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48 Articles

Getting over the summer

Another summer has ended. How has your garden railway survived the season? Perhaps this is a good time to take stock of the situation and implement some remedial action. Repairing the damage that the summer has caused, with its extreme heat, torrential downpours, and long days of exposure to the sun’s unrelenting UV rays, is a necessary annual part of maintaining your railway. Rails expand and contract with the day/night temperature cycles. When they contract in the evening, debris often collects in the small resulting gaps, preventing rails from coming completely together again when they expand the next day. Over the period of a summer, gaps of a quarter inch or more can form at many places along the line. As long as the rail joiners are still in place, most…

Getting over the summer

PRODUCTS Engines & rolling stock Mamod Ltd, Unit 1A, Summit Crescent Industrial Estate, Smethwick, West Midlands B66 1BT, United Kingdom, has released a model of a small diesel-electric locomotive in 16mm scale called Brunel. The engine, battery powered by eight AA rechargeable batteries (not included), has adjustable gauge (0 or 1) and is driven by a 12V DC motor. A charging jack is included. The locomotive is available in green or black. Price: £325. Mamod also announced that they will be producing their Telford 0-4-0T live-steam locomotive in gauge 1 for the North American market. Price: £452. Website: www.mamod.co.uk LGB (Märklin) has released new equipment painted and lettered for the Napa Valley Wine Train. Included are an EMD F7 A-unit (#L20580) with two powered trucks, traction tires, and a built-in mfx/DCC decoder with…

Getting over the summer

Another summer has ended. How has your garden railway survived the season? Perhaps this is a good time to take stock of the situation and implement some remedial action. Repairing the damage that the summer has caused, with its extreme heat, torrential downpours, and long days of exposure to the sun’s unrelenting UV rays, is a necessary annual part of maintaining your railway. Rails expand and contract with the day/night temperature cycles. When they contract in the evening, debris often collects in the small resulting gaps, preventing rails from coming completely together again when they expand the next day. Over the period of a summer, gaps of a quarter inch or more can form at many places along the line. As long as the rail joiners are still in place,…

Getting over the summer

Ball bearings for axles Kevin Strong’s “Basics” (GR, June 2018) is a great article on the use of ball bearings on car axles. I just added them to all my cars. They now roll great. I would like to forward a caution, though, about adding ball bearings to your trucks and axles. It is important to make sure that the bearing does not contact the wheel when on the axle. This problem only occurs on straight axles that do not have a shouldered end. If the bearing contact occurs on both wheels, you will have a direct short and the bearing will heat up and melt the plastic bearing holder. This happened to me and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. —Owen Miller Weathering ore cars One of…

PRODUCTS Engines & rolling stock Mamod Ltd, Unit 1A, Summit Crescent Industrial Estate, Smethwick, West Midlands B66 1BT, United Kingdom, has released a model of a small diesel-electric locomotive in 16mm scale called Brunel. The engine, battery powered by eight AA rechargeable batteries (not included), has adjustable gauge (0 or 1) and is driven by a 12V DC motor. A charging jack is included. The locomotive is available in green or black. Price: £325. Mamod also announced that they will be producing their Telford 0-4-0T live-steam locomotive in gauge 1 for the North American market. Price: £452. Website: www.mamod.co.uk LGB (Märklin) has released new equipment painted and lettered for the Napa Valley Wine Train. Included are an EMD F7 A-unit (#L20580) with two powered trucks, traction tires, and a built-in…

Vignettes and transitions A “vignette” is a small portrait whose edges fade into the background without a definite border, or a brief episode. Vignette is my word for a video scene from a story that is unfinished or only partially told. Al Tillman’s railway was undergoing a major renovation on the day we visited but it had several great vistas for viewing slow-moving trains. On the top level we ran Kristine McNary’s super-detailed articulated locomotive, hauling a train of two finescale passenger cars. Later we pulled the coaches with Al’s geared locomotive. Below this we tested a string of classic Santa Fe diesels, ready for delivery to a customer, to which Kristine had added a top notch sound system. We filmed vignettes of slow moving trains and we listened to the sounds…

