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38 Articles

Alone together in hobbies

AS I WRITE THIS a few weeks before it goes to the printer and even longer before it gets to you, the world is in the grip of COVID-19, a virus that at this point only seems to be held at bay by social distancing. That means many of us are either working from home or just staying there to avoid contracting or spreading the contagion. It’s our sincere hope that by the time you read this, conditions have improved. Hopefully you, your families, and your friends and neighbors are all safe and healthy, or are getting that way. I also hope we’re all able to interact again as we did just weeks ago. The more realistic side of me, however, thinks it might be a while before the world…

Alone together in hobbies

YOUNG RAILWAY HELPER Savannah Viggiano, age 4, loves helping me pull weeds and loading up the train cars with rocks and sometimes her Peppa Pig figures. She also likes to help set up my figures around the railway, and of course control the trains on our Kittatinny Mountain Railroad. –Shawn Viggiano, Wantage, N.J. YOU’RE JUST CHICKEN I am a 52-year-old woman fairly new to model railroading. I have an outdoor and an indoor G-scale layout. Here are photos of a car I’ve been working on while inside because of social distancing. It’s more fantasy than factual, but it’s based off a Live Poultry Transport car. I made it out of a caboose from a Bachmann Big Haulers set. I spent no money making this. The wood is bamboo slats from fabric-backed place mats that I…

YOUNG RAILWAY HELPER Savannah Viggiano, age 4, loves helping me pull weeds and loading up the train cars with rocks and sometimes her Peppa Pig figures. She also likes to help set up my figures around the railway, and of course control the trains on our Kittatinny Mountain Railroad. –Shawn Viggiano, Wantage, N.J. YOU’RE JUST CHICKEN I am a 52-year-old woman fairly new to model railroading. I have an outdoor and an indoor G-scale layout. Here are photos of a car I’ve been working on while inside because of social distancing. It’s more fantasy than factual, but it’s based off a Live Poultry Transport car. I made it out of a caboose from a Bachmann Big Haulers set. I spent no money making this. The wood is bamboo slats from…

Engines & rolling stock Accucraft, 3260 Central Ave., Union City, CA 94587 offers a 1:32 scale Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) sleeper car under the J&M Models brand (shown above). These cars will be made from brass, have interior lights, and feature four different car numbers as used in the famous Blue Train. Price: $950 each or $3,800 for a set of four. Visit Accucraft.com for more information. Bachmann Trains, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124, sells Thomas & Friends rolling stock. Shown here are the Spiteful Brake Van (no. 98021) and the Explosives Box Van (no. 98017). Price: $99 each. Other Thomas & Friends pieces are available. Visit Bachmanntrains.com. Electronics & software RailModeller Pro has released version 6.2 of its layout-design software. Updates include an optional mouse cursor coordinate display, exporting to…

Engaging kids in model trains

We continually search for ways to encourage children to interact with the trains on Train Days at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County (California). While it’s wise to keep the kids and adults at a safe distance from the live steam exhibit, the museum’s large collection of Brio train parts, the ride-on train in the parking lot, the Diablo Valley’s kidoperated modular unit, and the hunt for Waldo on the club traveling layout reach out to kids in hands-on fashion. Two more connections recently added with Lego-compatible equipment offer suggestions for making backyard garden railway gatherings even more kid friendly. Lots of Lego The popular Lego railroad rolling stock and villages are approximately G scale. We (volunteers dubbed the “train guys”) used a large collection of donated Lego buildings, models, track, and rolling stock…

Engaging kids in model trains

Engines & rolling stock Accucraft, 3260 Central Ave., Union City, CA 94587 offers a 1:32 scale Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) sleeper car under the J&M Models brand (shown above). These cars will be made from brass, have interior lights, and feature four different car numbers as used in the famous Blue Train. Price: $950 each or $3,800 for a set of four. Visit Accucraft.com for more information. Bachmann Trains, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124, sells Thomas & Friends rolling stock. Shown here are the Spiteful Brake Van (no. 98021) and the Explosives Box Van (no. 98017). Price: $99 each. Other Thomas & Friends pieces are available. Visit Bachmanntrains.com. Electronics & software RailModeller Pro has released version 6.2 of its layout-design software. Updates include an optional mouse cursor…

