Common name: Shimpaku juniper Latin name: Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku’ Plant size: 6″-12″ USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun or part shade, any well-drained, slightly acid soil The Shimpaku juniper was first discovered in mountainous Japan a little over a century ago. Due to over collecting for bonsai subjects they have all but disappeared in […]
“Don’t sweat the small stuff!” That’s easy to say when you are running small equipment on your rails. Your diminutive LGB Stainz and two-axle freight/passenger coaches with hook-and-loop couplers can track over pretty much whatever you throw at them. But what of us who like to run the big stuff? Heavyweights, streamliners, and extended freight […]
Editor’s note: This article was submitted to Garden Railways in 2015. In contacting the author recently to inquire about publication, we learned that he passed away in 2023. We offer our condolences to the family and are honored to present this article in his memory. See the author’s original railway story in the August 2001 […]
Wanting to expand the structures in my railway’s yard, I decided to build a sanding house and tower. I was inspired by the Tyco HO sand house and the large-scale Pola sand house. As with most of my builds, I made it primarily from repurposed parts. I used a Pola Wells Fargo building and a […]
In July of 2024, Lionel Trains’ long-awaited Base3 arrived in stores, homes, and our own Firecrown office here in Brookfield, Wis. This new command control takes all of the manufacturer’s previous systems in a backwards-compatible manner and centralizes them into one package. Out of this sole setup, you can control Lionel Legacy, TMCC, LionChief, LionChief+, […]
At the end of the annual Valle Verde Town Council meeting in the spring, the mayor and the council members found themselves with a surplus in the annual budget. What to do with this unexpected bounty? Why not have the first Valle Verde 4th of July parade? To make it official, a vote was called, […]
LGB’s Stainz locomotive is an icon in the large scale hobby. Not only is it instantly recognizable, it also tugs at the strings in our modeling hearts. For many garden railway fans (myself included), the Stainz was most likely their first locomotive. When I found a milk crate full of used large scale items, including […]
PIKO America LLC, 4610 Alvarado Canyon Rd., Ste. 5, San Diego, CA 92120, announces new products for the fall and holiday season. The Halloween Mini-Mogul (38262) features a detailed 2-6-0 Mogul steam locomotive with directional lighting and Halloween graphics. It’s expected in September. Price: $519.99. The O Tannenbaum Transport (38794) features a diecast model of […]
I model Colorado narrow gauge, specifically the Denver & Rio Grande Western and Rio Grande Southern. I own two separate garden railroads (not connected and about 8 feet apart). Trains run around approximately 250 feet of mainline tracks with a couple of short lines for logging and running the Galloping Goose. I can run five […]
In my January 3, 2022, Garden Railways article, I detailed how I used landscaping timbers as the roadbed for my garden railway. The railway was built in the summer of 2013. Now, 11 years later, after successfully operating trains without any track or roadbed problems, I’m ready to do a much-needed maintenance service of this […]
Early model railroaders used wood, wire, and paper to create rolling stock. Today’s scratchbuilders can choose from myriad detail parts and use sophisticated laser cutters and 3-D printers. Sometimes it’s fun to explore old-school materials and techniques. To make this little G scale tender, I used a hybrid approach — mixing the old and the […]
My garden railway is like a 4 x 8-foot layout, only it’s scaled up to around 12 x 32 feet and built outdoors. I’ve added a small garden retaining wall to raise the railway to knee height, which is comfortable for viewing and placing trains on the track. Originally, the patio had no roof or […]
