After months of research, design, and redesign, I’m excited to share the next chapter of my model railroading journey – the Union Harbour Express! This new layout results from hours of exploration, lessons learned, and refining what truly excites me in this hobby.
While I’ve enjoyed researching and planning, I’m ready to dive back into hands-on modelling—building, crafting, and creating videos that bring this world to life. This time, my approach is simple and fun, but grounded in the dark, dystopic themes that first inspired me. By setting the layout perpetually on Halloween, I’ve found a straightforward “guiding light” for design choices, allowing each detail to contribute naturally to an eerie and familiar atmosphere.
This project feels like a graduation—leaving behind the more time-consuming or purely DIY approaches I used to follow. I’m letting myself invest a bit more to focus on what I love most. From this point forward, it’s all about creating, building, and letting the layout evolve naturally in the videos.
Thank you for coming along on this journey. I’m excited to finally share it with you and can’t wait to start bringing each element of this forever Halloween world to life.
*More Channel Info:*
Welcome to N Scale Dystopia – A channel dedicated to documenting the build of a post-apocalyptic N Scale Model Railroad and Dioramas based on Union station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
#nscale #ModelRailroad #DystopianModeling
If you found this video intriguing, consider subscribing for more content as I lean into creating more dystopian scale models. I’m figuring a lot of this out along the way, so it’s always nice to have you join me on the journey and offer support, but more importantly, feedback! https://www.youtube.com/@NScaleDystopia?sub_confirmation=1
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Superb!
Very interesting concept, i'm looking forward to seeing how this develops. Am planning something similar myself, although more of a doomer-esque/run down setting rather than halloween since halloween is not really a thing around here.
Also, can anyone identify the musc in the background?
Gonna be kool.
The maquette is a great idea ! What scale did you use ?
Do you have architectural design experience ? Your maquette looks like what an architect or designer might build while working on a new design — helpful in tweaking the final design. I got my college degree in interior design (class of 1990) and we built and used mock-ups/maquettes/models to solve problems and to better visualise the 3-d space — this was long before it was common-place to use computers to produce a digital 3-D version of the design.
Awesome 👍😎👍
fun! i like the track plan – looking forward to watching the build.
will you also use your tiny trams in this layout?
I ride Aldershot to Toronto weekly! This video & the new layout give me a new lens through which to view my commute 🙂
Looks like a very well thought out plan. Looking forward to its implementation.
Nicely Done! Will it be possible to see the track plan in printed format?
Nice looks good thank-you for the share * Happy Rails *
I really like this new layout, I might have to borrow the track plan for my own. Good job
hey dude, really good video and looks like it'll be a killer layout
I've got a little bit of feedback on the video itself, I was watching with headphones on and could hear "mouth noise", I don't know how you're recording the VO but your mic might be a bit too close to your face.
I already like the mini layout. I’m gonna try and mini my design too. Looking forward for the real layout.
About 15 years ago, when I first starting thinking about having a railroad, my very first thought was… "no matter what era, it will be set on October 31st." You and I are on the same page. 👻 There are so many opportunities for intriguing storytelling on that specific date that exist on very few other dates. Maybe Christmas qualifies, though certainly not my thing. Perhaps 4th of July for the summer-oriented American folks, but for me, Halloween takes the cake. It has a beautiful look with the autumn colors, it has a spooky vibe, it has kids walking around in their n-scale costumes, it has houses decorated with ghosts, bats, and spiders; it has an eerie soundtrack, it has backyard bonfires with people wearing hoodies. No other date compares. I honestly do not understand vaguely summer layouts when Oct. 31 exists. 😀
Endless Halloween. You will never leave the train room…!!!
I love how much you prioritise the atmosphere of your layout! Running with a more eerie theme for a model railway layout is so cool
That was a pretty cool visualisation – you could almost make an infinite loop – maybe one of your buildings can house the mock-up as its own layout – heck, maybe we are all models for someone else's layout! 😜😜
Thanks for taking us along 🙂
Reach out to me, I may have some stuff for you.
Absolutely love the tiny model! Your first layout was very cool but this one has got me really excited. I love all the thought that has been put into making it atmospheric and picturesque. Looking forward to seeing the build up!
This video just came up on my suggested feed. I haven't seen any of your content before, but as an N scaler myself (without a space for a layout, currently) I absolutely love what you're doing here. I really appreciate the detail you put into the model of your layout, too. Very nice work, and I look forward to seeing your progress!
Once again, knocked it out of the park! Congratulations on the new layout concept. I'm looking forward to seeing it come alive!
Note the expression of sheer mass as that train moves at 1min 30. That is a good layout.
I really love the graphic look of the plan! I want to build my own mock up model for my upcoming layout. Did you use a different program to do so? It looks like the graphis from Model Railroader, not Scarm or Anyrail.
The miniature architectural planning/visualization mockup was a magnificent idea that you’ve convinced me to emulate.
I suspect that you and I have followed a similar experience path wrt how lessons learned from preceding layouts get incorporated into subsequent builds. My “vows” for my next layout include things like minimal use of powered turnouts, few and subtle grade changes, negligible tunnels/hidden trackage, nothing less than 18” radius curves, and module-based shelf construction. I’m also intrigued with the concept of keeping all wiring top-side (eg – using copper tape etc).
For 20 years I’ve wrestled with ideas on how to create Toronto’s Union Station train shed vibe in N scale, and we are definitely like-minded in our CP, GO Transit, CN and Via interests. I admired how you captured this in your previous build, and look forward to seeing the new adventure evolve. Great stuff, man!
Congrats on 10k! Well deserved. Love the new track plan as well and can't wait to see it take shape.
I really like how the tapering wings of the layout point towards the internal angle of the river & bridges. Trains running over & under here will look great. Also I think you have hit on the right balance of track and scenics.
The production value of the design of your layout puts half the stuff on Netflix to shame. Awesome work!
the mini model is a great idea to get a better feel for the shape of a layout
That was AWESOME!!
I am so excited – this is going to be awesome.
I couldn't help but notice that was a Hitachi tv, one of the old metro trains is Melbourne was a Hitachi
This is so cool to see!
Im starting my very first table this month and im sure ill learn a lot watching your videos.
I'm looking forward too enjoying you build this little gem with a hint of bathurst in the background. I'm not Canadian. So looking forward to this project
Can’t wait to see this new version come to life. That 3D layout plan was a great idea, better scenery then my layout lol
😍😍😍
Looking forward to seeing how you progress with this. Craig.
I love how you made a model of a model of a railroad!
October 31st is my B-Day.
Building a miniature of a miniature.
Love
I hope you incorperate the street car near the Union Station side of layout like you had on the previous one. It added great detail and another form of transportation to the layout. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.
You should incorporate the mini layout somewhere on your full layout.