I thought it would be fun to make a citrus train for the garden railroad. I like to reuse broken hobby items from my junk box, and I had several pieces to build my train inexpensively. Certain livestock trains had a car — usually a converted long caboose — called a drover’s caboose for the drovers (cowboys) to […]
Atlas O Premier line American Car & Foundry two-bay Center Flow covered hopper Scale: O (1:48) Price: $84.95 Era: 1960s to present (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Features: ABS body Metal wheelsets with needle-point axles Die-cast metal trucks and couplers […]
Common name: Rainbow bush, variegated elephant bush Botanical name: Portulacaria afra f. variegata Plant type: Perennial Plant size: 4′ high x 4′ wide (easily kept much lower) USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11 (protected in other zones) Cultural needs: Gravelly, well drained, neutral, or slightly acidic soil; full sun The elephants and deer-like kudu of South Africa […]
2022 National Garden Railway Convention preview: The Denver Garden Railway Society welcomes you to Denver this June! This year’s event will be held at the Crowne Plaza hotel, and will include an ice cream social, a BBQ at the Colorado Railroad Museum, daily bus tours to the railways on display, and pre- and post-convention tours. […]
Increase traction of PIKO switcher: I bought a PIKO America GE 25-ton engine for my railway. As I ran the little diesel on my layout, it went around a couple of times nicely over the trestle and under the tunnel. I hooked two cars to the engine, and sent it on its way again. As […]
Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Arizona announces a new exhibition featuring the story of how the transcontinental railroad transformed and built the American West. “The Railroad Opening Up the West” is now open to the public. Western Spirit contracted with members of the train clubs of Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park to undertake the design, fabrication, […]
Large scale locomotives 2-6-0 Mogul steam locomotive. Denver & Rio Grande Western (yellow and black) and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (green and black with desert Southwest painting on tender). One road number per scheme. Dual-mode SoundTraxx sound decoder; separate, factory-applied tank piping, handrails, and ladders; and detailed cab interior with engineer figure. $699.99. June […]
In a paragraph, how did you get started in the hobby? Meet Ray Dunakin: As a child, I had always been interested in trains and model railroads. When I was in junior high my dad gave me and my brothers a 4′ x 8′ plywood layout he had acquired from a friend. It came with […]
Large scale locomotives Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Ry. 0-4-4RT Forney steam locomotive. One road number. Features ball bearing Bühler motor, various light and sound functions, digitally controlled smoke unit, and mfx/Digital Command Control decoder. $779. Second quarter 2022. LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 800-321-8811, lgb.com Large scale freight cars Union Pacific double-sheathed center-cupola caboose. Separate, factory-applied parts […]
Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Description: Moonlight extra – Gas Electric M-2 “Sadiebug” runs an extra passenger service on the Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway on a cold and snowy evening. Music from Epidemic […]
When I started my garden railroad, around 1994 or 1995, I built structures from drawings printed in old Model Railroader issues. At the time, I was looking for something to build for the contest at the National Garden Railway Convention in Orlando, Fla. (mid 1996). I found drawings in the January 1992 issue (p. 124) […]
Large scale streetcars 1914 San Francisco Muni streetcar no. 130. Includes two Bühler motors and mfx/Digital Command Control decoder with various light and sound functions. Running sounds work in analog. $960. Third quarter 2022. LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 800-321-8811, lgb.com Large scale sets Norfolk Southern Rescue Train. Three-piece set includes diesel locomotive, tank car, and […]
