A two generational HO scale model railroad set in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, circa 1890, by Mark Denekas and Don Fouse.
The Genesis of Seven Rivers Railroad was late in the evening among the pines along the Greys River in Wyoming. As the light faded, my pen found its own way until I fell asleep. In the morning the plan resembled a time-lapse image of a moth circling a lantern. But I knew what it meant! Enjoy these pages if you enjoy model railroading!
Welcome to my new website! It is a work in progress, so I hope you come back often and watch for more photos, projects and stories. You can navigate the entire site for an overview of my layout in just a few minutes. Find out what I’m working on now under current projects. Seven Rivers Railroad is not just a train layout. It is a journey with its own characters, history, philosophy, and a touch of humor. There are pages on horn playing experience and fly fishing, the other great joys of my life. The DNR Stories are for me to know and you to find out, only if you choose to waste the time.
Let’s start with a little bit of general information about the layout itself. It is an analogue layout, the same as my first layout sixty years ago. Since I switch locomotives around a lot, incorporating DCC would be impractical.
The era is circa 1890, which more specifically means anything from 1860 through 1920, and steam locomotives are the only powered equipment. All the folk are still limited to horses and buggies, with a few covered wagons to boot. So the railroad is the most popular means of transportation. I have always loved the American style of locomotive, the 4-4-0’s like the ones that met at Promontory on May 10, 1869, and the small size radii of my layout make them practical as well. I like larger locomotives too, and most of them run on Seven Rivers main lines now and then. The U.P. Big Boys and Challengers and the larger 2-10-2’s are just too big, but I’ve got Northerns, Berkshires and Mountains that work just fine. Fortunately there are many articulated locomotives built for mountain railroads that run very well on Seven Rivers.
The main service is for tourist excursions, inspired by the Durango and Silverton, and Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroads. I’ve enjoyed learning about and building models of early American passenger cars. You won’t find any steel or aluminum sided cars on my layout. Imagine if that kind of service had been available throughout the magnificent country surrounding Yellowstone! Well, that is what I’m trying to do, even though I’m very grateful that the area was not ravaged by real railroad expansion.
There are lumber and mining spurs as well, without the stumps and scars. Just the cool trains, cars, buildings and locomotives!
While I am responsible for layout design, background murals, construction and scenery, many of the structures were built by my father-in law, Don Fouse. Some of his ashes are mixed with the plaster on the summit of my Grand Teton, so he can still enjoy the trains. He built everything from scratch, kits, or kit-bashing: towns, mining operations, a sawmill and more. My layout is intended to stage his work as well as my own. I have not spiked my own rail as he did, but I have modified some of his bridgework for my layout. Inspired by his work, I have also built my own structures, locomotives and rolling stock.
Obviously not prototypical, I hope the layout is both convincing and whimsical. It is so much fun, and I want to share it with you!
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Seven Rivers Railroad 