Common name: Columnar Japanese holly Latin name: Ilex crenata ’Sky Pencil’; synonym I.c. ‘Sky Sentry’ Plant type: Shrubs & small trees Plant size: 4-6′ high x 4-12″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun; moist, drained soil Introduced by the National Arboretum in 1985, columnar Japanese holly is usually called Sky Pencil or Sky […]
Sometime ago I decided to build a combination small rural station with a freight house. I often use pieces of several kits (or sometimes broken items) to make my projects. For this one, I started with a Korber station and used part of an Aristo-Craft platform to add waiting platform with roof. I wanted the […]
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My first O-gauge trains were two Lionel and one Marx locomotives and cars. My grandfather built a through truss bridge and box to put everything in. I have a number of cars and a few turnouts. I’ve added to the collection a little over the years. We […]
Steam locomotives in the garden Do you have a photo you’d like considered for a future gallery? Email editor@gardenrailways.com for more information. […]
Do you have a photo you’d like considered for a future gallery? Email editor@gardenrailways.com for more information. […]
LGB Norfolk Southern Rescue Train Scale: 1:22.5 Price: $2,000 Manufacturer: LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 800-321-8811, lgb.com Features: Three-piece set includes diesel locomotive, tank car, and boxcar. Locomotive includes an mfx/Digital Command Control decoder with various light and sound functions and two Bühler motors. Running sounds also work in analog. Tank car can be filled with water […]
Kitbash a saddle tank engine: I uncovered an old Lionel large scale 0-6-0 with outside drive gears that I had kitbashed several years ago. It had a neat cab and unusual stack, which was a little bent due to a smoke unit overheating. The drive system was so poor that I had to undo one of the driver […]
Common name: Snow-in-summer, Mouse ear, Silver carpet, Chickweed Latin name: Cerastium tomentosum Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: 6-8″ high by 1-2′ wide; can be invasive USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10 (short-lived in Zones 8-10) Cultural needs: Full sun (light shade in hot Zones), well-drained, moderately rich soil, water well after soil dries somewhat Snow-in-summer is an […]
Get in and out of your garden railway: Isn’t it usually when guests are watching that things get stuck in inconvenient areas of the railway? When we can easily get into those remote regions, without crushing that umpteen-hour project, it’s pure joy. However, one size does not fit all when it comes to solving railway […]
Create mountains in your garden railway: If you want to model a mountain in order to add some cool accoutrements, like cribbing, cog railways, or trams, the civil engineer in you needs to survey your yard and figure out where best to place it. Would you like the mountain far away so it won’t block […]
On our layouts, ballast is strictly a scenic element. We use the material, whether it’s crushed real rocks, dyed walnut shells, or other material, to simulate the rocks used on full-size railroads. But prototype ballast is far from cosmetic. Among the uses for ballast on the prototype are to prevent track from shifting up and […]
While we may no longer be printing Garden Railways magazine, we’re adding new content to Trains.com every week! Here’s a few recent items, and a preview of what’s coming in the next month. Become a Trains.com member so you don’t miss any of this great content! If you have a story suggestion, email editor@gardenrailways.com U.S. […]
