I have noticed that some people have magnificent garden layouts. I would like to see some of yours.
Bob C.
Original Post
"HONGZ" stands for HO scale, N scale, G scale, and Z scale.
Post your non-O scale stuff here!
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I've had a garden layout for twenty-five years. Here are some videos.
DAN PADOVA
Thanks for the input. very impressive stuff
Bob C.
Robert Coniglio posted:DAN PADOVA
Thanks for the input. very impressive stuff
Bob C.
Thanks Bob. I've been at it for longer than I was with my original Lionel layouts before hand. One thing about having a garden railway is that it much simpler to make changes to it than an indoor layout, IMHO.
Here's one a forum member visits - SYVRRY There's a thread about it on the forum. Atlas track-legacy command- switches get covered and replaced about 5-7 years, if I recall correctly.
MOONMAN
terrific footage. these garden railroads are really something else.
Bob C.
Very nice Bob. Appreciate the post.
Larry
Mine is not much more than a simple dogbone that my grandson and I enjoyed for awhile unfortunately it is in need of some repair that I just have not been able to do yet.
The dispatcher's office:
My Dad had a G scale outdoor layout running for over 20 years before he passed away.I plan on making a video of his layout soon.Here is a short video of some of the layout.
Here's our forum friend from Scotland, Davy Mac, with his rebuild of his garden railroad.
Mine isn't much at all. Holiday G Cheapies.
I bought a Lionel narrow gauge Gold Rush (I think there were 3 Gold rush sets, 2 for sure others were not narrow gauge trains..sold it after a few years. Very nice, but not me; too big.
Preceding a "costly" powered track buy, I bought a few Scientifics or similar, so I could run neglectful tests on plastic track and locos while I prepared for the garden and explored the nicer larger scale slowly. Years later, the plastic track had only been broken by the dogs, and drunk moles surfacing in the pea gravel while traveling to the neighborhood mole parties. A little brittle, but not as bad as you might read about.(but I'm in SE Michigan, not a desert) The loco's and track have sat out 4 winters now, 3yrs with the same batteries out all winter, and still putted them around fine during the first warm weather break Feb-March this year.
I can't recall too many cheap plastic battery toys even coming close to lasting this long outdoors when I was a boy. The battery bit is funny too, as one battery compartment even fills with rain water
I'm sure they are fine but haven't ran them since though. Today?
Gassers (left) and circle track cars (right) are a little louder than minibikes but a privacy fence is needed, new yards front, and rear also as begun thanks to slave labor..I mean roommates in debt to me...no not indentured servants...slaves was more like it 
Fence is last, once I'm prettier than them again, they can look at a fence.... and still listen too. Not an inspiring motivation for me, but of course I'm still thinking about track along the fence.... someday, maybe, after other goals are reached.
Could take weeks, or months. Weekend rain dictates this front yard's job's completion.
I'm going to post this now, and find the camera. I hope you don't mind a picture delay. For now its only going to be crummy "before shots" of plastic crud and stacks of brick anyhow. But it will stop my writing any more.... ; )
"Here In My Neighborhood There Is The Strangest Thing -
Green Buckets Every Friday At Every Driveway.
They're Filled With Glasses, Plastics, And Newspapers, Too.
They Say They Recycle And Bring Them Back To You"
This is where the 4' tall "Green Buckets" go.
Still not sealed, so will darken some
I cant get the cans across the lawn anymore with a car in the drive, but only I, ever remember its garbage night.
The solution..
(driveway is comming out too, )
from garage to garage and up to the house (at my left shoulder). "Pave it all and paint it green"...well almost. Low fences, I liked that.
I told you it was non-eventful.
That bush on the right is as old as I am, at least. I accidentally killed the matching one on the left, cutting branches that had grown down into the earth and back up again. The trunk was hidden in a maze of those branches. and a huge branch from the right was also burrowing down and up and, looked like the left ones trunk! I can't talk myself into removing it. Like an old pal, he can hang. New pals planted soon enough. I grow fresh herbs in the white basin. The rail once guarded a fire pit and I was given the four corner flowers never knowing they were 4ft tall and bright orange (anyone know these.? Got a name too?) Anyhow I need to extend for moving a tall juniper bush in the backyard out here to the left of the boards.
Lots of dill's tops does meet evenly with the flowers leaves. A few young petunias in the center pot and in the oil can some old ones still in my kitchen. I love the scent of the dill. We got rained out before the weedwacker got started this last weekend. First cut of the season coming when dry again.
The other view along the front had too much glare to see well.
Need to power wash badly. (6 years without?)
Again glare issues, one step right and I had a white out.
Ok..the package scale came out of either Michigan Central station, or Dearborn Michigans old station. The face faded to a blank years ago without a lens. I repainted it, numbered it as I remembered it, and stuck flowers and ladybugs on it. Looks like the ladybugs and flowers didn't make it the winter again either.
It does still work well too.
Not much, but before me, no new efforts were made on front of house upkeep for a decade or more. It's a little better here, though half ***ed, being done with what was handy , it was effort.
(I painted that old oil can too, it and the scale, had been buddies in the basement since the 70's)
Ah the perils of toy G railroading. No sign of party moles; the dogs "go" out back. Must be the kitty next store. Or the wind, it has been rainy.
Look close and you may see a sheet metal splice plate or two. I had to make use of some because I used two brands of track.
