Garden Railway Forum

Life is a funny thing...

Last Friday I gave my notice at work after years of being away from home on a constant basis (life of a truck driver). Decided it was time for a change in order to sleep in my own bed every night and spend more time with the wife unit.

With that choice made I thought it would be a good time to make a change to the previous garden railroad I had started a few years ago and simply had very little time to play with. It had been intended to be a simple point-to-point layout. Nothing fancy, a place to run a simple four wheel, batter powered/RC critter pulling a few cars from one end of the line to the other. Repeat and rinse as desired. Time at home being in short supply I only managed to hand lay about 75 feet of track over the past few years. Never really operated the critter on it to any extent worthy of mention. Don't even have a single freight car to pull behind it.

Prior to putting on the gloves and lifting the track I gave some thought to the design and location of the new railroad. Aside from a handful of battery powered type lokies, I have two small Accucraft live steamers... a Ruby and an Ida. I've had them for years and have yet to every fire them up. They are nothing more at the moment than dust collectors on my bookshelf.

With the idea of running them I gave the backyard a glance and settled on my plan for the new Backyard & Southern RR (B.S.R.R.)... a peanut shaped loop of about 100 feet for continuous running with the steam up location next to the patio in 1:13.7 scale.



The patio is about 8 inches lower than the location of the proposed steam up area. And where my dog Maggie is sitting in the photo below there is a slight rise of about 8 inches. From there the yard flattens out.

I'll add another course of blocks on top of the existing blocks then back fill this loop area in the foreground of the photo for a completely level layout.



That's the story on the new layout. Simple to start. I also hope to be able to spend a bit more time on the forum sharing my meager adventure of a little layout in the middle of Tornado Alley.

That is a beautiful space to work with and mature trees for shade. Clearly Maggie shows no interest whatsoever!
Good luck with the venture, I'll be interested to see progress, unless another job stands in the way.

That's a nice blank canvas and plenty of room to extend in the future (if allowed). My loop is about the same size but little scope for scenery as half of it is squeezed behind the patio. Keep us posted on progress.

Looking forward to the progress reports. Its a beautiful location, as the others have said, but one thing though, is that a pond I spy on the RHS, crying out for a  bridge across the corner??

Well, at the moment I am gainfully unemployed. Began the search for work as of this past Monday. Plenty of jobs so I'm being a bit particular and in no hurry as my finances could get me by for a few months if I really want to hone my skills as a bum.

The entire yard is mine to do with as I please. Wife unit takes care of the inside of the house, I take care of the outside. Mutually beneficial to us both. Gotta love our anarchistic relationship where we are partners instead of dictators.

As for Maggie, her interest when outside is focused on tree rats (squirrels). Our other dog Hope is my shadow and usually sitting at my heals literally and often doesn't show up in pictures.



As for the appearance of a pond... no. We've had about 10 inches of rain in two days this week and so it's just a low spot at the end of my drive that became a temporary reservoir.

Ideal fro a bridge over a (mainly) dry creek then!

They're a great looking pair of dogs!

Appreciate the comment on my two furkids.

Both are rescue dogs we adopted last year. Maggie survived the 2013 tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma only to have her original human parents split up and put her up for adoption.

Six months after adopting her we got Hope, who had been abandoned as a pup, put in the animal shelter, adopted and then abandoned again before we adopted her. They have a good life here and have me wrapped around their paws.

I think a bridge over a dry creek is an excellent idea. Thanks for that.

Good on you for taking on rescue dogs. We have two rescued Springer Spaniels and they are great company. Yours look like Pit Bull Terriers which have a bad press over here, but in the right hands all dogs deserve a chance.

Hope's paperwork suggests she's an American Staffordshire Terrier. Maggie we're not sure about though it seems she has some Blue Heeler in her.

Anyways, spent time adding a second course of blocks to existing blocks along the patio. Then began building a short retaining wall between my gravel drive and the south loop shown in the photos in previous posts. Had enough time afterwards to begin adding fill to level out the whole location.

Grand location for a railway. Eagerly awaiting more developments.

Made some progress yesterday and today.

Completed adding all the additional blocks along the patio, building the retaining wall and adding fill. Even added some Vinca (periwinkle) to the top of the small hill that sits in the middle of the south loop.





