Creative ideas for your garden railroad

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Photo 1 This plunging waterfall is on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad in northern Ohio. It is “pondless,” with an underground pump reservoir beneath the mill. Don Parker Photo 2 The waterwheel from the mill in photo 1 is built around a section of 4″ plastic drain pipe. Don Parker Photo 3 This telltale […]

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Take steps to make stairs for your garden railway

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Photo 1 On the gravel division of the author’s Aggie (a 7/8″ railway at 1:13.7 scale), work piles up, but it’s time to take a break on the front steps. Lake Phillips welded steel stairs and wrap-around decking for the ceramic mine office, modeled after one in Wales by Chris Greenwald (C&N Designs—candndesigns@msn.com). The raised […]

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Accucraft live-steam 4-4-2

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Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, gauge 1, live-steam 4-4-2 Accucraft 33268 Central Ave Union City CA 94587 Price: $3,700 Website: www.accucraft.com 1:32 scale, gauge-1 model of a Pennsylvania E-6 Atlantic; locomotive-type boiler with five flues; superheater; 60 psi blowoff pressure; alcohol fired; hand pump in tender; axle pump on rear driven axle; bypass system; water glass; […]

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Brandbright hopper-wagon kit

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Marc Horovitz 1:19 scale, gauge 0 or 1, hopper-wagon kit Brandbright Ltd. Unit 3, Holland Business Park Holland Way Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7TA United Kingdom Price £27.50 ea; £97.50/four (less wheels and couplers) Website: www.brandbright.co.uk Laser-cut wooden kit (#GS19) for a British narrow gauge, four-wheel hopper car (wagon); white-metal and other hardware supplied; instruction […]

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Proxxon hot-wire cutter

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Marc Horovitz Hot-wire cutter Proxxon 2555 Tate Blvd. SE Hickory NC 28601 Price: $109.80 Website: www.proxxon.com Hot-wire foam cutter (Thermocut 115/E); 115V; adjustable wire tension; adjustable wire angle; built-in protractor; built-in angle gauge with fence; adjustable wire temperature; on/off switch; user’s manual. Dimensions: Base depth, 15 3/4″; overall depth, 20 1/2″; base width, 11 3/4″; […]

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USA Trains passenger cars

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Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge-1 passenger cars USA Trains PO Box 100 Malden MA 02148 Prices: All cars are $479.95 ea. except the Vista Dome and observation, which are $499.95 ea. Website: www.usatrains.com Mostly metal passenger cars; extruded aluminum body; five different body styles; sprung, diecast-metal trucks with metal wheels; LED interior lighting; opening doors […]

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Video 101: Postproduction

a model train running on a garden railroad

“The trainyard is your media; the train is your story. Assemble the tracks you need. Then create the trains to run on them.” My Apple Store instructor was searching for an analogy for our class about movie making, not describing Southern Pacific operations. The resemblance worked for me. Postproduction Transforming our rough clips and music […]

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High-tech modeling for garden railroaders

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On prototype signals there is usually a utility box to hold the signal interfaces and power.  The latest thing is to include solar panels to minimize the infrastructure that must be installed to support the signals.  I am going to include the solar panels because I am getting tired of ripping up my wiring when […]

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Mulch in the garden railroad

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A lecturer once told our Master Gardener group, “Mulch is like underwear: we need it, but we don’t want to see it.” Ideally, the ground is best covered with plants, but it takes time for small starts of groundcover plants to spread and fill the areas we want. If the soil is left bare between […]

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Dwarf hardy jasmine

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Nancy Norris Common name: Dwarf hardy jasmine, Parker’s jasmine Latin name: Jasminum parkeri Plant type: Shrubs & small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-11 (overwinter indoors in lower zones) Cultural needs: Regular moisture, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, sun or part shade Plant size: 8-18″ high x 18″ wide Many plants are called jasmine but stem from […]

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