Engaging kids in model trains

We continually search for ways to encourage children to interact with the trains on Train Days at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County (California). While it’s wise to keep the kids and adults at a safe distance from the live steam exhibit, the museum’s large collection of Brio train parts, the ride-on train in the parking lot, the Diablo Valley’s kidoperated modular unit, and the hunt for Waldo on the club traveling layout reach out to kids in hands-on fashion. Two more connections recently added with Lego-compatible equipment offer suggestions for making backyard garden railway gatherings even more kid friendly. Lots of Lego The popular Lego railroad rolling stock and villages are approximately G scale. We (volunteers dubbed the “train guys”) used a large collection of donated Lego buildings, models,…

Engaging kids in model trains

READERS’ GALLERY

READERS’ GALLERY

Take inventory of your railroad

AS SOMEONE WHO DOES a fair amount of scratchbuilding and kitbashing, I sometimes can’t remember how I assembled a model. That really throws a wrench into the works when it comes time for maintenance or troubleshooting. When you add in the complexities of third-party control systems, there’s a whole lot of information that’s easy to forget over time. It’s important to keep track of the “whats and hows” of your equipment and related railroad items so that when you want to sell it, you can tell prospective buyers what they’re getting and how it works. It’s also critical to make sure your family and/or friends know where to find that information if they need to sell your collection down the road. I’ve grouped items into categories and suggest ways to inventory or…

Take inventory of your railroad

PLANT PORTRAITS

Groundcover Sometimes called hardy ice plant or purple ice plant, this low succulent is not to be confused with the larger purple ice plant, popular in Southern California (Drosanthemum floribundum). English botanist Thomas Cooper collected this plant in the mountains of South Africa, where soil rarely holds moisture. The pictured ice plant grows on a raised bed in Ohio, Zone 6, which shows its hardiness; the 1-2" purple flowers on Denny and Judy LaMusga's Garden Northern Railway haven’t opened yet, but still shine like a fluorescent light. Trailing ice plant is perfect on slopes, even the seaside, and hanging over waterfalls, but never in wet soil. Best in full sun, it will tolerate some shade. Flowers bloom from spring to fall. In warmer zones, ice plant remains green, but below 5°…

PLANT PORTRAITS

Take inventory of your railroad

AS SOMEONE WHO DOES a fair amount of scratchbuilding and kitbashing, I sometimes can’t remember how I assembled a model. That really throws a wrench into the works when it comes time for maintenance or troubleshooting. When you add in the complexities of third-party control systems, there’s a whole lot of information that’s easy to forget over time. It’s important to keep track of the “whats and hows” of your equipment and related railroad items so that when you want to sell it, you can tell prospective buyers what they’re getting and how it works. It’s also critical to make sure your family and/or friends know where to find that information if they need to sell your collection down the road. I’ve grouped items into categories and suggest ways to…

Take inventory of your railroad

Seeking stand-up succulents

MOST OF US KNOW ABOUT THE WONDERS of chubby, low succulents in railways, namely stonecrop (Sedum spp.), but did you know these fluidfilled plants come in tree form as well? Maybe you have an area that gets little water. Perhaps your desert needs some tall plants. If you want the somewhat exotic look of these plants grouped together, search no more. See the “succulentopedia,” which catalogs photos and instructions for hundreds of varieties, including tall ones, at worldofsucculents.com. TREE STONECROP In a sun-drenched desert railway (photo 1), tree aeoniums (ay-OH-knee-um) sway like purple palms and evoke a sense of place that’s warm, parched, and sparsely populated. Tall plants lend structure to landscapes, like living exclamation points that draw attention down to surrounding groundcover and manmade scenery. Together the arrangement gives depth to…

