An innovative indoor/outdoor O-scale line

o_scale_railway1

1. A Southern Pacific 2-8-4 Berkshire with a Vanderbilt tender takes a freight train over the bridge. Nothing in the picture suggests that this garden line is actually built up on benchwork. Bill Hook 2. Full-size trees and the lake in the background can be seen in this dramatic view from behind the railroad. The […]

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How to build a garden railroad

garden tracks

Click here to download a PDF version of this article. Don’t miss the other parts to this series! June 2010: Preliminary construction August 2010: Choosing track October 2010: Laying track and ballasting December 2010: Accessories, structures, and lighting […]

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A gallery of miniature conifers

tree on garden railroad

A gallery of miniature conifers: Nothing gives a sense of scale and believability to a garden railway quite as well as miniature trees. When it comes to really small trees that translate well to our railroad landscapes, conifers (cone bearing, needled evergreens) seem to have the most representatives in the miniature woody-plant kingdom. I will […]

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How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce

forest with station in garden railway

How to prune dwarf Alberta spruce In an effort to model conifer trees, garden railroaders usually go to the nearest garden center and find dwarf Alberta spruce shrubs. This classic, Christmas-tree-shaped evergreen has a nice, green color and a densely packed growth habit, giving it a fuzzy look. Picea glauca conica (aka. P.g. var. albertiana […]

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Irish narrow gauge in the garden

Neil Ramsay’s garden railway

Bo-bo diesel, built for the West Clare Railway in 1955, with two six-wheel saloon carriages in CIE livery, waits at the station on Neil Ramsay’s railway. Marc Horovitz avan and Leitrim train in the livery of the nationalized Irish transport system, Coras Iompair Eireann, or CIE. The sea of tiny, green leaves, replicating Ireland’s plains […]

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The Tuloumne County Narrow Gauge Garden Railroad

The Tuolumne County Narrow Gauge Garden Railroad

The Tuolumne County Narrow Gauge Garden Railroad Bob Brown Railway at a glance Name: Tuolumne County Narrow Gauge Size of railroad: 30′ x 60′ Scale: 1:20.3 Gauge: 45 mm Era: 1920-1930 Theme: A pleasant place to run trains in the garden Age: Six years Motive power: Small, live steam, geared and rod locomotives plus several […]

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The Miller Creek & Moss Rock Garden Railway

Miller Creek & Moss Rock Railway

The MC&MRRy. at a glance Name: Miller Creek & Moss Rock Railway Size of railroad: 30′ x 40′, approximately Scale: 1:24 Gauge: 45mm (no. 1) Era: Pre-WWII Theme: Freelance Colorado narrow-gauge branch line Age: 6 years Motive power: NiMH-battery-operated Delton Consolidation Length of mainline: 130′, (approximately) Maximum gradient: 3.5% Type of track: Micro Engineering, code […]

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Thyme-leaf fuschia

Thyme-leaf fuschia

Common name: Thyme-leaf fuchsia, Encliandra fuchsia Latin name: Fuchsia thymifolia Plant size: 2-4′ high x 2′ wide Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11 Cultural needs: Rich, moist, drained soil; sun or light shade Planting Fuchsia thymifolia in your garden railway will surely attract hummingbirds, which love the profusion of magenta tubular flowers from spring […]

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PDF: Build a 1:20.3-scale ice-cream wagon

Build a 1:20.3-scale ice-cream wagon

Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]

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The Dunckley Northern Railroad

Don’t miss the Dunckley Northern Railroad, our cover story for the June 2008 issue! Enjoy these bonus photographs, which will not be in the magazine. A busy morning at Wombat Station, with passengers eagerly awaiting the arrival of the morning Comet. The catenary is only installed from Inshed (In the train room) to Wombat, and […]

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Eagle Mountain Railroad PDF

The adobe town of Old Nogales resides on the backside of the Eagle Mountains. A cattle drive is taking place up the main street. Sage-colored brittlebushes will be aflame with golden “daisies” in the spring. Doris and Doug Evans The railroad at a glance Name: Eagle Mountain Railroad Minimum radius: 18″ on logging loop, but […]

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