Weathering basics: part 2

When modelers hear the term “weathering powders,” they often think of pastel chalks. These have long been the mainstay of model weathering. For me, weathering powders cover a wide variety of dry particulate materials that can be applied to our models (photo 1). These include chalks, specialized weathering powders, dry-powder paints, and even real dust of various types (coal dust, sawdust, dirt, etc.). I’ve even used eye shadow in the past, but finding suitable shades without any “shimmer” has become increasingly difficult. Anyone who’s ever blown the dust off of an old book knows that the largest obstacle to weathering with powders is a lack of permanence. Part of that has to do with the surface to which you’re applying the powders. In the small scales, this is addressed by first…

Weathering basics: part 2

Viaduct construction—a balancing act

When building a viaduct over land or water, it’s good to have choices in your empire. This story recognizes the uniqueness of each bridging circumstance. Bridge the track from one hill to the next or carry your railway down a long slope. You can link your garden railway to the history of age-old structures. Add curving arches to your yard for a more organic centerpiece. The rules of construction must match the “sense of place.” Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) had an eye for proportion and a head for math. He also had a hand in creating bridge formulas and a helicopter design hundreds of years before they were “accepted” by modern engineers. His self-supporting, portable arch bridge (photo 2) was used in battles to get soldiers over obstacles like water, then…

Viaduct construction—a balancing act

Ball bearings for axles Kevin Strong’s “Basics” (GR, June 2018) is a great article on the use of ball bearings on car axles. I just added them to all my cars. They now roll great. I would like to forward a caution, though, about adding ball bearings to your trucks and axles. It is important to make sure that the bearing does not contact the wheel when on the axle. This problem only occurs on straight axles that do not have a shouldered end. If the bearing contact occurs on both wheels, you will have a direct short and the bearing will heat up and melt the plastic bearing holder. This happened to me and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. —Owen Miller Weathering…

10 prototypes to model

• Brusio Circular Viaduct, Switzerland: limits rail gradient to 7%, https://tinyurl.com/BrusioViaduct • Chelfham Viaduct, England: view from the top, https://tinyurl.com/Chelfham • Glennfinnan Viaduct, Scottish Highlands: Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express runs over it, https://tinyurl.com/Glennfinnan • Lewin Kłodzki, Poland: holes between arches, https://tinyurl.com/LewinPoland • Millau Viaduct (suspension bridge), France: world’s highest bridge, https://tinyurl.com/ViaductFrance • Ribble Valley Rail, England: several arch bridges and viaducts, https://tinyurl.com/RibbleRail • Riddings Viaduct, England: nine-arch sandstone viaduct, https://tinyurl.com/RiddingsEngland • Semmering Railway Viaduct, Austria: like a gallery, https://tinyurl.com/SemAustria • Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, Pennsylvania, USA: labeled “Lackawanna RR,” https://tinyurl.com/TCreekPA • Varda Viaduct, Turkey: Baghdad Railway crosses a gorge, https://tinyurl.com/VardaTurkey…

Vignettes and transitions A “vignette” is a small portrait whose edges fade into the background without a definite border, or a brief episode. Vignette is my word for a video scene from a story that is unfinished or only partially told. Al Tillman’s railway was undergoing a major renovation on the day we visited but it had several great vistas for viewing slow-moving trains. On the top level we ran Kristine McNary’s super-detailed articulated locomotive, hauling a train of two finescale passenger cars. Later we pulled the coaches with Al’s geared locomotive. Below this we tested a string of classic Santa Fe diesels, ready for delivery to a customer, to which Kristine had added a top notch sound system. We filmed vignettes of slow moving trains and we listened to…

Weathering basics: part 2

When modelers hear the term “weathering powders,” they often think of pastel chalks. These have long been the mainstay of model weathering. For me, weathering powders cover a wide variety of dry particulate materials that can be applied to our models (photo 1). These include chalks, specialized weathering powders, dry-powder paints, and even real dust of various types (coal dust, sawdust, dirt, etc.). I’ve even used eye shadow in the past, but finding suitable shades without any “shimmer” has become increasingly difficult. Anyone who’s ever blown the dust off of an old book knows that the largest obstacle to weathering with powders is a lack of permanence. Part of that has to do with the surface to which you’re applying the powders. In the small scales, this is addressed by…

