Operations on the garden railroad

man standing in garden railway

Operations on the garden railroad: Operations on model railroads simulate the type of railroading that gets work done – moving cargo and passengers like full-scale railroads. “Ops” in the garden railway extends the social appeal of your yard, giving folks a fun activity. This introduction more than outlines the various railway jobs, such as engineer, […]

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Build industrial-railway tank cars

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Thomas A. Yorke Thomas Yorke starts the second of three scratchbuilt projects in the June 2018 issue. Download these full-size drawings of his tank cars and follow his instructions in the magazine. You will also need the basic flatcar drawings from the April 2018 issue for this project. […]

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Scott Gould’s concrete roadbed

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Scott Gould Scott Gould Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Zone 5 Concrete strong Sixteen years ago or so I built a layout that loops atop a mound of rock in the center of our backyard. I was agile then, but still had difficulty reaching tracks above a pond. Now, with my 75th birthday rapidly approaching, only my […]

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A public garden line in Germany celebrates 20 years

A public garden line in Germany celebrates 20 years

The railway at a glance Name: Gartenbahn der Parkeisenbahn Chemnitz Size of railroad: 21m x 9.5m (69′ x 31′) Scale: Mostly 1:22.5 Gauge: Nº 1 (45mm) Era: 1965-present Theme: Central German Mountains Age: 20 years Power: Massoth DiMAX 1210Z; Digital Central Station 20 V/12 A Length of mainline: 245m (803′) Length of storage sidings: 125m […]

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An eastern line serves small mountain towns

An eastern line serves small mountain towns

The railway at a glance Railroad name: Capleville & Sugkat Valley Railroad Size: 90′ x 35′ x 30′ Scale: 1:22.5-1:32 Era: 1940-1960s Theme: Small mountain towns and big railroads Age: 20 years Motive power: Track and battery Length of mainline: 350′ Maximum gradient: 3% Type of track: Aristo-Craft and LGB; LGB switches Minimum radius: 10′ […]

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California narrow gauge in the 1940s

The Lake Tahoe & Truckee Railroad

The railway at a glance Name: Lake Tahoe & Truckee Size: 120′ x 15′ Scale: 1:22.5 Gauge: Nº 1 (45mm) Era: 1940s Theme: Sierra Nevada narrow gauge Age: 21 years Motive power: LGB Moguls, cab-forward articulated, Forney Length of mainline: 300+ feet Maximum gradient: 2.5% Type of track: LGB flex and Sunset Valley switches Minimum […]

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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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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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