Last ride north from Xenia

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PRR passenger service from Xenia north to Springfield, Ohio, — protected by an old gas-electric motor car — ended on July 21, 1953.  Harry V. Noble Xenia, my hometown in southwestern Ohio, was on the Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh-St. Louis main line 16 miles east of Dayton. Xenia was also the base of a branch line north […]

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Using succulents on your garden railway

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1. Hardy African iceplant makes a great groundcover, here blooming in late May. On the right is Angelina stonecrop, with yellow-green leaves, rising to 4-5″ tall. (All photos were taken on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad unless noted.) Photos by the author Don Parker 2. This small, yellow-flowering stonecrop (probably Sedum acer ‘Aureum’) is […]

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Using thyme in the railway garden

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1. White moss thyme (Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’), 1-2″ in height, with tiny white blooms in June, trails over the water’s edge. No need to trim this thyme, with the possible exception of shearing old growth in early spring. Two months beyond blooming thyme, Dan Saporito left a few gray twigs in place to give it […]

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A Passion for Steam book, second edition

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A Passion for Steam (2nd edition) by Marc Horovitz Cal-Pac Trading Company 33268 Central Ave. Union City CA 94587 8¾” x 11″, 240 pages, color, hardbound with dust jacket Price: $45 Website: www.accucraft.com If ever there was an appropriately titled book, it has to be this one. The first time I met Marc Horovitz, in […]

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Corrugated metal sheets

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Marc Horovitz Corrugated metal G-Scale Corrugated Metal http://gscalecorrugatedmetal.com Price: 45¢ per  ¼” x 5″ panel + s&h Corrugated tinplate panels; 11/4″ wide x 5″ long x .006″ thick Pros: Good corrugated profile; prototypical material; easy to work; can be prototypically weathered Cons: Actual scale not quoted Corrugated steel sheet was (and is) an inexpensive, durable, […]

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MyLocoSound sound system

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Kevin Strong Analog/digital sound system for steam and diesel locomotives MyLocoSound Available in the US through G-Scale Graphics 4118 Clayton Ct. Fort Collins CO 80525 Price: $79 Website: www.mylocosound.com Locomotive sound boards with analog and digitals sounds; programmable—lots of user flexibility; steam or diesel available; a variety of sounds on either board Pros: Good overall […]

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