Weathering basics: part 2

REGIONAL GARDENING REPORTS

What made for a successfully built viaduct? Stan Ames Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Zone 5 Weatherproof materials When we built the first expansion of our railroad, we designed a viaduct going over a pond, with a second stone-arch bridge going over the stream that feeds the pond. We chose a viaduct and bridge built by Lone Star Bridge & Abutments for this project, which looked great but, unfortunately, the material slowly disintegrated in New England’s acid rain and harsh winters. Since this was a key railroad feature, we had to find a solution. Mark at Lone Star no longer had the molds, but he gave us permission to make new molds and cast replacements. The viaduct is made up of three primary castings: the center span/arch, a pier, and a piece that connects the center…

REGIONAL GARDENING REPORTS

Viaduct construction—a balancing act

When building a viaduct over land or water, it’s good to have choices in your empire. This story recognizes the uniqueness of each bridging circumstance. Bridge the track from one hill to the next or carry your railway down a long slope. You can link your garden railway to the history of age-old structures. Add curving arches to your yard for a more organic centerpiece. The rules of construction must match the “sense of place.” Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) had an eye for proportion and a head for math. He also had a hand in creating bridge formulas and a helicopter design hundreds of years before they were “accepted” by modern engineers. His self-supporting, portable arch bridge (photo 2) was used in battles to get soldiers over obstacles like water,…

Viaduct construction—a balancing act

PLANT PORTRAITS

Dwarf conifer Common name: Dwarf balsam fir, dwarf silver fir Latin name: Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil; sun or part shade Plant size: 10" in 10 years Dwarf silver fir’s dark green, fragrant needles (silver underneath) form a compact mound. Trim lower branches for a mini-tree effect. ‘Nana’ in the name means “small.” This is the miniature variety of the Christmas tree used on the east coast. Slowly growing near the side of a beautiful bridge, the bright-green foliage frames this exquisite scene of blues, which could be improved only if you visited in person to smell its balsamy-sweet aroma. Balsam fir tips often scent gift-store sachets, which you could make after pruning this tidy shrub. Although fir looks like spruce, you can do the touch-test to…

PLANT PORTRAITS

10 prototypes to model

• Brusio Circular Viaduct, Switzerland: limits rail gradient to 7%, https://tinyurl.com/BrusioViaduct • Chelfham Viaduct, England: view from the top, https://tinyurl.com/Chelfham • Glennfinnan Viaduct, Scottish Highlands: Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express runs over it, https://tinyurl.com/Glennfinnan • Lewin Kłodzki, Poland: holes between arches, https://tinyurl.com/LewinPoland • Millau Viaduct (suspension bridge), France: world’s highest bridge, https://tinyurl.com/ViaductFrance • Ribble Valley Rail, England: several arch bridges and viaducts, https://tinyurl.com/RibbleRail • Riddings Viaduct, England: nine-arch sandstone viaduct, https://tinyurl.com/RiddingsEngland • Semmering Railway Viaduct, Austria: like a gallery, https://tinyurl.com/SemAustria • Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, Pennsylvania, USA: labeled “Lackawanna RR,” https://tinyurl.com/TCreekPA • Varda Viaduct, Turkey: Baghdad Railway crosses a gorge, https://tinyurl.com/VardaTurkey…

From junk box to maintenance-of-way crane

Montclair, Virginia While waiting for the snow to melt this past winter, I spent some time looking through past issues of GR in hope of finding a winter project. In the April 2015 issue I found an article by Don Parker entitled “Winches, derricks, and cranes.” Photo 3 in his story showed a track gang unloading ties with a home-built crane. I knew right away this could be my project. I’ve been in large scale for 30 years and have kitbashed numerous locomotives and cars, so I have several large boxes of discarded parts, pieces, old derelict cars, and scraps. Dumping out the boxes on the work bench, I was surprised to find an old Lionel crane boom and a generic flatcar among the goodies. These two items became the basics of…