At first glance at the second set's track, I thought to myself "perfect; all alike"
But on track laying day I found that there was a rail joiner on the right of one track, and on the left for the other. I shaved the ends till they butted, and added a metal plate and four screw per track, 2 in a tie, on the 1st 2 ties on both butted track's ends. 4-6 plates? after "Puppy" (135lbs2yr), trampled and cracked some track. Him being here, is also at the core of all this building. Friendly, but curious and quick to want to play, never so much as a growl to any person, but scary to many, and a fence jumper(around the block solo), he has to be chained till a tall fence goes up (hope 6ft is enough,lol) He can break chain, clasps, and chew cable. The floor here is wearing away from him coming off his couch. My lawn out back suffered the same fate. He likes the cool stone and cement and will watch trains with me, just like his dad ("No, I "Bruuuno" am the star") watches too, from high atop his own stool. Puppy doesn't need one, or fit well anymore, but still tries.
What did you do Puppy ?
A little barren. I have some Aurburn figures I put here and there. They are inside still, along with a few cars and a caboose that got smashed by an icicle fallen from the gutter. Its ok, I own glue.
A little wood craft kit a kid gave me. I painted it purple because the other kid loved it, and the gift giver just said yea, and smiled big. Paint really helped the look of this thing. Its second year outside. I figured it would be bird nest material by now. Good paint.
Yes, need a few more pieces, but don't really want to spend money another cheap train to get it. Waiting on another $10 special to show up like these two.
The MC stickered one runs best. Looks like the custom stickers finally failed and blew away. It is a repainted new bright Christmas train. The UP doesn't hold the track as well, but does smoke, & uses a radio control, or uses the locos dome mounted controls. Needs re-railing every hour or so; and had to have its trucks removed to do that. they rode up something awful.
Ride up--I found the two plastic parts [track&wheels] created a good traction against themselves. That was causing some of the worst ride up derailing. I smeared some synthetic oil around on a rag, and ran it across the rails. The oil stopped the ride up and didn't affect wheel traction enough for a slip.
The UP Scientific cars seem better made, and of heavier plastic.
But the New Bright has 4 wheel trucks and and a more elegant look. A smaller scale, lower couplers, but you can force a cross brand coupling, and it holds.
Adriaric - Pictures not visible (image not found)
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What?
Larry
Nice, I hope mine comes out as nice.
Larry
Nice work Joe!
Here is a link to the G&O garden railroad post on this forum. The G&O is a G and O gauge garden railroad.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t.../the-gandamp-o-story
NH Joe
NJCJOE posted:Pretty simple as far as garden railways go, but it's still fun.
I've been wondering if I could just lay track down on mulch and "enjoy the ride", Thanks Joe for posting these pictures because I might just do that as I'm considering something simple around my daughter's fairy garden. I'd be fine with picking up the track in the fall and laying it down again each spring (in Maryland), that's what we do with all the fairy stuff.
Regarding track, what kind are you using?
My track is a mixture of LGB and Aristocraft brass track. I used to take the track up before every winter but I have left it out all year for about three years now. I do have to re-level the track in the spring due to frost heave.
I'm building a live steam one
Paul
NJCJOE posted:My track is a mixture of LGB and Aristocraft brass track. I used to take the track up before every winter but I have left it out all year for about three years now. I do have to re-level the track in the spring due to frost heave.
I have never lifted my track in twenty-five years. I have, however, rearranged some of it over the years. It too, is a mixture of LGB and Aristocrat, with a small amount of Piko thrown in.
I started out using the 1 1/2" x 8" x 16" patio blocks as a track base, but after a few years, switched to laying the track on grey screenings. Much better all around. besides, that's how the big Lionel set is done. I do have to do some maintenance each Spring as you do.
I found that LGB brass track is superior to Aristo when it comes to cutting it. It's a softer brass which doesn't seem to get work hardened like the Aristo track does.
Some shots at early evening.
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Check out my brother's and nephew's E-L themed garden railroad on facebook @ BerkleyGardenRailroad .
I am definitely jealous of the spacious and all weather display pictured here. I setup G scale in our 20 X 15 rock garden for about 35 years at Christmas time. I started Thanksgiving W/E and went to mid January; fighting everything mother nature had to throw at us. Here are a few pictures of one train. The # 2 is a pusher/helper.
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Robert,
Wait until the Holidays and head on down to the Bronx and the New York City Botanical Garden Train Show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufy7RuXqWwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybq2WKinfWE
Simon
Simon Winter posted:Robert,
Wait until the Holidays and head on down to the Bronx and the New York City Botanical Garden Train Show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufy7RuXqWwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybq2WKinfWE
Simon
Simon,
Thanks, as a former long time resident (70 years) of NYC. I am well aware and frequent visitor to that display. Having a display as grand as those pictured above by our colleagues is a whole other dynamic.
Here are some pics of my little railway. I flip flop between Austrian/German theme and USA wild west. Motive power is a mix of LGB and Kalamazoo. I have a LGB 2019s mogul that is in the shop now for battery conversion, a LGB starter set 2-4-0 that I custom painted, an LGB green Eurovapor 0-6-2, two Kalamazoo 4-4-0's and live steam power provided by an LGB/Aster Frank S. Everything has onboard batteries, either in the tender or the locomotive itself as I hate trailing cars for carrying batteries. The stream is functional and runs to the small pond. Buildings are by Pola mostly, the covered bridge is scratch built from wood, I dont know by who as I bought it out of an estate sale at the LHS. I repaint it every 2 years. Enjoy!
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Friends layout...all MTH One-Gauge Big Boys & Triplexes pulling 100 car coal trains operated via DCS
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Casey
Your friend sure don't fool around. That is some nice work outside. Appreciate the picture.
Larry
