Craig Townsend’s first train set had a 4’ x 8’ plywood platform that folded down from his bedroom wall. The set was a gift for his seventh birthday, and it ignited his passion for all things trains.
Just over 30 years later, Craig is working on a dream project: building a prototype large-scale model in his own backyard. Craig talked to Washington Rock about his journey to this point and how Armorstone is playing a small supporting role in his setup.
The Railroad Life
As a teen, Craig worked at a hobby shop in Kirkland, Washington, that sold model trains. Every Friday night, a group of model train enthusiasts gathered for a six-hour “operating session.”
“We ran trains, but we did it in a way that replicated what a real railroad was like,” Craig explained. “The whole layout was in a backyard, and you’d move a train from town to town. You would pick up cars and drop off cars like the real railroad would.”
Friday night was sacred: it was Train Night, no matter what.
“It didn’t matter if it was raining, it was snowing, it was sunny,” Craig said.
Above, Left: Craig plays with his first train set, a 7th birthday gift. Above, Right: Teenage Craig works on a model in his childhood backyard. Bottom: Teenage Craig poses in front of the Balmer Yard in Seattle, WA. Photos courtesy of Craig Townsend.
Craig eventually scaled up to real-life trains. At 18, he started working as a conductor for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. A few years later, he was promoted to locomotive engineer.
Life on the railroad was challenging. “You’re on call 24/7,” Craig explained.
Craig could get called into work at any time of day. Once he got the call, he had two hours to get to the rail yard. Then he would wait at the terminal until trains were done being loaded and connected. Sometimes Craig would wait as long as six hours until the train was ready to go.
Then Craig would drive the train to its destination, which came with its own interruptions: waiting to meet with other trains or waiting for another crew to arrive.
By the time Craig arrived at the destination, he had often maxed out the 12 hours he could work per Federal Railroad Administration guidelines. He would then wait a day or more in a hotel, then repeat the process on the way back to the Seattle area.
“By the time I got home, I had been gone 48 to 60 hours sometimes. And then I was home maybe 12 hours. Sometimes it was even less than that,” Craig said.
With so much downtime in hotels and rail yards, Craig decided to take advantage of BNSF’s college program that paid 100% of the tuition for industry-related degrees. Craig had never seen himself as the college-going type, but he had a life-long interest in history.
“I just started taking classes one after another, and eventually I had a bachelor’s degree in history,” Craig said.
Craig finished his bachelor’s degree around the same time that he married his wife, Michelle. After 8 years in the railroad, he still enjoyed operating the trains and meeting fellow railroaders. But he and Michelle realized that family life and the railroad weren’t compatible long term.
Craig went on to earn a master’s degree in history from Montana State University, then a teaching certificate. Now Craig teaches history to high school students at South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard, Washington.
Modeling a Childhood Memory
Craig’s students know that he has endless stories to tell about trains and rail history. Craig is currently working on a life-long endeavor: modeling the 1990s Issaquah Branch of BNSF.
The operating sessions Craig had attended as a teen inspired his love for large-scale train models. Because basements are rare in the Pacific Northwest, Craig began building in his backyard. His model includes buildings, cars, and trains that are so realistic, they could be confused for the real thing—until you spot towering real-life structures nearby.
Fellow modelers have praised Craig’s models for their realism. Craig’s experience working for the railroad helps him add artistic touches that others might overlook, like weathered steel.
Craig uses photos taken by railfans in the 1980s and 1990s to recreate buildings and rail line that no longer exist.
“I have all of this historical research that helps paint this picture of what I’m modeling,” Craig explained. “And so the more I dug into it, the more I found out specific things that brought back different childhood memories.”
Some of Craig’s special touches include Brenda buses that he remembers riding as a child in Seattle, the feed mill that used to run along the line, and an auto shop.
Craig also went on a hunt for a ballast-like material that would sit under the tracks. His original rock supplier no longer made the product he liked. But he learned that King Creek Pit in Orting, Washington, made a similar material called Armorstone.
Armorstone’s color and size matched the original product closely. “I was really happy with it,” Craig said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is a really cool product.'”
Craig purchased an entire Super Sack of Armorstone, which was the minimum quantity required for delivery. The Super Sack weighs about 3,000 pounds and has enough rock to last Craig a lifetime and beyond.
The model railroad track sits on top of a layer of Armorstone. Underneath the Armorstone are many crucial layers: landscape fabric, half-inch hardware cloth, and posts attached to pier blocks. The train track runs around the perimeter of Craig’s backyard and measures 100 feet by 100 feet.
“It’s about waist high in most places, built up kind of like a deck,” Craig explained.
The setup allows rain to drain away from the railroad tracks, increasing the model’s longevity.
Just the Beginning
Craig is in the early stages of building the initial layout for the Issaquah Branch model.
“Once I get done with that, then I’m going to move on to modeling specific locomotives and train cars, and that process will take a lifetime,” Craig said.
Above, Left: The process of installing Armorstone and rail line takes time and a eye for detail. Above, Right: Craig works on assembling a grain silo in his garage. Photos courtesy of Craig Townsend.
Eventually Craig’s backyard train route will mimic the BNSF route from Woodinville to Redmond to Issaquah in the early 1990s. Craig plans to invite friends and modelers to help him work towards his goal to finish the model.
What Craig has accomplished already is an impressive feat. Craig’s wife, Michelle, who has watched him work on models throughout their 17 years of marriage, was impressed seeing everything come together in their backyard when they first moved into their home seven years ago.
Craig’s young boys know that the trains are Dad’s hobby and not toys. But they enjoy helping Craig run the trains, and they admire the work he has done. Craig’s oldest son has even started attending model train events with Craig.
Perhaps in another 30 years, the Issaquah Branch will be complete, and Craig’s sons will be building models in their own backyards.
Craig chronicles his research and modeling on the MRH Forum and shares videos on his YouTube channel.
Check out other articles about other creatives who have used Washington Rock’s materials:
- “A World United through Soccer and Sand”: An Interview with Sand Sculptor Jamie Louks
- “Archisand Sculpts Washington Rock’s Ultrafine Sand into a Pacific Northwest Masterpiece“
- “Drawing the Story Out of Stone: Sculptor Tom Small“
- “Rail Ballast as an Art Medium“
Washington Rock Quarries is a family-owned business that produces rock, sand, and soil products at Kapowsin Quarry and King Creek Pit in Orting, Washington.