From junk box to maintenance-of-way crane

REGIONAL GARDENING REPORTS

What made for a successfully built viaduct? Stan Ames Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Zone 5 Weatherproof materials When we built the first expansion of our railroad, we designed a viaduct going over a pond, with a second stone-arch bridge going over the stream that feeds the pond. We chose a viaduct and bridge built by Lone Star Bridge & Abutments for this project, which looked great but, unfortunately, the material slowly disintegrated in New England’s acid rain and harsh winters. Since this was a key railroad feature, we had to find a solution. Mark at Lone Star no longer had the molds, but he gave us permission to make new molds and cast replacements. The viaduct is made up of three primary castings: the center span/arch, a pier, and a piece that…

REGIONAL GARDENING REPORTS

ROLLING STOCK for a new railroad

Ukiah, California All of my life I have been a model builder, building to 1:24 scale. I first became interested in garden railroading in 1989. I was inspired by the California narrow-gauge railroads, particularly the Carson & Colorado. I construct almost everything myself, including hand spiking my track. Over the following 17 years, my Big River Railroad evolved, with motive power, rolling stock, and buildings. It even changed locations once. In its final form, the railroad ran all around our house in San Diego. If you want to see more details and pictures of the line, go to www.bigriverlines.com and follow the links to “Big River Railroad,” or see the April 2000 issue of Garden Railways. In 2006 I retired, tore up everything, and sold it all to friends. I was done…

ROLLING STOCK for a new railroad

PLANT PORTRAITS

Dwarf conifer Common name: Dwarf balsam fir, dwarf silver fir Latin name: Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8 Cultural needs: Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil; sun or part shade Plant size: 10" in 10 years Dwarf silver fir’s dark green, fragrant needles (silver underneath) form a compact mound. Trim lower branches for a mini-tree effect. ‘Nana’ in the name means “small.” This is the miniature variety of the Christmas tree used on the east coast. Slowly growing near the side of a beautiful bridge, the bright-green foliage frames this exquisite scene of blues, which could be improved only if you visited in person to smell its balsamy-sweet aroma. Balsam fir tips often scent gift-store sachets, which you could make after pruning this tidy shrub. Although fir looks like spruce, you…

PLANT PORTRAITS

READERS’ GALLERY

Send your photos to Readers’ Gallery: Garden Railways, PO Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187-1612, USA or email them to: editor@gardenrailways.com…

READERS’ GALLERY

From junk box to maintenance-of-way crane

Montclair, Virginia While waiting for the snow to melt this past winter, I spent some time looking through past issues of GR in hope of finding a winter project. In the April 2015 issue I found an article by Don Parker entitled “Winches, derricks, and cranes.” Photo 3 in his story showed a track gang unloading ties with a home-built crane. I knew right away this could be my project. I’ve been in large scale for 30 years and have kitbashed numerous locomotives and cars, so I have several large boxes of discarded parts, pieces, old derelict cars, and scraps. Dumping out the boxes on the work bench, I was surprised to find an old Lionel crane boom and a generic flatcar among the goodies. These two items became the…

From junk box to maintenance-of-way crane

THE TOWN OF SNOW CREEK

San Diego, California DOWNSIZING A GARDEN RAILROAD is never fun but over the last few years I’ve been forced to do just that with my Snow Creek Railroad (see February 2014 GR). All too soon after the remodeling had been completed, I realized that the town of Snow Creek was wearing out. Yeah, I know it would’ve been easier to rebuild the rocks and spruce up the buildings where they existed but I wanted to take the opportunity to relocate the town so it would be more visible from the house, rather than being hidden at the back of the railroad. This meant having to move Snow Creek to the front side of the railroad. The challenge here was to make the town feel large but not be large enough to…

THE TOWN OF SNOW CREEK

Build a TRACK ODOMETER

Windsor, Colorado In searching for fun things to do with my recent interest in Arduino microcontrollers, I decided it would be nice to have a track-inspection car of sorts that could act as an odometer. This would measure the distance traveled over the mainline, giving a definitive answer to the common question, “How long is your mainline run?” The concept is simple. If you count the number of revolutions a wheel of the inspection car makes over the course of the run, you could calculate the distance traveled based on the circumference of the wheel. Since every piece of rolling stock has different size wheels, though, I wanted to make the program work for any car. A calibration routine would solve that. Record the number of counts obtained over a 10'-section of…

