A guide to plant-hardiness zones

Garden Railways

To a novice gardener, the topic of plant-hardiness zones can be as confusing as gauge and scale terminology is to the beginning model railroader. With gauge and scale, there are different standards used by various manufacturers. In gardening, growers and publishers utilize different hardiness-zone ratings. The main confusion comes from the fact that there are […]

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Garden railroad electrical/electricity questions and answers

Garden Railways

Garden railroad electrical/electricity questions and answers Is it safe to power your trains outdoors? Will I get electrocuted? It’s completely safe to run track power outdoors! Our trains, like those in the smaller scales, run on low-voltage DC, usually 18-24V. Thus, it is perfectly safe to run your trains outdoors, even in the rain or […]

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Rock Island South Local

Model trains next to struction

Follow along as the southbound local on Rock Island’s Mid-Continent Route operates from Inver Grove Yard in Minnesota to Armourdale Yard in Kansas City, Kan., and meets a few trains along the way. Video by Michael Armstrong. […]

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B&O Ridgley Division cab ride

Model diesel locomotive

Climb aboard B&O no. 4580 and enjoy a cab ride along the B&O Ridgley Division. Your journey starts at Clarksville yard and terminates past the tiny town of Franklin. You will pass through Macauley, Heckton, the S curve around Leyden lake, and ride the high line. Video by Dale Ridgeway. […]

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RSAX shelf layout update

A Black model railroad locomotive.

Alejandro’s “Random Semi-arid Railroad” (RSAX) is a small shelf layout set somewhere between 1970 and 1990. The layout is intended to be lightweight and portable, so that it can be hung upon storage. […]

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