The Bear Creek Railroad is an O gauge model railroad layout.  The first rail was laid in 1994 after a visit to Doug DuBay's Valley Junction Railroad in West Des Moines, Iowa.  The  Soo line Lionel Service Station Set served as the seed locomotive and rolling stock with a Ping Pong table the location.

As is true with most model railroaders, this was not enough.  The first permanent location was two 4’x 8’ plywood sheets which was later  expanded with two more sheets to form a U.  After three years, a third benchwork was constructed.  This layout was 24’x 12’ on two levels.  After completing, it was discovered that the fun was in the building and not looking at the finished product.  Kind of like life, it is the journey, not the destination.

The benchwork for the current layout was built in January and February 2006.  The construction materials were 1/2 inch particle board under 1/2 inch homasote board, framed with 1x4s, and supported on 2x4s.  It is a walk around layout that is 46 feet in length and four to 14 feet in width. There are five pass-thrus providing access to center areas.  

The Bear Creek Railroad features two levels.  The upper level runs the Illinois Central flag and lower level the Union Pacific.  There are five loops on both levels which can run ten trains simultaneously using MTH’s DCS.  The yard and six switches are little used as the Chief Engineer mostly enjoys running the trains.

Power for the layout is provided by six MTH Z-4000s.  Three are used for track power running the ten engines.  The remaining three are used to power the lights illuminating the buildings and other areas on the layout.  A Z-4000 can power 60 to 70 14watt bulbs per side before tripping the internal overload.  There are also two MTH Z750s and one Lionel 100W Brick that run accessories.

The layout is divided into three areas.  The rural area portrays a farm, an elevator, and a small country village.  The middle area contains a large bridge which divides the railroad yard from the golf course and drive-in theater.  The town area, the largest, depicts buildings, structures, and activities in a city of eight to ten thousand people in the 1950s and 1960s.

Inspiration for the name is a country road near the Chief Engineer’s home town of Pana in Christian County, Illinois.  The rail line and the areas are all named Bear Creek.

The highlights of the Bear Creek Railroad are the buildings and scenery.  All  structures are scratchbuilt with no models or kits used.  In addition most have fully detailed interiors complete with furnishings, accents, and people.  Most buildings and structures are patterned after those from the Chief Engineer’s childhood in Central Illinois, or from his current environment in Central Iowa.  Where possible, pictures have been included of the original buildings along with those from the Bear Creek Railroad.

The Bear Creek Railroad is an incomplete project.  The website will be updated periodically as construction is completed.