For 5 weeks of evenings and weekends in 2012, I built this model railway diorama as a secret Santa gift for my father. It depicts a segment of the Canadian Pacific branch line from Ottawa, Ontario to Maniwaki, Quebec--specifically, a section of the line that runs alongside the Gatineau river near Farm Point (just before Wakefield). The layout consists of two 1x4 ft modules--each with integrated backscene and overhead lighting valance. The layout is built on a base of sculpted extruded polystyrene to make the landforms. Code 75 track is laid onto a layer of 1/8" cork and ballasted with a mixture of Woodland scenics ballast in grey and buff. The rest of the landscaping is a gradual build-up and layering of various Woodland scenics products to achieve the desired effect. The river is also made from Woodland scenics instant water. The photographic backdrop was made by me on the computer by compositing various images I had taken from the area. I printed and carefully tiled the images into the final scene. A fun project--and amazingly quick for 5-weeks part time work! The grade crossing and road disappearing into the backdrop was a bit of a failed execution on my part. I know this technique works very well (see here model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/8934?page=1) but I didn't quite do it justice. I messed up my first attempt and then had another go by gluing another perspective road on to the back scene. The blending at the bottom edge and the colours was ok, but I could still see the unsightly relief of the other photo paper layer at the edges. I'm pretty sure if I do this again--I'll pull it off ok!