Seeking stand-up succulents

KITBASH A SMALL SWITCH TOWER

On a small railway like mine, adding structures must be done with care and consideration. While looking for designs with a modest footprint, I found an Aristo-Craft no. 7109 Elevated Switch Tower. Its narrow profile was attractive, but finding this out-of-production item was a challenge. Instead, I bought a similar switch tower kit from Colorado Model Structures (no. CMS3002). Here's how I modified it into a small switch tower. Build the cabin The kit contains four roof sections, a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, and two doors. Set aside one side wall and the doors, as these won’t be used for this project. I marked the cuts as shown in the illustration on the next page. Measure 4½" down from the top and make a horizontal cut across the front…

KITBASH A SMALL SWITCH TOWER

PLANT PORTRAITS

Groundcover Sometimes called hardy ice plant or purple ice plant, this low succulent is not to be confused with the larger purple ice plant, popular in Southern California (Drosanthemum floribundum). English botanist Thomas Cooper collected this plant in the mountains of South Africa, where soil rarely holds moisture. The pictured ice plant grows on a raised bed in Ohio, Zone 6, which shows its hardiness; the 1-2" purple flowers on Denny and Judy LaMusga's Garden Northern Railway haven’t opened yet, but still shine like a fluorescent light. Trailing ice plant is perfect on slopes, even the seaside, and hanging over waterfalls, but never in wet soil. Best in full sun, it will tolerate some shade. Flowers bloom from spring to fall. In warmer zones, ice plant remains green, but below…

PLANT PORTRAITS

Seeking stand-up succulents

MOST OF US KNOW ABOUT THE WONDERS of chubby, low succulents in railways, namely stonecrop (Sedum spp.), but did you know these fluidfilled plants come in tree form as well? Maybe you have an area that gets little water. Perhaps your desert needs some tall plants. If you want the somewhat exotic look of these plants grouped together, search no more. See the “succulentopedia,” which catalogs photos and instructions for hundreds of varieties, including tall ones, at worldofsucculents.com. TREE STONECROP In a sun-drenched desert railway (photo 1), tree aeoniums (ay-OH-knee-um) sway like purple palms and evoke a sense of place that’s warm, parched, and sparsely populated. Tall plants lend structure to landscapes, like living exclamation points that draw attention down to surrounding groundcover and manmade scenery. Together the arrangement gives…

Seeking stand-up succulents

1 BASE: Cut a 6½" x 4" x ¾" piece of treated lumber for a base. I drilled two 9⁄64" countersunk holes from the bottom to attach the columns, 4¼" apart, 1" from the ends, and centered along the length of the base. I painted the base gray to represent concrete. COLUMNS: I used ½" x ¾" strips of treated wood for the uprights (7½" long), and ¼" x ½" strips for the braces (1⅞" long) and crossheads (3¼" long). I assembled the pieces with glue and my pin nailer, then painted them dark brown. To prevent the screws from splitting the wood, I soldered a copper band around the bottom of each column. Drill ⅛" pilot holes at the base of the columns and attach the columns to the base…

STRIKING SILVER IN A SMALL SPACE

Like the route of my railroad, my path in the hobby has been a curvy one. I got started at age of 10 after receiving an HO scale train set for Christmas. Later, as a college student with limited space, I built a small N scale shelf layout. I continued building these over the years until I bought a house 10 years ago. Then I started imagining my garden railroad. I pictured a change of scenery. All of my model railroads up until then had been in urban and industrial settings. However, I had always been fascinated with turn-of-the-20th century Colorado mining railroads, and decided that would be a great theme for the garden railroad. After lots of research on the internet and reading many articles, my fascination focused on the Silverton Northern…