Build a TRACK ODOMETER

ROLLING STOCK for a new railroad

Ukiah, California All of my life I have been a model builder, building to 1:24 scale. I first became interested in garden railroading in 1989. I was inspired by the California narrow-gauge railroads, particularly the Carson & Colorado. I construct almost everything myself, including hand spiking my track. Over the following 17 years, my Big River Railroad evolved, with motive power, rolling stock, and buildings. It even changed locations once. In its final form, the railroad ran all around our house in San Diego. If you want to see more details and pictures of the line, go to www.bigriverlines.com and follow the links to “Big River Railroad,” or see the April 2000 issue of Garden Railways. In 2006 I retired, tore up everything, and sold it all to friends. I…

ROLLING STOCK for a new railroad

Protect your track with a SNOW SHED

Brewster, Massachusetts WHEN PLANNING MY SNOW SHEDS, a quick Internet search of prototype-railroad snow sheds yielded many photos. They come in many styles and designs, usually being custom built for the railroads they serve and locations they protect. The sheds I built are freelance designs, with elements taken from the prototypes. There is no mistaking what they are, though my snow sheds are used to prevent low pine branches from hitting the trains on my railroad. I built two snow sheds. One is 36" long and the other, described here, is 48" long. You could make one any length by using a similar approach. The location of this shed is on an elevated section of my line. I had to make special brackets to attach the shed but you could place this…

Protect your track with a SNOW SHED

READERS’ GALLERY

Send your photos to Readers’ Gallery: Garden Railways, PO Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187-1612, USA or email them to: editor@gardenrailways.com…

READERS’ GALLERY

THE TOWN OF SNOW CREEK

San Diego, California DOWNSIZING A GARDEN RAILROAD is never fun but over the last few years I’ve been forced to do just that with my Snow Creek Railroad (see February 2014 GR). All too soon after the remodeling had been completed, I realized that the town of Snow Creek was wearing out. Yeah, I know it would’ve been easier to rebuild the rocks and spruce up the buildings where they existed but I wanted to take the opportunity to relocate the town so it would be more visible from the house, rather than being hidden at the back of the railroad. This meant having to move Snow Creek to the front side of the railroad. The challenge here was to make the town feel large but not be large enough…

THE TOWN OF SNOW CREEK

BUILDING STRUCTURES with foam insulation board

Placitas, New Mexico The buildings on my Zia & Columbine Railroad are 1:20-scale models of historic structures that are at least 100 years old. They were chosen because they represent various styles of architecture and had some connection to the railroads of New Mexico and Colorado from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Due to space constraints, most of the buildings are somewhat compressed, mostly by eliminating repetitive features. All my buildings remain outdoors year round, so they have to be sturdy and weatherproof. They were all built using the same construction method—a basic shape made from ½"-thick foam, which does not rot or warp, and various materials used to finish the exterior. This results in a lightweight structure that is quite rugged but still heavy enough that it is…

BUILDING STRUCTURES with foam insulation board

Lessons learned

1 It is best to paint all surfaces of the foam parts, including the edges, before assembling them. That hardens the surfaces and gives the adhesives a stronger bond. 2 Precision Products plastic sheets for roofing do not stand up well in our hot desert sun no matter how well painted. However, they do seem to last quite well on walls that have an overhanging roof. 3 Corrugated plastic works best for sub-roofing. Masonite, no matter how well painted and protected, will warp over time. I will not be using it anymore and will eventually have to replace it on existing buildings. 4 Roofs and floors of upper stories must be well supported! This floor is Masonite covered with 90# mineral coated roll roofing but not well supported. Additional supports and Coroplast decking…

Lessons learned

Build a TRACK ODOMETER

Windsor, Colorado In searching for fun things to do with my recent interest in Arduino microcontrollers, I decided it would be nice to have a track-inspection car of sorts that could act as an odometer. This would measure the distance traveled over the mainline, giving a definitive answer to the common question, “How long is your mainline run?” The concept is simple. If you count the number of revolutions a wheel of the inspection car makes over the course of the run, you could calculate the distance traveled based on the circumference of the wheel. Since every piece of rolling stock has different size wheels, though, I wanted to make the program work for any car. A calibration routine would solve that. Record the number of counts obtained over a…

