well in other videos- but flaws are to be expected. I found the changes on paper to be informative- they certainly changed how I saw the layout (even though I’ve seen the layout grow with staging and past revisions). From perfect to fallible- but now even more endearing. I find we don’t talk about layout mistakes in tangible and frank terms in the hobby like this video does- which makes this video a wonderful contribution to the hobby. I was wonder if there were any other flaws you did not include in the video? Thank you for this video- it is high quality and enjoyable as ever.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video ... flaws and all! :-) I believe I've confessed all of the flaws. For redesign considerations, it would be nice to have another staging yard, but that's about all I've considered beyond what was discussed in the video. The tiny people of the Willow Creek consider it an honor to be held in such high esteem; they're a mischievous bunch, so now I have to watch that the praise doesn't go to their heads! Thank you for your kind feedback; always appreciated! High greens!

[@jeffallen5698]

What a beautiful layout! Well done, Sir!

[@Vigment13]

Thanks much! Glad you enjoyed the video and your tour of the Willow Creek. And thank you for your feedback; much appreciated.

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Enjoy the new update very much.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the feedback; much appreciated!

[@jimtrack3786]

An exceptional layout. Well done sir!

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the Willow Creek. And thanks for your feedback; much appreciated!

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

things i've never seen before i saw on ur layout - commisiners company car - the automobile - the animals - (couple things i can't remember) but it is an amazing layout and i enjoyed it from begining to end. I also think u film ur layout better thanb alot of people. Many people don't know how to fill their layout tours - well presented. Love the Lighthouse.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the layout tour, and glad that you saw things on the Willow Creek that you hadn't seen before. I try to mix things up in the videos so you don't see exactly the same shots over and over. That gets boring. And thank you for your feedback on the format of the layout tour. It takes awhile to plan these type of videos, but it's always fun to see the finished product. Thanks, again, for your great feedback; much appreciated!

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

@@Vigment13 no problem - ill be sure to revisite your channel in the future. One day i hope to build my own layout so ur layout will be motivation. I have a windows document were i list what i want on my layout. I had to add company commisioner car. If u ever get the change you should see if you can find a book called "Empire Builder" its an amazing railroad novel from 1907. Great read about building a rail line. thanks again.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

@@Vigment13 Francis, Lynde

[@Vigment13]

@@cliffwoodbury5319 Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll have to check it out...

[@bruceenlow8480]

Nice touch with the pigeons

[@Vigment13]

Ha. Thanks! As they say, model railroading is fun! Thanks for the feedback.

[@אסףנוב]

Thank you for sharing with us the journey, the years of dedication really showing off. Looking for the next video!!!!!

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour. It's always fun to share the Willow Creek. Thank you for your feedback!

[@jdmills4370]

Amazing Thank you for taking the time to make this. It must’ve been quite a bit of work It does tie everything together for us very nicely.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour of the Willow Creek. Always fun to share it. Nice to know that the video helped tie things together; that was the intent. Yeah! Thanks for your feedback; much appreciated.

[@TechnoNut96]

I really enjoyed the video! Well made and I enjoyed the pointing out of the little details!

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour including the little details. Always fun to show the Willow Creek. Thanks for your feedback!

[@donho4552]

Thank you for the tour of your great layout. I always look forward to watching your new videos. I watched this one twice as I have some of the others. You have the skill to present your work and never get bogged down with imaterial or repetitive script. You have compensated well for the out and back design and turned it into a linear operation. Your operation scheme is so well thought out. I look forward to the next installment of the Willow Creek.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks so much for your kind feedback! Glad you enjoyed the layout tour as well as the other videos of the Willow Creek. The tiny people of the subdivision are always happy to share their layout. And thanks, especially, for the feedback regarding my approach to the videos. Glad to know they're hitting the mark. Thanks, again! And high greens!

[@stevengibson9925]

@@Vigment13 ft. Mandison and video

[@bartjvonk]

Great to hear your voice again!

[@Vigment13]

Thanks! It's always a lot of fun to produce these videos. Appreciate your feedback!

[@giuseppearditi7963]

Molto interessante il video la ricostruzione delle zone esistenti dal vero veramente eccezionale

[@Vigment13]

Ciao Italia! Sono contento che il video ti sia piaciuto. Grazie per i vostri commenti. Spero che le mia traduzione di Google sia corretta! Grazie dal Willow Creek!

[@joshpurton2516]

Always a pleasure to see a new video from yourself. Your layout has given me some much needed inspiration to continue with my own layout. Keep up the fantastic work 👍👍

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the new layout tour video. Anything the Willow Creek can do to inspire folks in the hobby is a real treat. Enjoy building your layout. And thanks for the feedback!

