How to model fallen rock

rocky scene on garden railway

When gravity, earthquakes, or water pull the rug out from under a cliff face, its strata and fracture lines burst open. Solid slopes suddenly turn fluid. Rocks bounce and roll, creating talus, which settles in a pile at the foot of the cliff—possibly damming a waterway. Garage-size boulders split from slopes and tumble to the […]

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Ten tree-like plants to try on your railroad

miniature trees

Trees are as essential to a landscape as mountains, hills, and rivers. Those of you living in (and/or modeling) the desert, will have to overlook my exuberance for trees. In this article I’d like to add to my previous discussions of conifer, deciduous, and wannabe trees, to pursue my favorite subject further. (See the list […]

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A steam up in Nebraska

steamup1

1. Scratchbuilt, battery-powered brass steam locomotive. The author could not bring his live steam engine because of airport inspection. Yukio Nakagawa 2. Durham Western Heritage Museum, formerly the Union Pacific, Omaha Station. Yukio Nakagawa 3. Present Amtrak Omaha Station. Just one passenger train a day stops here. Yukio Nakagawa 4.House of Trains store in Omaha. […]

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Blend benchwork into your garden railway

model train next to mountain

Sometimes the most expedient way to get your outdoor railway from point A to point B is on benchwork, so called because the height of the roadbed is similar to that of a workbench and facilitates the handling of trains and track. The many styles of benchwork construction seem to correspond to the skills of […]

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Hardiness Zones for mapping plant survivability

colorful map of United States

Hardiness Zones are the answer to the question, “Where can I grow this plant?” If you’re planting strictly native plants, you won’t need to worry. On the other hand, your nursery plants were originally plucked from all over the world and then researchers tried to grow them in every imaginable climate. The USDA (US Department […]

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