The Fern Valley N scale layout measures just 1200x600mm and comprises of two independent circuits. It is loosely based on a provincial New Zealand railway town set in the later part of the 20th century. The purpose of the layout has evolved with the products to become a showcase to display the range, something that it was not initially designed to do. It features some hills and a deep chasm and hopefully shows the difficulty of building a railroad through the rough terrain that is typical throughout New Zealand.

The layout is constructed using scrap plywood, polystyrene and plaster of paris. The cliffs are pine bark and the trees are either dead yarrow weed or wire wound hemp. The scrub is foam rubber off-cuts put through my wife’s food processor while she wasn’t looking, and then dyed green. The trees and grass areas are covered with sawdust off the garage floor, sieved and dyed green. The fern trees are all hand made, each little frond glued on individually.

All the structures, accessories and most of the vehicles are my own 3D printed designs. I initially started printing in PLA with a $300 Ender 3 filament printer, and many of the structures are filament. Almost all printing is now done in resin on an Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 12k and I am slowly replacing the filament structures on the layout with better quality resin versions.

A miniature model railway set depicting Fern Valley with trains, tracks, trees, buildings, and hills, displayed on a table with control panel.
Model train layout with two bridges over a rocky, forested landscape with trees and a stream.
A miniature model scene with a red toy car with a Union Jack roof parked on a street, and a small shop with a sign, surrounded by detailed buildings and trees.
Miniature landscape with moss, small rocks, and a tiny waterfall, featuring a small toy dinosaur lying on rocks near a stream.
A detailed miniature model of a small town with a train station, several trains, trees, houses, and a parking lot with a few cars.
Miniature red train with passenger cars and a red locomotive traveling on a model railroad track near small buildings and trees.
A miniature scene of a vintage ambulance vehicle on a dirt path surrounded by lush green trees and shrubs.
A detailed model train scene with various vintage vehicles, buildings, trees, and railroad tracks, featuring a red train, yellow school bus, construction equipment, and miniature people.
A detailed miniature train set with two locomotives and several cars on a track, surrounded by miniature buildings, trees, and scenery.
Model trains passing through a miniature landscape with tunnels, trees, and bridges, depicting a scenic countryside railway scene.