Greetings from Zimmerman, MN

[grandslambert]

I just joined here and looking forward to learning more about G Scale. I received my first G Scale car yesterday which prompted a trip to the local hobby shop where I acquired some LGB track and a 4-wheel caboose. It's not much but it is a start. The journey has just begun! I have been into model railroading in HO Scale for 40 years and still collect that to use at train shows on my Free-mo modules. In HO Scale I model Norfolk Southern in the late 1980's. In December I bought my home in Zimmerman, MN and started building my S Scale basement layout. Model Railroading is NOT my hobby, it's my lifestyle! My S Scale layout is based in Columbia, SC and is based on the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens. Both of these are operating railroads.

Now the wife has approved a G Scale railroad in the future raised garden bed in the back yard. This will be both for fun and also be a bit of a working railroad. It will begin in the third bay of my garage (for storage when not operating) and cross a large trestle onto the 26' x 30' raised garden bed built in U-Shape. It will make a full loop around the outside edges of the garden and offer continuous running. I will include a half dozen or more spurs to spot cars. In the late winter I will be starting my vegetables in the heated garage and use the railroad to transport them to the various spurs for planting. During the season, I will use gondolas (which is why this was my first purchase) to transport smaller items like small tomatoes, peppers, and herbs back to the garage. I will be using CVP Products AirWire system for control so the tracks will not be powered. Since both my HO and S scale layouts are diesel, I am planning to run Steam in the garden.

I look forward to learning from the community and sharing my progress. Unfortunately it will likely be late fall or early next spring before I start building the garden beds so for now I will be more focused on collecting equipment for the future railroad.

 

[PhilP]

Welcome to the Forum Bert! - I assume?

You will find lots of advice, and inspiration, not to mention some very bad jokes..

It will be interesting to see the development of a 'working' garden railroad..
Not so much on the Airwire system, though. - My Large Scale, may be a better Forum for advice on that particular system?

PhilP.

 

[idlemarvel]

Welcome. Collecting stuff is fun as well, some people do more collecting than playing operating!

 

[Rhinochugger]

I just joined here and looking forward to learning more about G Scale. I received my first G Scale car yesterday which prompted a trip to the local hobby shop where I acquired some LGB track and a 4-wheel caboose. It's not much but it is a start. The journey has just begun! I have been into model railroading in HO Scale for 40 years and still collect that to use at train shows on my Free-mo modules. In HO Scale I model Norfolk Southern in the late 1980's. In December I bought my home in Zimmerman, MN and started building my S Scale basement layout. Model Railroading is NOT my hobby, it's my lifestyle! My S Scale layout is based in Columbia, SC and is based on the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens. Both of these are operating railroads.

Now the wife has approved a G Scale railroad in the future raised garden bed in the back yard. This will be both for fun and also be a bit of a working railroad. It will begin in the third bay of my garage (for storage when not operating) and cross a large trestle onto the 26' x 30' raised garden bed built in U-Shape. It will make a full loop around the outside edges of the garden and offer continuous running. I will include a half dozen or more spurs to spot cars. In the late winter I will be starting my vegetables in the heated garage and use the railroad to transport them to the various spurs for planting. During the season, I will use gondolas (which is why this was my first purchase) to transport smaller items like small tomatoes, peppers, and herbs back to the garage. I will be using CVP Products AirWire system for control so the tracks will not be powered. Since both my HO and S scale layouts are diesel, I am planning to run Steam in the garden.

I look forward to learning from the community and sharing my progress. Unfortunately it will likely be late fall or early next spring before I start building the garden beds so for now I will be more focused on collecting equipment for the future railroad.

Just set it up indoors if you feel the need to practice The lounge is as good a place as any

 

[Paul M]

Welcome to the forum. A roundy-roundyline is just the thing for watching trains being tested, with the beverage of you choice, on sunny days in the garden.
Where is MN?

 

[Rhinochugger]

Welcome to the forum. A roundy-roundyline is just the thing for watching trains being tested, with the beverage of you choice, on sunny days in the garden.
Where is MN?

Minnesota - according to my Google-fu

 

[Paul M]

Minnesota - according to my Google-fu

OK. Just wondered

 

[Rhinochugger]

OK. Just wondered

So did I - couldn't work it out for meself

 

[playmofire]

Welcome from the UK. The verandah/porch may be a good place for a line for the present until you can get the garden one underway, even if it's only an auto shuttle line along the rail top!

 

[grandslambert]

Welcome to the Forum Bert! - I assume?

You will find lots of advice, and inspiration, not to mention some very bad jokes..

It will be interesting to see the development of a 'working' garden railroad..
Not so much on the Airwire system, though. - My Large Scale, may be a better Forum for advice on that particular system?

PhilP.

Sorry, it looks like my signature isn't working. My full name is Shane Lambert - the handle is a long story. I have plenty of experience with the Airwire system so no problems there. And as long as I can use them as "dad jokes", I'll be adding them to my repertoire.

 

[grandslambert]

Just set it up indoors if you feel the need to practice The lounge is as good a place as any

I have the full basement at my disposal but I have an agreement with the CEO (read as wife) that trains are not allowed on the main level. This agreement keeps Unicorn decorations off that level too, so it's an acceptable compromise.