Build a TRACK ODOMETER

Propagating plants

There are several ways to get more of the plants that you already have without buying them. Getting more for less is not only economical, but relatively easy. In this column I’ll describe how you can propagate plants by dividing, making cuttings, and saving seeds. Self-propagation The easiest way to get more plants is to let the plants do their thing. For instance, groundcovers often spread by underground runners (rhizomes), flowering plants by seeds, some woody plants by layering (growing roots and a new plant where a branch touches the ground), and some by suckering (new plants growing from roots). An example of the latter is shown in photo 1, where a Washington hawthorn tree, grown in a pot to keep it small, produced a sucker from one of its escaped roots. Sweet…

Propagating plants

Protect your track with a SNOW SHED

Brewster, Massachusetts WHEN PLANNING MY SNOW SHEDS, a quick Internet search of prototype-railroad snow sheds yielded many photos. They come in many styles and designs, usually being custom built for the railroads they serve and locations they protect. The sheds I built are freelance designs, with elements taken from the prototypes. There is no mistaking what they are, though my snow sheds are used to prevent low pine branches from hitting the trains on my railroad. I built two snow sheds. One is 36" long and the other, described here, is 48" long. You could make one any length by using a similar approach. The location of this shed is on an elevated section of my line. I had to make special brackets to attach the shed but you could…

Protect your track with a SNOW SHED

Just what is a clack valve?

Clack valves, also called check valves or non-return valves, are essential parts of the system for adding water to a boiler when it is under pressure. Clack valves can be found on any small-scale-live-steam locomotive that is equipped with a hand or axle pump. The clack valve is a clever bit of engineering. There are two of these valves in a pump, each comprised of a small-diameter ball, one on either side of the pump’s ram. Below the lower ball is the water supply and behind the upper ball is the feed line to the locomotive’s boiler. The upper ball is held firmly on its seat by boiler pressure. On the pump intake stroke (figure 1A), the ram retreats in the pump-cylinder cavity, creating suction and lifting the lower ball off the…

Just what is a clack valve?

9 September, 2018: Columbus Garden Railway Society Annual Garden Tour of Homes • 1-5 p.m., rain or shine • For maps, visit thecgrs.org 20-23 September, 2018: Fall Steamup at Staver Locomotive • 2537 NW 29th Ave., Portland OR 97210 • 503-222-3223 • info@staverlocomotive.com • http://staverlocomotive.com 27-28 October, 2018: Rocky Mountain Hobby-Expo • Denver Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave., Denver CO 80216 • 303-345-5031 • http://rockymountainhobby-expo.com 14-18 December, 2018: Garden Railway Exhibition • Outeniqua Transport Museum 2 Mission Rd, George Central, George, 6530, South Africa • David Cairns, shares@iafrica.com or northstarrailway@gmail.com 19-21 January, 2019: 12th New Zealand Garden Railway Convention • hosted by Wairarapa & Wellington Garden Railway Groups • Chris Drowley, 47 Chester Road, Tawa, Wellington 2058, New Zealand • +64 274 496 907 • cdrowley@xtra.co.nz 29-30 March, 2019: East Coast Large Scale Train Show…

BUILDING STRUCTURES with foam insulation board

Placitas, New Mexico The buildings on my Zia & Columbine Railroad are 1:20-scale models of historic structures that are at least 100 years old. They were chosen because they represent various styles of architecture and had some connection to the railroads of New Mexico and Colorado from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Due to space constraints, most of the buildings are somewhat compressed, mostly by eliminating repetitive features. All my buildings remain outdoors year round, so they have to be sturdy and weatherproof. They were all built using the same construction method—a basic shape made from ½"-thick foam, which does not rot or warp, and various materials used to finish the exterior. This results in a lightweight structure that is quite rugged but still heavy enough that it…

