Thyme leaf rockspray

thymeleaf_rockspray

Nancy Norris Common name: Thyme-leaf rockspray, small-leaf rockspray Latin name: Cotoneaster microphyllus var. thymifolius Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11 (marginally in Zone 4, with snow cover) Cultural needs: Average, well-drained soil; sun for fruit Plant size: Less than 12″ and spreading, unless trained Nancy Norris Although the common name of […]

Read More…

Bachmann manual turnout switch stand

bachmannthrow1

Marc Horovitz Manual turnout switch stand Bachmann Industries 1400 East Erie Avenue Philadelphia PA 19124 Price: $17 Website: www.bachmanntrains.com Manual switch machine (#94648); removable indicator flags; three sets of standoffs and actuator bars provided; two throw distances possible; instructions supplied Pros: Well-made product; heavy construction; throw handle stays in place with detents; mechanism well sealed […]

Read More…

Using succulents on your garden railway

sedum1

1. Hardy African iceplant makes a great groundcover, here blooming in late May. On the right is Angelina stonecrop, with yellow-green leaves, rising to 4-5″ tall. (All photos were taken on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad unless noted.) Photos by the author Don Parker 2. This small, yellow-flowering stonecrop (probably Sedum acer ‘Aureum’) is […]

Read More…

Using thyme in the railway garden

thyme1

1. White moss thyme (Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’), 1-2″ in height, with tiny white blooms in June, trails over the water’s edge. No need to trim this thyme, with the possible exception of shearing old growth in early spring. Two months beyond blooming thyme, Dan Saporito left a few gray twigs in place to give it […]

Read More…

A Passion for Steam book, second edition

steambook

A Passion for Steam (2nd edition) by Marc Horovitz Cal-Pac Trading Company 33268 Central Ave. Union City CA 94587 8¾” x 11″, 240 pages, color, hardbound with dust jacket Price: $45 Website: www.accucraft.com If ever there was an appropriately titled book, it has to be this one. The first time I met Marc Horovitz, in […]

Read More…

Corrugated metal sheets

corrugatedmetal

Marc Horovitz Corrugated metal G-Scale Corrugated Metal http://gscalecorrugatedmetal.com Price: 45¢ per  ¼” x 5″ panel + s&h Corrugated tinplate panels; 11/4″ wide x 5″ long x .006″ thick Pros: Good corrugated profile; prototypical material; easy to work; can be prototypically weathered Cons: Actual scale not quoted Corrugated steel sheet was (and is) an inexpensive, durable, […]

Read More…

MyLocoSound sound system

mylocosound

Kevin Strong Analog/digital sound system for steam and diesel locomotives MyLocoSound Available in the US through G-Scale Graphics 4118 Clayton Ct. Fort Collins CO 80525 Price: $79 Website: www.mylocosound.com Locomotive sound boards with analog and digitals sounds; programmable—lots of user flexibility; steam or diesel available; a variety of sounds on either board Pros: Good overall […]

Read More…

Accucraft’s 28-ton Shay in live steam

A garden scale model of a logging locomotive.

1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, live-steam Shay Accucraft 33268 Central Avenue Union City CA 94587 Price: $2,299 Website: www.accucraft.com 1:20.3 scale, gauge 1, live-steam model of a 28-ton, three-cylinder Shay; steel, brass, and stainless-steel construction; butane fired—gas tank in bunker; hand pump in bunker; blow-off pressure, 55 psi; fittings include safety valve, throttle, water glass, pressure […]

Read More…

Life along the Winnegance & Quebec

Garden scale figure operating a similar sized hand car.

Name:    Eric Schade Forum User Name:    captain perry Railroad Name:    Winnegance and Quebec Location:    Phippsburg, Maine Scale:    1:13.7 (7/8″=1 foot) Theme:    Maine two foot gauge Description:    Life in small town Maine is full of interesting characters. you see some of them as the train snakes through the woods and over the covered bridges. Most of […]

Read More…