STRIKING SILVER IN A SMALL SPACE

Converting a BACHMANN 4-4-0 to DCC

I’ve wanted a G scale Bachmann 4-4-0 since they first came out, particularly an unlettered one in the Eureka paint scheme. Recently I found a damaged one for sale on Facebook and had to have it. I’ve also wanted sound in my existing locomotives, but installing it never rose to the top of the priority list until I got the 4-4-0. I decided the model wasn’t going to run on the railroad without me being able to hear it, so I needed to install a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. I’m also a dead-rail zealot and have been model railroading with radio control and DCC using battery power for years. So I had to install an onboard power source, too. R/C, DCC, and power There are several radio control (R/C) systems on the…

Converting a BACHMANN 4-4-0 to DCC

RAISED ROADBED YOU CAN RELOCATE

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD elevated roadbed but are overwhelmed by the process? Or perhaps you’d like roadbed that can be relocated in the future? I came up with an easier method of installation, what I call the “Relocatable Elevated Adjustable Layout” concept (REAL). This approach also works well when you want to install an elevated roadbed in existing landscaping or address large grade/elevation issues. Mark off the route I marked the elevated portion of the roadbed with ½" PVC pipe held up with a 1" PVC pipe with “T” fittings on top. This will help you mark the post heights along the roadbed. Determine where you’ll be setting each post. (I spaced mine about 12-16' apart.) Install the piers Each section is built from one 10" concrete pier block, a 4" x 4"…

RAISED ROADBED YOU CAN RELOCATE

REEFER-ING to the PROTOTYPE

SOME TIME AGO, A FRIEND OF MINE converted one of his 7/8"-scale flatcars into a composite refrigerator car. I liked his idea and obtained a set of decals from him so I could build my own version in 1:20.3 scale. I really liked the Colorado & Southern Ry.’s refrigerator car no. 1113. It’s a wood reefer with steel underframe was built by the railroad in 1909 as part of its 1100-1119 series. No. 1113 has been restored and preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. I didn’t build an exact model of it, but it borrows a lot from it and is close. Building the box Another friend had given me some Hartford Products car siding. It’s great but only 1/16" thick, so I’d have to build an inner frame to support it. Looking…

REEFER-ING to the PROTOTYPE

KITBASH A SMALL SWITCH TOWER

On a small railway like mine, adding structures must be done with care and consideration. While looking for designs with a modest footprint, I found an Aristo-Craft no. 7109 Elevated Switch Tower. Its narrow profile was attractive, but finding this out-of-production item was a challenge. Instead, I bought a similar switch tower kit from Colorado Model Structures (no. CMS3002). Here's how I modified it into a small switch tower. Build the cabin The kit contains four roof sections, a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, and two doors. Set aside one side wall and the doors, as these won’t be used for this project. I marked the cuts as shown in the illustration on the next page. Measure 4½" down from the top and make a horizontal cut…

KITBASH A SMALL SWITCH TOWER

THE GUYS ON THE TRACK GANG

After some time you realize bad weather, small animals, your dog, the neighborhood cats, birds, and other forces are all doing their best to break down your garden railway. You may also get some new ideas, which means trackwork has to be moved, new track established, or existing trackwork repaired or renewed. On my small garden railway this has resulted in establishing my own maintenance-of-way (MOW) train, along with a crew of experienced and highly motivated people to handle such issues. Many years ago I bought a similar train from the former Egger-Bahn in H0n30 scale, which had a diesel locomotive and a couple of tippers. I liked this train very much, and would like to build a similar locomotive for my garden railway. Unfortunately, I do not have the Egger-Bahn engine any…

THE GUYS ON THE TRACK GANG

1 BASE: Cut a 6½" x 4" x ¾" piece of treated lumber for a base. I drilled two 9⁄64" countersunk holes from the bottom to attach the columns, 4¼" apart, 1" from the ends, and centered along the length of the base. I painted the base gray to represent concrete. COLUMNS: I used ½" x ¾" strips of treated wood for the uprights (7½" long), and ¼" x ½" strips for the braces (1⅞" long) and crossheads (3¼" long). I assembled the pieces with glue and my pin nailer, then painted them dark brown. To prevent the screws from splitting the wood, I soldered a copper band around the bottom of each column. Drill ⅛" pilot holes at the base of the columns and attach the columns to the…

