Jim started out in modular railroading and used the building methods common to this branch of modeling in constructing the benchwork for the Stinky Creek. The opening for operators is in the canter and entered by a duckunder. The backdrop features hand-painted clouds and clouds painted with spray cans and stencils. Jim also uses scenes cut from commercial backdrop art. Where the benchwork is too deep to reach from the front for maintenance, styrofoam panels are used for the backdrop, which are light and easily removable from an aisle in the rear of the layout.
Valance lighting using fluorescent fixtures gives good lighting without a visible source.
The railroad is freelanced and represents logging and mining in the 1930s. Jim designed his track plan using a combination of published plans and his own ideas. Taking what he sees elsewhere and combining it with his feelings is a reflection of Jim's relaxed attitude toward the hobby. No. 3 steps out gingerly onto a tall wood trestle on its way to the sawmill with a short load. Operations are controlled from one of three control panels and three cabs Jim built from plans published in Model Railroader.