The ravine is about 18 inches deep and 24 inches wide at the opening and narrows to about six inches wide at it's head. Overall length is about eight feet. I placed my unfinished Bachmann Plymouth on a board about where the bridge will be located.



The south loop will have an approximate radius of 72 inches. The north loop which goes around a pecan tree will be greater as it isn't restricted by geographical features (the driveway and patio) that limits the south loop's radius.



Hopefully get started on the track soon. All handlaid of course.

Very nice work indeed. You've got further in this short space of time than I have in 18 months! It's an inspiration so please keep the reports coming.

Excellent progress! This is what you can achieve when you are 'retired' even though it may be temporary in your case. You should have trains running by Sunday at this rate!!!

The wife unit goes up to Regina, Saskatchewan (Canuckada) to visit her daughter next week for five or six days. I might extend my "retirement" until she comes back which could mean I get some significant track put down.  :lol:

Ever heard of pecan oil? Essentially it is an oil extracted from pressed pecans. I have about half a dozen mature pecan trees in my backyard as well as a massive laurel oak, a few post oaks, a handful of silver maples, redbud trees of various sizes, a few red cedars and an old apple tree. Or I do until a tornado rips it all out deposits it between here and Kansas.

As I've been working on the layout I've been contemplating the "reason" for the BS (aside from my just liking model trains). Typically many modelers over on this side of the pond playing with narrow gauge trains are into some sort of mining operation. Being me... I desired something different. That's where pecan oil fits into the grand scheme of things. The BS's primary revenue source will be the Sciurus Carolinensis Pecan Company. It will be located at the foot of the pecan tree centered in the middle of the north loop of the BS. BTW, some research online shows that a liter of pecan oil runs about $25-$30USD. And I let the squirrels have it all each fall.





In my mind's eye, an short string of three or four small tank cars are shuttled in and out of SCPCo. during an operating session and brought down to the siding beside the patio (need to think of names for towns and geographical features). From there the product is unloaded to be shipped to the fictional big world beyond the land of BS to be used by fine culinary establishments the world over. Empty tank cars are returned to the SCPCo. to be refilled. An occasional boxcar could make the round as well bringing in supplies or machinery used to pick the pecans and extract the oil. The beauty of the idea is that tank cars look the same empty or full, unlike a skip or gondola filled with rocks.

That's the preliminary basis of the BS existing. Subject to change of course. And improvement. Nothing fancy or convoluted like a mining operation.  :D

Great back story Waynne. My railways have always had to have reason and purpose for me to make sense of their existence and to plan what should run and how.

The ground for your proposed line looks superb. It's going to be a real treat to see the work progress.

Inspired by your efforts I've put a bar through some more of the back yard concrete tonight in readiness for the earthmoving that will ultimately form the landscape to build my railway in.

The tank car idea is a good one. As you say, no one can ever say whether they are loaded or not.

That's all looking great I'm looking forward to watching progress too...

I wonder whether the machinery used in the extraction of pecan oil could make for the odd interesting flat car load? And the workers will be needing some means of getting there too...

All the best,

Andrew

Started cutting ties this morning. Within a hour I had a couple of hundred. Each measures 3/8"x3/8"x4". Used treated fence panel boards from Home Depot. Cheap and plentiful.



I secured the code 250 aluminum rail to the ties using 5/8" x 19 wire nails. I had used Micro Engineering spikes before but found out that as they backed out of the ties they often would rotate so that the head no longer held the base of the rail. I'm thinking that the current wire nails with their round heads won't do the same. And as they protrude through the bottom of the ties, I'm hoping that a coating of rust develops on the ends to keep them from backing out.



After three hours of spiking I managed to put down about 18 feet of track. I use a railbender a good friend made for me a few years ago. Works like a charm. Ties are spaced 2 scale feet apart.



Posed my little live steamer Ida on the track.

Added two more six foot sections of track this morning after building a temporary bridge for the ravine.

I think you have the makings of a great little line there. And loads of space in which to achieve it.

There is a great cure for squirrels, a nice pastry overcoat, and a lie down in a hot place for about half an hour! Pecan flavoured as well, delicious.

That's some really fine looking railroad track, you have every right to be proud of it. I'm really impressed with the speed at which your line is developing.

As for the Pecan Squirrel pie, count me in!