MOGUL PIKO’S 2-6-0 is a go-anywhere, do-anything steam engine

OK, I have a confession to make before I start. One of my favorite types of steam engines is the 2-6-0, commonly called a Mogul. To me, it was one of the pivotal pieces in the evolution of railroad motive power. Produced from the 1860s to the 1920s, in some ways it and its contemporaries marked the end of the first generation of widespread steam power and started the second, giving a glimpse of the shape of locomotives for decades to come. Product of its time. The classification was a maid-of-all-work design. It was the transition from the 0-6-0 locomotives that were good for slow-speed service and switching, but tended to derail at speed. Early 2-6-0s with rigid frames suffered the same issues, but when a swiveling, equalized single-axle truck was developed, the…

MOGUL PIKO’S 2-6-0 is a go-anywhere, do-anything steam engine

STRIKING SILVER IN A SMALL SPACE

Like the route of my railroad, my path in the hobby has been a curvy one. I got started at age of 10 after receiving an HO scale train set for Christmas. Later, as a college student with limited space, I built a small N scale shelf layout. I continued building these over the years until I bought a house 10 years ago. Then I started imagining my garden railroad. I pictured a change of scenery. All of my model railroads up until then had been in urban and industrial settings. However, I had always been fascinated with turn-of-the-20th century Colorado mining railroads, and decided that would be a great theme for the garden railroad. After lots of research on the internet and reading many articles, my fascination focused on…

STRIKING SILVER IN A SMALL SPACE

Converting a BACHMANN 4-4-0 to DCC

I’ve wanted a G scale Bachmann 4-4-0 since they first came out, particularly an unlettered one in the Eureka paint scheme. Recently I found a damaged one for sale on Facebook and had to have it. I’ve also wanted sound in my existing locomotives, but installing it never rose to the top of the priority list until I got the 4-4-0. I decided the model wasn’t going to run on the railroad without me being able to hear it, so I needed to install a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. I’m also a dead-rail zealot and have been model railroading with radio control and DCC using battery power for years. So I had to install an onboard power source, too. R/C, DCC, and power There are several radio control…

Converting a BACHMANN 4-4-0 to DCC

Accucraft’s SABRINA

Sabrina is one of a pair of new freelance live-steam locomotives from Accucraft. Our review sample is painted an attractive dark-green. The British-style engines are built to 1:19 scale (16mm to the foot), which is the UK standard garden scale for narrow-gauge live steamers. However, that scale is close enough to the US scale of 1:20.3 as to make little difference. This locomotive could be considered an entry-level engine, although most starter locomotives are pretty stripped down when it comes to amenities. This one, however, is loaded with them. It has a fully fitted backhead that includes the throttle, a pressure gauge, and a water glass. The pressure gauge faces out the right front window. It can be easily repositioned if desired to face more prototypically into the cab. Water is added to…

Accucraft’s SABRINA

RAISED ROADBED YOU CAN RELOCATE

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD elevated roadbed but are overwhelmed by the process? Or perhaps you’d like roadbed that can be relocated in the future? I came up with an easier method of installation, what I call the “Relocatable Elevated Adjustable Layout” concept (REAL). This approach also works well when you want to install an elevated roadbed in existing landscaping or address large grade/elevation issues. Mark off the route I marked the elevated portion of the roadbed with ½" PVC pipe held up with a 1" PVC pipe with “T” fittings on top. This will help you mark the post heights along the roadbed. Determine where you’ll be setting each post. (I spaced mine about 12-16' apart.) Install the piers Each section is built from one 10" concrete pier block,…