BUILDING STRUCTURES with foam insulation board

Let’s start off this time with some interesting workshop techniques, beginning with plastics. Did you ever have a Mattel Vac-U-Form toy when you were a kid? (If not, you can watch a quick demo/ad here: youtu.be/lCvgvWiZNe8). This toy made vacuum-formed plastic shapes out of heated styrene sheets. This technology is simple enough to cobble together with cheap or free materials and a shop vac. Heating the styrene can be done in a toaster oven (from the thrift store). Everything else (boards, pegboard) is common scrap-pile or lumber-yard stuff. There are lots of videos showing variants of the machine. Here are a couple of good ones: a small, bench-top former (youtu.be/Gx66mS7U2vY) and a large commercial machine (youtu.be/Cacr1WeKOzY), with some great how-to from Mythbuster Adam Savage. Not only do we learn how…

Lessons learned

1 It is best to paint all surfaces of the foam parts, including the edges, before assembling them. That hardens the surfaces and gives the adhesives a stronger bond. 2 Precision Products plastic sheets for roofing do not stand up well in our hot desert sun no matter how well painted. However, they do seem to last quite well on walls that have an overhanging roof. 3 Corrugated plastic works best for sub-roofing. Masonite, no matter how well painted and protected, will warp over time. I will not be using it anymore and will eventually have to replace it on existing buildings. 4 Roofs and floors of upper stories must be well supported! This floor is Masonite covered with 90# mineral coated roll roofing but not well supported. Additional supports…

Lessons learned

This locomotive is modeled after an engine built by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio. The prototype, serial Nº 119, was built in 1884 as a 14 ton, three truck, coal-burning Shay. It was the second, and last, two cylinder, three-truck Shay built by this company. Missouri Locomotive Company has a reputation for producing high quality, limited-production models of unusual locomotives, usually connected with the logging industry. This one is no exception. The vast majority of Shay-type locomotives had two powered trucks. Occasionally, circumstances called for a third. Power is transmitted to this third truck by the same driveshaft that powers the first two. The second (middle) truck is positioned under the cab, while the third is placed under the enlarged tender section, which is, in effect, a separate car. The…

Propagating plants

There are several ways to get more of the plants that you already have without buying them. Getting more for less is not only economical, but relatively easy. In this column I’ll describe how you can propagate plants by dividing, making cuttings, and saving seeds. Self-propagation The easiest way to get more plants is to let the plants do their thing. For instance, groundcovers often spread by underground runners (rhizomes), flowering plants by seeds, some woody plants by layering (growing roots and a new plant where a branch touches the ground), and some by suckering (new plants growing from roots). An example of the latter is shown in photo 1, where a Washington hawthorn tree, grown in a pot to keep it small, produced a sucker from one of its…

Propagating plants

A British classic

The “Victory” class of locomotives was produced in Britain by Kerr Stuart in 1917. Only 10 were built and, after WWI, were dispersed around the country. The model is available in three variations: black with twin safety valves, Great Western Railway green, or black with a safety-valve bonnet. Our review sample is the green GWR version. Accucraft intends this locomotive to be a “starter” engine, which it is well designed to do. However, there is enough to it that it should appeal to more advanced steamers as well. It is a plain model of a plain prototype. The detail level is relatively low but, after viewing photos of the prototype, it is apparent that there are not a lot more details that could be added. The engine is Accucraft’s typical gas fired,…

A British classic

Just what is a clack valve?

Clack valves, also called check valves or non-return valves, are essential parts of the system for adding water to a boiler when it is under pressure. Clack valves can be found on any small-scale-live-steam locomotive that is equipped with a hand or axle pump. The clack valve is a clever bit of engineering. There are two of these valves in a pump, each comprised of a small-diameter ball, one on either side of the pump’s ram. Below the lower ball is the water supply and behind the upper ball is the feed line to the locomotive’s boiler. The upper ball is held firmly on its seat by boiler pressure. On the pump intake stroke (figure 1A), the ram retreats in the pump-cylinder cavity, creating suction and lifting the lower ball…

Just what is a clack valve?

