Ken Epp

 HO Scale Cougar River Subdivision

Ken Epp has managed to combine his desire for a large layout with his family’s need for basement living space. The result is his HO scale Cougar River Subdivision, a club-size layout that features a 530-foot mainline run, yet ensures that the rest of the basement is available to the family (a large recreation room, bedroom, full bathroom and utility area). CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE

Ken Epp's Cougar River Subdivision passes through the recreation room on two levels.  The top shelf is just six inches wide.  There's lots of room for other family activities.

All three levels are seen in this photo of the Cougar River Subdivision.  That's the Skoonka tunnels on the right.

He accomplished this by using an around-the-walls double and triple deck design. The loop-to-loop layout, with its nine-scale mile run, runs through and around all the basement rooms, but doesn’t interfere with activities since the shelves in the living areas are only 6 to 12 inches wide. To make the layout compatible with other living areas, Ken finished off the edges with hardboard fascia and was careful to keep wires and other clutter from view.

Two CP units fuel up at the diesel facility. Friesen Cold Storage is named for Elmwood Hobby works owner Hilt Friesen.

This view shows two of the towns on the layout.  This part of the layout is in the recreation room.

In total, the tracks punch through walls 19 times; it takes 25 minutes for a train unimpeded by meets or switching duties to traverse the layout from the lower staging yard to the upper staging yard.

A CN train emerges from a tunnel on Ken's Cougar River Subdivision layout.

The tracks curve across a deep canyon in the furnace/utility area.  The viaduct was built from Styrofoam, cut with a jigsaw to match the desired curve.  Sheet styrene was then glued to the sides.  The piers were made from plaster poured into a mold.

Scenically, the layout doesn't represent any one area of Canada, but rather includes mountain, prairie and Canadian shield scenes. Trains on the layout are all Canadian and reflect a mixture of eras.

You don't need a lot of room to make convincing scenery!  This replica of CN's Thompson River Canyon Skoonka Tunnels and snowshed takes up only eight inches of space.

The Canadian crosses a scratch built trestle.

The layout uses conventional DC.  Train movements are controlled by a dispatcher, who is located in a small specially-built room beneath the mountain scenery. The dispatcher routes all power and controls all mainline turnouts and the operating signals.  Operators use walk-around throttles to control the trains, and communicate with the dispatcher via two-way radios. Operating sessions usually feature the running of mainline trains, although there are 20 industries that can be switched. 

Here's another view of Shaunfield. Ken made the bridge piers out of plaster. Photo by Ron Einarson

Isn't this the bedroom you dreamed of having as a kid? Two levels of the layout travel through Ken's son's bedroom. Photo by Ron Einarson.