RAISED ROADBED YOU CAN RELOCATE

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Book review Plant a deer-resistant garden Was Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes’ little rifle-toting hunter of Bugs Bunny fame, justified in shooting at Bugs Bunny? Remember how the “waskily wabbit” tunneled under Elmer’s garden yanking down one juicy carrot after another? In cartoons, we cheer for the bunny, but what if he had been the size of, say, a 6' man? Or a buck with antlers? One weekend away from the garden would mean a monstrous mess upon return. Deer can travel in herds. Get the picture? And did you know that deer hooves stomping on LGB brass track will put a dent in the rails? I’ve been there before. “NO PLANT IS ENTIRELY A DETERRENT, BUT WHY NOT CHOOSE FROM THESE 50, WHICH ARE RATED “DEER-RESISTENT” DUE TO THEIR FUZZINESS OR AROMA.” Designing a…

PRODUCT REVIEWS

May 31-June 6, 2020: National Garden Railway Convention • Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN • ngrc2020.com June 6, 2020: Summer Steamup • Las Vegas, NV • 702-431-3568 • clarklord@earthlink.net June 22-27, 2020: Big Train Operator Club Convention • St Louis, MO • Contact Bob Somogyi, btoeditor@sbcglobal.net • bigtrainoperator.com July 8-12, 2020: National Summer Steamup 2020 • McClellan Conference Center, McClellan, CA. • Info: www.steamevents.org August 1-2, 2020: Summer Steam Event Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO. • Hosted by the Denver Garden Railway Society. • Mike Harris, 303-750-4423 or dgrssteam@q.com Sept. 5, 2020: Fall Steamup • Las Vegas, NV • 702-431-3568 • clarklord@earthlink.net Sept. 13, 2020: Columbus Garden Railway Society annual backyard tour • Visit thecgrs.org for maps and info. September 17-20, 2020: Staver Locomotive Steamup • Portland, OR • 503-222-3223 • info@staverlocomotive.com • staverlocomotive.com Oct.…

REEFER-ING to the PROTOTYPE

SOME TIME AGO, A FRIEND OF MINE converted one of his 7/8"-scale flatcars into a composite refrigerator car. I liked his idea and obtained a set of decals from him so I could build my own version in 1:20.3 scale. I really liked the Colorado & Southern Ry.’s refrigerator car no. 1113. It’s a wood reefer with steel underframe was built by the railroad in 1909 as part of its 1100-1119 series. No. 1113 has been restored and preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. I didn’t build an exact model of it, but it borrows a lot from it and is close. Building the box Another friend had given me some Hartford Products car siding. It’s great but only 1/16" thick, so I’d have to build an inner…

REEFER-ING to the PROTOTYPE

A DRUMHEAD FOR VARNISH

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I acquired a well-used Delton passenger coach. It was missing both couplers and the entire rear platform. Not really needing another coach, I decided to convert it to an observation car. With styrene and an observation-car railing out of the junk box, the car was as good as new. But since it was going to bring up the markers on the Colorado & Southern Ry’s Virginia Division, it definitely needed a lighted drumhead to mark the rear of the train. Since Bachmann Trains previously made a C&S drumhead, I thought I could pick one up without any problem. However, I contacted numerous suppliers and no one had an extra. A friend suggested I make one. All you need is a piece of PVC piping, styrene, micro screws, a large water-slide C&S decal,…

A DRUMHEAD FOR VARNISH

THE GUYS ON THE TRACK GANG

After some time you realize bad weather, small animals, your dog, the neighborhood cats, birds, and other forces are all doing their best to break down your garden railway. You may also get some new ideas, which means trackwork has to be moved, new track established, or existing trackwork repaired or renewed. On my small garden railway this has resulted in establishing my own maintenance-of-way (MOW) train, along with a crew of experienced and highly motivated people to handle such issues. Many years ago I bought a similar train from the former Egger-Bahn in H0n30 scale, which had a diesel locomotive and a couple of tippers. I liked this train very much, and would like to build a similar locomotive for my garden railway. Unfortunately, I do not have the…

