In the April 2011 issue, Kevin Strong describes how to create purpose for your garden railway. He suggests using a technique for structures called “selective compression.” Download this related article by Jack Verducci, who describes how to use this technique. […]
Download the PDF of this project here. In the April 2011 issue, Rich Perrelli and his wife tell us how they used part of their railway to create a county fairground. Download these plans to build a big-top circus tent for your railway! […]
Bonsai is an ancient horticultural practice that has been developed into an art form. Years can be spent studying and perfecting it. I doubt there are many garden railroaders with the time or inclination to get into true bonsai culture. Fortunately, there are some shortcut (and likely unorthodox) methods to make miniature trees with less […]
Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]
USRA locomotives were born under unique circumstances. A confluence of circumstances led to the nationalization of many of America’s railroads under President Woodrow Wilson in 1917. The outbreak of World War I, which necessitated a ramp-up of American industrial production capacity, and the financial circumstances of the early 1910s led to a liquidity crisis for […]
These stairs look complex but are surprisingly easy to construct using the author’s method. They add lots of character to structures. Add stairs to your structures with this step-by-step guide by Larry Elsenheimer! […]
Marc Horovitz 1:29 scale, gauge 1, center-cupola cabooseUSA TrainsPO Box 100Malden MA 02148Price: $199.95Website: www.usatrains.com Mostly plastic model of a standard gauge, steel, center-cupola caboose; available in a long list of road names and liveries; plastic trucks; metal wheelsets; operating lights and markers; operating fan-driven smoke unit; full interior; underbody detail; truck-mounted LGB-style hook-and-loop couplers […]
1. A Southern Pacific 2-8-4 Berkshire with a Vanderbilt tender takes a freight train over the bridge. Nothing in the picture suggests that this garden line is actually built up on benchwork. Bill Hook 2. Full-size trees and the lake in the background can be seen in this dramatic view from behind the railroad. The […]
Trackwork at the Hoot Valley complex shows #8 limestone gravel roadbed underlying the #9 limestone ballast. The near track is the mainline and the other is the lumber-yard and engine-service siding. (The mainline runs through the train-storage shed in the background.) Don Parker Now it’s time to get that track onto prepared roadbed […]
In the October 2010 issue, Charles McMillan shows us his brass Oscar 2 locomotive. Download the article that inspired him to build this impressive engine. […]
Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]
Marc Horovitz Gauge 1, 1:20.3 scale, 0-4-0ST live-steam locomotive Accucraft 33268 Central Avenue Union City CA 94587 Price: $549 Website: www.accucraft.com Gauge-1 model of an 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive; single flue, gas-fired boiler; pressure gauge; safety valve; filler plug in cab; reversing lever; displacement lubricator; two, piston-valve cylinders; simple-eccentric valve gear; piston-valve reversing; flip-over cab roof; […]