9 September, 2018: Columbus Garden Railway Society Annual Garden Tour of Homes • 1-5 p.m., rain or shine • For maps, visit thecgrs.org 20-23 September, 2018: Fall Steamup at Staver Locomotive • 2537 NW 29th Ave., Portland OR 97210 • 503-222-3223 • info@staverlocomotive.com • http://staverlocomotive.com 27-28 October, 2018: Rocky Mountain Hobby-Expo • Denver Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave., Denver CO 80216 • 303-345-5031 • http://rockymountainhobby-expo.com 14-18 December, 2018: Garden Railway Exhibition • Outeniqua Transport Museum 2 Mission Rd, George Central, George, 6530, South Africa • David Cairns, shares@iafrica.com or northstarrailway@gmail.com 19-21 January, 2019: 12th New Zealand Garden Railway Convention • hosted by Wairarapa & Wellington Garden Railway Groups • Chris Drowley, 47 Chester Road, Tawa, Wellington 2058, New Zealand • +64 274 496 907 • cdrowley@xtra.co.nz 29-30 March, 2019: East…

Creating a rural vignette

Jacksonville, Florida In the August 2017 issue of Garden Railways I described how I reused a Christmas train set to make a yard office and a water tank. This time I’ll tell you how I used a garage-sale find to make a roadside scene. The produce shed is from a Cracker Barrel horse-stable play set. When reworked, it resembles the roadside produce stand made by Plasticville in a smaller scale since the 1950s. It is expensive to buy at full price but would not be hard to scratchbuild for your railway. I made the base for this scene from a scrap of plywood that I cut into an irregular shape, then beveled the edges. I spray-painted the plywood black to seal the edges. The gravel covering the base is actually the granules that…

Creating a rural vignette

Let’s start off this time with some interesting workshop techniques, beginning with plastics. Did you ever have a Mattel Vac-U-Form toy when you were a kid? (If not, you can watch a quick demo/ad here: youtu.be/lCvgvWiZNe8). This toy made vacuum-formed plastic shapes out of heated styrene sheets. This technology is simple enough to cobble together with cheap or free materials and a shop vac. Heating the styrene can be done in a toaster oven (from the thrift store). Everything else (boards, pegboard) is common scrap-pile or lumber-yard stuff. There are lots of videos showing variants of the machine. Here are a couple of good ones: a small, bench-top former (youtu.be/Gx66mS7U2vY) and a large commercial machine (youtu.be/Cacr1WeKOzY), with some great how-to from Mythbuster Adam Savage. Not only do we learn how…

This locomotive is modeled after an engine built by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio. The prototype, serial Nº 119, was built in 1884 as a 14 ton, three truck, coal-burning Shay. It was the second, and last, two cylinder, three-truck Shay built by this company. Missouri Locomotive Company has a reputation for producing high quality, limited-production models of unusual locomotives, usually connected with the logging industry. This one is no exception. The vast majority of Shay-type locomotives had two powered trucks. Occasionally, circumstances called for a third. Power is transmitted to this third truck by the same driveshaft that powers the first two. The second (middle) truck is positioned under the cab, while the third is placed under the enlarged tender section, which is, in effect, a separate…

A British classic

The “Victory” class of locomotives was produced in Britain by Kerr Stuart in 1917. Only 10 were built and, after WWI, were dispersed around the country. The model is available in three variations: black with twin safety valves, Great Western Railway green, or black with a safety-valve bonnet. Our review sample is the green GWR version. Accucraft intends this locomotive to be a “starter” engine, which it is well designed to do. However, there is enough to it that it should appeal to more advanced steamers as well. It is a plain model of a plain prototype. The detail level is relatively low but, after viewing photos of the prototype, it is apparent that there are not a lot more details that could be added. The engine is Accucraft’s typical…

A British classic

Creating a rural vignette

Jacksonville, Florida In the August 2017 issue of Garden Railways I described how I reused a Christmas train set to make a yard office and a water tank. This time I’ll tell you how I used a garage-sale find to make a roadside scene. The produce shed is from a Cracker Barrel horse-stable play set. When reworked, it resembles the roadside produce stand made by Plasticville in a smaller scale since the 1950s. It is expensive to buy at full price but would not be hard to scratchbuild for your railway. I made the base for this scene from a scrap of plywood that I cut into an irregular shape, then beveled the edges. I spray-painted the plywood black to seal the edges. The gravel covering the base is actually…

Creating a rural vignette

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