THE GUYS ON THE TRACK GANG

MOGUL PIKO’S 2-6-0 is a go-anywhere, do-anything steam engine

OK, I have a confession to make before I start. One of my favorite types of steam engines is the 2-6-0, commonly called a Mogul. To me, it was one of the pivotal pieces in the evolution of railroad motive power. Produced from the 1860s to the 1920s, in some ways it and its contemporaries marked the end of the first generation of widespread steam power and started the second, giving a glimpse of the shape of locomotives for decades to come. Product of its time. The classification was a maid-of-all-work design. It was the transition from the 0-6-0 locomotives that were good for slow-speed service and switching, but tended to derail at speed. Early 2-6-0s with rigid frames suffered the same issues, but when a swiveling, equalized single-axle truck…

MOGUL PIKO’S 2-6-0 is a go-anywhere, do-anything steam engine

Accucraft’s SABRINA

Sabrina is one of a pair of new freelance live-steam locomotives from Accucraft. Our review sample is painted an attractive dark-green. The British-style engines are built to 1:19 scale (16mm to the foot), which is the UK standard garden scale for narrow-gauge live steamers. However, that scale is close enough to the US scale of 1:20.3 as to make little difference. This locomotive could be considered an entry-level engine, although most starter locomotives are pretty stripped down when it comes to amenities. This one, however, is loaded with them. It has a fully fitted backhead that includes the throttle, a pressure gauge, and a water glass. The pressure gauge faces out the right front window. It can be easily repositioned if desired to face more prototypically into the cab. Water…

Accucraft’s SABRINA

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Book review Plant a deer-resistant garden Was Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes’ little rifle-toting hunter of Bugs Bunny fame, justified in shooting at Bugs Bunny? Remember how the “waskily wabbit” tunneled under Elmer’s garden yanking down one juicy carrot after another? In cartoons, we cheer for the bunny, but what if he had been the size of, say, a 6' man? Or a buck with antlers? One weekend away from the garden would mean a monstrous mess upon return. Deer can travel in herds. Get the picture? And did you know that deer hooves stomping on LGB brass track will put a dent in the rails? I’ve been there before. “NO PLANT IS ENTIRELY A DETERRENT, BUT WHY NOT CHOOSE FROM THESE 50, WHICH ARE RATED “DEER-RESISTENT” DUE TO THEIR FUZZINESS…

PRODUCT REVIEWS

May 31-June 6, 2020: National Garden Railway Convention Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN ngrc2020.com June 6, 2020: Summer Steamup Las Vegas, NV 702-431-3568 clarklord@earthlink.net June 22-27, 2020: Big Train Operator Club Convention St Louis, MO Contact Bob Somogyi, btoeditor@sbcglobal.net bigtrainoperator.com July 8-12, 2020: National Summer Steamup 2020 McClellan Conference Center, McClellan, CA. Info: www.steamevents.org August 1-2, 2020: Summer Steam Event Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO. Hosted by the Denver Garden Railway Society. Mike Harris, 303-750-4423 or dgrssteam@q.com Sept. 5, 2020: Fall Steamup Las Vegas, NV 702-431-3568 clarklord@earthlink.net Sept. 13, 2020: Columbus Garden Railway Society annual backyard tour Visit thecgrs.org for maps and info. September 17-20, 2020: Staver Locomotive Steamup Portland,…

A DRUMHEAD FOR VARNISH

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I acquired a well-used Delton passenger coach. It was missing both couplers and the entire rear platform. Not really needing another coach, I decided to convert it to an observation car. With styrene and an observation-car railing out of the junk box, the car was as good as new. But since it was going to bring up the markers on the Colorado & Southern Ry’s Virginia Division, it definitely needed a lighted drumhead to mark the rear of the train. Since Bachmann Trains previously made a C&S drumhead, I thought I could pick one up without any problem. However, I contacted numerous suppliers and no one had an extra. A friend suggested I make one. All you need is a piece of PVC piping, styrene, micro screws,…

A DRUMHEAD FOR VARNISH

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