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Common name: Eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, pencil cedar, or aromatic cedar Latin name: Juniperus virginiana Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-9 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, neutral, or slightly acidic soil; full sun Plant size: 40′ unpruned but easily kept under 2′, with a width half […]
Pickle cars have a unique look, and they served a unique purpose. Cucumbers brined onboard in vats as they traveled from farm field to processing plant. I thought a pickle car would look at home on my layout. My version is loosely based on period photos; it’s not a scale model of a specific car. […]
What is an operating session? Operating sessions attempt to mimic the activities we see on a full-size railroad. To support a successful operating session, a garden railroad must have certain characteristics. There must be multiple industries where cars can be spotted. The more unique industry locations on the railroad, the better. These car spots must […]
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 Build […]
Simulated concreted-block retaining wall In real life, large concrete blocks (2′ x 4′) are often used to build retaining walls above and below roadways. To represent such a wall, start with a 1″ x 5″ gray colored piece of Trex or similar “plastic” wood. Cut it to your required width and length. With a table […]
Since I own the P.T. Tubifo Lumber Co. engine for my railroads’ lumber company, I thought I’d add a pulpwood car for it to haul. I started the project with Kalamazoo flatcar and added bulkheads made from Evergreen styrene. During my work travels, I saw some weeds on the side of the road and initially […]
Meet John Morrison How did I get started in the hobby? I’ve been a model railroader as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I would tie all my wheeled toys together with string, pull them around the house and call it a “train.” I grew up in Sydney, Australia and couldn’t afford […]
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 Kitbashing […]
My middle son owns a landscaping business under the name of PLM (Professional Lawn Maintenance). I decided to kitbash a structure on my garden railway based on his business. I had found a rather beat up PIKO America stone building. The walls were unattached and it was missing a roof. It also had glue residue […]
Doone Valley lemon thyme Common name: Doone Valley lemon thyme Latin name: Thymus citriodora ‘Doone Valley’ Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9 Cultural needs: Well-drained soil, full sun Plant size: 3″ high x 18″ wide Doone Valley thyme’s evergreen leaves shine like the sun, with yellow edges that often cover the whole leaf with […]
While searching for barrels to use on my railroad, I noticed wood turnings marketed as “pickle barrels” in a Michaels craft store. They are made by Lara’s Crafts and are turned Baltic birch in the general shape of a barrel with hoops. While unbecoming in their present state, they offered good modeling potential, so I […]
About 10 years ago, because of a decision to downsize, I took down my 1,500-square-foot O scale railroad. To make that task more agreeable, I simultaneously started planning my next layout. I was a lifelong fan of the Milwaukee Road’s Beer Line. That branch was the busiest of all on a railroad that reached from […]