 

[JimmyB]

Shane welcome to the forum, do some thinking and planning before you start in earnest, however nothing wrong with getting a few tracks on the ground to practice first. The search function on the forum is very good, and if you have a question, chances are it's already been asked, but ask away, we love answering questions, and we love photos

 

[grandslambert]

Shane welcome to the forum, do some thinking and planning before you start in earnest, however nothing wrong with getting a few tracks on the ground to practice first. The search function on the forum is very good, and if you have a question, chances are it's already been asked, but ask away, we love answering questions, and we love photos

I already have done quite a bit of thinking so I have a good idea what I want to model railroad and time frame wise (DRGW in the mid 1940s's). I have already measured the space for the raised garden and drawn up an initial track plan, but as with everything I do, it will change 100 times before I start building. The first thing I need to decide is what material to build the raised garden beds with - lumber or paver blocks. Lumber is expensive right now but easier to handle, paver blocks are cheaper but heavier. Of course, none of that can start until I remove the 4 crabapple trees that are in the way!

 

[playmofire]

I already have done quite a bit of thinking so I have a good idea what I want to model railroad and time frame wise (DRGW in the mid 1940s's). I have already measured the space for the raised garden and drawn up an initial track plan, but as with everything I do, it will change 100 times before I start building. The first thing I need to decide is what material to build the raised garden beds with - lumber or paver blocks. Lumber is expensive right now but easier to handle, paver blocks are cheaper but heavier. Of course, none of that can start until I remove the 4 crabapple trees that are in the way!

Could you not go round the crab apple trees?

 

[grandslambert]

Could you not go round the crab apple trees?

Not the way they are spaced, and they are in the way of my raised garden bed that will be about 3' high. Plus, I hate crabapples in my yard so it's just easier to remove them and have a clean slate to work with. They were here when I bought the house and even before I planned a garden railroad the trees were slated to be removed.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

So, with all this time on your hands, you can at least start planning your layout.

one suggestion, it's just as easy (pretty close) to run 2 tracks parallel, double the fun, double the trains.

Have you made a list of the types of locos you want to run? That will drive the minimum curvature. You can also start accumulating track once you make some other decisions.

I have some web pages for beginners, compiled over the last 22 years, and it's the questions that have come up over and over, and also some "insurance" on avoiding common mistakes.

I too came from HO, then N, then G and Z.

Greg

 

[grandslambert]

So, with all this time on your hands, you can at least start planning your layout.

one suggestion, it's just as easy (pretty close) to run 2 tracks parallel, double the fun, double the trains.

Have you made a list of the types of locos you want to run? That will drive the minimum curvature. You can also start accumulating track once you make some other decisions.

I have some web pages for beginners, compiled over the last 22 years, and it's the questions that have come up over and over, and also some "insurance" on avoiding common mistakes.

I too came from HO, then N, then G and Z.

Greg

Actually, I have started planning my railroad. I know the size of the overall railroad (26' x 30'), the railroad (DRGW), era (1940's), likely running with an LGB 2-6-0 Mogul on R3 track. I will be running battery powered most likely with CVP AirWire but still open to suggestions here as I am also looking at BlueRail (though I have already ruled out RailPro). The rolling stock will mostly be gondolas to "work" the garden, but a few others will be included as I find things I like. I supposed a few flats for the large veggies that we will harvest. I have looked at various track components and have already ruled against hand laid track as I just have too many other hobbies to spend time building and maintaining track. I have some ideas now how to support the track in the raised garden beds to keep it mostly flat and level (except where it isn't supposed to be flat and level). Plus, don't forget I still have two other scales and most of my time this year will be spent finishing the S Scale layout in the basement.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

First suggestion would be to strive to go "one size up" on your track curves. Going from 8 foot diameter to 10 foot diameter makes a huge difference in the choices in locos that will run on your layout, and will make all locos run better.

If your track is all level, leave it floating in ballast, simple, inexpensive, and the raised planter will provided drainage, so no issues. Also since you are making the raised planter, clearly there will be settling, and it's easy to pour ballast on the track, reach through it and pull the track up a bit.

Putting pavers or bricks underneath requires you remove the track, dig them up, add dirt and put them back and then the track... WAY more work.

Trying to fix the track in place directly to blocks or wood can be problematic, since the heating and cooling will work the ballast between the track and the blocks, and then what good are they, you are now floating on ballast.

Greg

 

[grandslambert]

First suggestion would be to strive to go "one size up" on your track curves. Going from 8 foot diameter to 10 foot diameter makes a huge difference in the choices in locos that will run on your layout, and will make all locos run better.

If your track is all level, leave it floating in ballast, simple, inexpensive, and the raised planter will provided drainage, so no issues. Also since you are making the raised planter, clearly there will be settling, and it's easy to pour ballast on the track, reach through it and pull the track up a bit.

Putting pavers or bricks underneath requires you remove the track, dig them up, add dirt and put them back and then the track... WAY more work.

Trying to fix the track in place directly to blocks or wood can be problematic, since the heating and cooling will work the ballast between the track and the blocks, and then what good are they, you are now floating on ballast.

Greg

I think you misunderstood - the pavers or lumber are to frame the raised garden bed, not support the tracks. The tracks will be laid on a roadbed built up from the garden soil with a layer of sand, then a layer of rocks, then track with crushed red granite for ballast.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Actually, I got the part about the construction of the raised walls, although most people call them "landscape blocks"...

I was giving unasked-for advice on the track.