Tom Miller’s live steam ride-on railroad, F (1:20.3) scale display, and S (1:64) scale layout are all highlighted in this segment of the hit PBS series Tracks Ahead. […]
Tracks Ahead: Season 9 – Layouts on a large scale

Tom Miller’s live steam ride-on railroad, F (1:20.3) scale display, and S (1:64) scale layout are all highlighted in this segment of the hit PBS series Tracks Ahead. […]
The railway at a glance Name: Palmore Pacific Railroad Size of railroad: 19′ x 50′ Scale: 1:29 Gauge: Nº 1 (45 mm) Era: Modern day (but a steam/diesel excursion train will run from time to time) Theme: Rural small-town USA Age: Construction began December, 2012; Golden Spike driven August, 2013; 95% complete Motive power: USA […]
The railways at a glance Names: The St. Joe & Grand Island; The Kansas Central Size: 4,000 square feet Scales: 1:29 (ST&GI); 1:20.3 (KC) Gauge: Nº 1 (45mm) Eras: 1950s and 1870s Themes: ST&GI: Small farming town in Kansas on a connecting line of the Union Pacific in the 1950s as it converted from steam […]
Mark and Vince Buccini’s series of articles titled “Build your own wireless DCC system” ran in the April, June, and August issues of Garden Railways. It’s been the most-talked about series we’ve done in many years, but it’s also had the most questions. We’re providing the complete set of articles, along with a correction, and […]
Name: Gary Dennis Railroad Name: Pinecone County Central Location: Corsicana, Texas Scale: G scale Theme: Back woods of East Texas Description: This is special run of the Gold Rush Special through Pinecone County. […]
In the December 2014 issue, contributor Michael Herhusky explains how to build a curved trestle to fit any location. Download the article he used to build his trestle bents here! […]
In the December 2014 issue, Mike Garforth shows us how to kitbash a Mason Bogie, using a Piko locomotive as a starting point. Mike has generously provided 10 step-by-step PDFs detailing the project. Also, despite our best efforts to compress these files, they are graphically intense and may take a few minutes to download. Part […]
1. Edward Van Pelt’s small yard in hilly San Francisco required retrofitting by reusing the underside of walkways as new hardscape. Stacked, recycled concrete (also from on site) forms the hill on the right. Planted with pink-flowering red stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’ Zones 3-9), elevated terraces resist erosion from earthquakes and four dogs. In […]
Nancy Norris Common names: False bleeding heart, Yellow corydalis, Yellow fumitory Latin name: Corydalis lutea Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, mildly acid or mildly alkaline soil; shade to part shade Plant size: 6-12″ Native to the southern Alps of Europe, yellow corydalis (kor-ID-ah-liss) sports tubular, spurred flowers on […]
Kevin Strong 1:20.3 scale, East Broad Top Passenger Cars Iron Horse Engraving 207 Canterbury Dr State College PA 16803 Prices: $500 for 1; $475 each for 2; $450 each for 3 Website: www.ironhorseengraving.com 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, laser-cut wood kits for baggage/express car, coach, and combine car that ran on the East Broad Top (and […]
Kevin Strong 1:24 scale, box-plate-girder bridge kit Stoneworks PO Box 190 Shell Knob MO 65747 Price: $45 Website: www.RRStoneworks.com Laser-cut styrene kit for one 15 1/2″ section of a box-plate-girder bridge (#4250). Dimensions: length, 151/2″; height, 3″; width, 6 1/4″ Pros: Realistic appearance; sturdy, once assembled; modular construction makes adding additional sections easy Cons: Rivet-detail […]
Marc Horovitz Styrene shapes and styrene-modeling book Evergreen Scale Models, Inc. 65 E. Bradrock Dr. Des Plaines IL 60018 Prices: See text Website: www.evergreenscalemodels.com Various shapes of strip styrene and a book: Basic and Advanced Tips and Techniques for Styrene Modeling: How to Build, Paint and Finish Realistic Styrene Models Pros: Wide variety of shapes […]