[@cascadesub6235]

man oh man ....it gets better......sweet ...love it....

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the new layout tour! And thanks for the feedback; much appreciated!

[@justyoureverydaydumbguyahl1487]

Awesome a lot of work turned out great

[@Vigment13]

Thanks! It's been a fun journey. Appreciate your feedback ... now or 4 minutes from now. :-)

[@dougmacdonald5849]

Great layout and a very well done video..

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the new tour. And thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@markswasey4301]

Nice layout, nice concept, great you did the backdrop, now you just need to paint the track.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the feedback. Actually, the track is painted/weathered. For some reason, it doesn't always show up in the videos. Glad you enjoyed the Willow Creek.

[@Vigment13]

Just thought I'd provide a follow-on reply... I went back and checked some of the track and found several areas where the weathering is quite poor. It's there, but not up to pare. Original weathering was done almost 12 years ago. Argh... So track weathering has been added to the "to do" list. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[@ATSFNW22408]

Thanks I really enjoyed the video. Superb layout

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video. And thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated.

[@Benjamintrains]

Marvelous layout Mr Vance! Excellent details on the layout. I personally love seeing the beautiful green scenery since I've been born in raised in Phoenix Arizona.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the great feedback. Arizona is beautiful in its own way, but I, too, favor the green scenery. Glad you enjoyed the video and the Willow Creek. Thanks, again!

[@davestrains6816]

Very enjoyable video. I really like your track plan, you get a lot of train running without a helix. Thanks for sharing. Dave

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video as well as the track plan. It's not perfect but it's given me a whole lot of fun. Appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

[@h2osmokey]

Excellent as always

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed it, Mr. Webster. Always good to hear from you!

[@Adamdaj]

Excellent job!

[@Vigment13]

Ah, succinct feedback! I love it. Glad you enjoyed the video. And thanks for the comment!

[@reinhardtkk]

Nicely done!

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour, and thanks for the feedback!

[@cowboyvalley]

Very Nice layout and video!!! Thanks!!! ...Claude

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the Willow Creek and the tour video. And thanks for the feedback; much appreciated!

[@modelrailroader5619]

Brilliant concept and, as usual, a very entertaining and informative video. Thanks, Rod!👍

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the feedback! And glad that you enjoyed the video. Thanks!

[@streetfightinmanrs]

You have such a spectacular railroad! I really enjoyed the tour!

[@Vigment13]

I'm glad you enjoyed the tour of the Willow Creek. The tiny people of the subdivision and I are always happy to show folks around. Thanks!

Realy Nice layout. Great Channel.

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the tour. The tiny people of the Willow Creek are always happy to share their subdivision! And thank you for your feedback!

[@stoobieman]

Great video, well done

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@jdmills4370]

Congrats! I see your RR in MRR Trackside Photos this month…..

[@Vigment13]

Thanks! It was a photo I submitted last year for their photo contest (obviously, didn't win), so it was a nice surprise when MR chose it for the August Trackside Photos. Thanks, again.

[@IronHorseRailways]

The whole operations thing never caught on over here in England sadly... I absolutely love it though! Thanks for the insight into how things work over the water :)

[@Vigment13]

Greetings, again! Not everyone is into operations here in the U.S., but for those of us who are, it's a whole lot of fun. It puts a whole different spin on enjoying a model railroad layout. If you every wade across the "pond", you'll have to drop in and experience an op session in person! My wife and I love to visit England, but I've never had the opportunity to visit a model railroad when there; guess there's always too many other things to do when on vacation! Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[@IronHorseRailways]

@@Vigment13 it absolutely is a lot of fun! I run far simpler solo operations on my layout, far FAR simpler using a dice and some paper and a marker pen.. haha many thanks 👍

[@12b_engineer]

This is one of my two favorite layouts on KZbin. I have learned a lot about model rail from you. Do you have plans to make more videos?

[@Vigment13]

I'm planning to make one more video this year, focusing on the motive power plying the rails of the Subdivision. Stay tuned! Glad you're enjoying the videos and thank you for your kind feedback! High greens!

[@iannarita9816]

Thanks for sharing.

[@Vigment13]

It was my pleasure. Glad you enjoyed the tour!

