Garden railroading at The Colorado Railroad Museum

Garden railroading at The Colorado Railroad Museum

The railway at a glance Name of railroad: DGRS Garden Railway at the Colorado Railroad Museum Size of railroad: 97′ x 70′ Scale: Various Gauges: 0 (32mm) and 1 (45mm) Era: Late 1800s to modern Theme: Colorado mountains and plains Age: 24 years Motive power: All types, including track power, battery power, and live steam […]

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Making signs for your garden railroad

Although signs are everywhere in everyday life, they’re typically absent from many backyard railroad scenes. If one wants a particular sign, then one has to make it himself or have it made commercially. Fortunately, in this day of desktop printing and digital technology, the palette we have available is constantly broadening. Even old standbys, like […]

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Accessories for garden-railroad vignettes

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Photo 1 The clay jugs and pots were made by the author’s wife Joyce. The standing figure working at a potter’s kick-wheel was obtained from Just Plain Folks. Don Parker Photo 2 This painted, rustic bench looks in place with the squared-log cabin. Note the watering-can planter with simulated flowers behind the figure of the […]

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Scab plant

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Nancy Norris Common name: Scab plant Latin name: Raoulia australis Plant type: Groundcover USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10 Cultural needs: Dry, well-drained soil, sun or part shade Plant size: under 1″ high by 12″ wide Raoulia (Ra-OO-lee-uh) admittedly has way too many vowels but it does sound better than “scab plant,” its common name. The silvery […]

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Accucraft 7/8″ scale 0-40-ST engine

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Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 7/8″ scale, live-steam 0-4-0ST Accucraft 33268 Central Ave. Union City CA 94587 Price: $1,425 Website: www.accucraft.com 1:13.7 scale, gauge-1 model of a 2′-gauge Bagnall 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive; all metal construction; single flue, gas-fired boiler; imitation Walschaerts valve gear; D-valve cylinders; safety valve; pressure gauge; water glass with blowdown; throttle; reversing from […]

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Pacific Western G lineside buildings

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Kevin Strong 1:24 scale lineside buildings Pacific Western G PO Box 89 Deer Harbor WA 98243 Prices: See text Website: www.pacificwesterng.com 1:24 scale, plastic lineside structures; built up and painted; weatherproof Pros: Well constructed; well painted; weatherproof Cons: Some doors undersize; smaller, lighter-weight structures may need to be anchored to prevent blowing away Kevin Strong […]

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R&G Railroad Company overhead railway system

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Marc Horovitz Overhead railway system for gauge-1 track R&G Railroad Company PO Box 8349 Moreno Valley CA 92552 Prices: See website Website: www.randgrailroad.com Wall-mount railroad system; solid oak and oak-plywood conctruction; modular roadbed sections (curves and straights); roadbed sections can be supported by brackes or suspended from brackets or the ceiling; single- and double-track systems […]

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Video 101 Trains at twilight

trains running on a garden railroad at twilight

Many garden railways are lighted for evening viewing. Some have intricate model street lighting, while others use various yard lights or strings of overhead outdoor bulbs. Bob Guinan installed several light sources along his railway, including inside buildings and balloons, overhead, and along the viewing pathways. Our club looks forward to Trains at Twilight on […]

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