[@Charlie_Echo]

Fascinating video as always, thank you. I don't have the space or time for something like this but I enjoy the layout and your videos so much that I'm working on adapting some key sections of the Willow Creek that I can recreate and operate separately on my dining table a piece at a time! It was great to hear the history of the layout, too - both fact and fiction. At what point in the build did you start running actual trains on it? Did you wait till all the scenery was complete?

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video and are enjoying aspects of the Willow Creek on your dining table. As soon as the roadbed was finished, I started laying track, installed the DCC system, and then started wiring sections up. At that point, I started running trains to test both the DCC system, the track wiring, and each section's trackwork. Build a section, test that section's track, repeat... Scenery was not started until all track was tested with running trains. You don't want to start working on scenery until you're absolutely sure that the track runs the way you want it to. If you have to make any adjustments, it's much easier to do that while you're still looking at only track and roadbed; no scenery to rip out. It's also easier at that time to see the wiring under the layout in case you make any mistakes and need to rewire something, again without scenery getting in the way. Good question. Thanks!

[@beeble2003]

Random factoid: the US Board on Geographic Names almost never allows apostrophes in place names and Bucky's Crossing joins Martha's Vineyard MA, Ike's Point NJ, John E's Pond RI, Carlos Elmer's Joshua View AZ and Clark's Mountain OR as the only exceptions. Normally, they try to avoid the suggestion that Bucky actually owns the place. Beautiful layout. Really, really impressive.

[@Vigment13]

Thanks for the interesting factoid. I guess it's good that the tiny people of the Willow Creek don't pay much attention to facts. Ha! Glad you enjoyed the layout and thanks for the factoid. Very interesting.

[@TheMonDon1721]

This was really cool thank you

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video. The tiny people of the Willow Creek Railroad and I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

[@jwrailve3615]

I’m building a layout rn and the only current way from top to bottom level is by staged rail barges that I move from top to bottom cassette style.

[@Vigment13]

Saw your comment with the car float video. Sounds like a super idea for keep operations interesting on your layout. Again, thanks for sharing.

[@matthewjones1119]

Thank you for sharing

[@Vigment13]

Sharing the new layout tour video was my pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bryanthunderfootporter4436]

Enjoyed this update! But isn’t the part where the ferry goes to missing? I seem to remember an ops vid where the dispatcher plays ferryman and “cassette swaps” each float’s cars during the session. The other part is in another room; I think.

[@Vigment13]

Ah, you've been paying attention! You are correct; the newer Concorde Branch modular layout extended the Willow Creek Subdivision, and the ferry from Bucky's Crossing does actually connect to Concorde when the modular layout is up and operating. I noted the connection to Concorde in the new video but didn't show it. Thought it best to focus on the main layout. But congrats to you for a good memory and spending enough time enjoying model railroad videos to have seen the Concorde Branch. Ha! Thanks for your comment!

[@levievey8951]

Love the video

[@Vigment13]

Thanks! You're the first to comment and maybe the first to view the new video. Appreciate your feedback! Thanks, again.

[@VicTilling]

Magnificent.

[@Vigment13]

A man of few words, but right to the point! I love it. Thanks for your feedback; much appreciated!

[@andrewtesta5944]

Great Job. One question what do you use the gondola for at the mining company?

[@Vigment13]

Glad you enjoyed the video. The gondola is typically used to deliver various supplies to the mining company, such as crated machinery or perhaps some piping material.

[@thomaspinnick5796]

Fabulous. Don't you dare think about PSR. (helper okay). 🙃

[@Vigment13]

Ha! Okay . . . Thank for your feedback!

[@justyoureverydaydumbguyahl1487]

Question you make your mountains with plaster cloth is there anything else you can use?

[@Vigment13]

Rather than the cardboard webbing and plaster cloth, you could use extruded foam. Lots of videos available on the web. You could also use cardboard webbing and drape plaster-soaked paper towels over it. Quite messy but very inexpensive. Just a few alternatives to consider.

[@beeble2003]

@@Vigment13 You can also make the "skeleton" out of chicken wire.

[@Vigment13]

@@beeble2003 True, but it's much harder to work with. And be very careful of sharp edges! Ouch...

[@jdmills4370]

Also enjoyed views we normally don’t get of the layout….

[@Vigment13]

Glad you liked the different views. I try to mix things up so as to not always show the same views, but that can be a real challenge on a layout. Thanks for your feedback!

[@chadlegob-1battledroid159]

I knew it was something local

[@areguapiri]

So Bucky's Crossing is a fictional town?

[@Vigment13]

Yes, Bucky's Crossing is fictional, as are all the towns in the Subdivision. Hope you enjoyed the layout tour, and thank you for your question. High greens!