Trains.com

Garden

1164 views
17 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Garden
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 6:29 AM
My vote is to garden with a railway in it - and nicely blended together.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: S.Easton , Mass.
  • 593 posts
Posted by smcgill on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 6:40 AM
I'm building the railroad first .
The garden's tree's and ground cover will go in after track and hills are set!

Mischief

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 7:53 AM
Well I voted trade off with the wife, I have not begun construction yet but in order to claim the necessary real-estate for this venture. When constructed I'm sure scale plants and structures will be close to the rail and larger plants behind them.... as long as they don't obstruct the view of the trains, otherwise out come the pruning shears[}:)][:D]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 8:41 AM
I voted "whats a garden" only cause if it stands still long enough and it's green it gets mowed.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 12:02 PM
I plan to have a railroad as a part of the garden. I grow mainly peppers of all types and sizes (and I like to do experimental work with them.....BBBBUwwwwaHHHHAHAHAHAH!) The railline will bring goods to market and bring in the military should any experiment go...awry!
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Smoggy L.A.
  • 10,743 posts
Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 12:49 PM
What garden?

I'm indoors cause I cant get permission to turn the weed strewn Back 40 (sq.ft.) into a rock garden RR... Sheesh!

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 2:19 PM
Hi Kim and All,
My garden is finally a garden with a railway in it.I would not have it any other way (this is me speaking and not my wife,honest! )
I've spent the last few weeks extending the railway and now have approx a 300 foot main line with added passing loops and a station complex that I am in the middle of.
From my conservatory or standing on the deck I can see about 50 foot of it.
The children can still play football ect and my wife is really happy with it.I can go to any part of the garden now and get a different 'view'of the railway.I'm really pleased as it fits in with all aspects of family/garden life.
One downside is the cat.As far as the cat is concerned,I have built a wonderful path to the bottom of the garden to go moth hunting.Also the railway passes through the shed so it can have a snooze the way and is elevated at the bottom so it does'nt have to jump as high.Life is good[:)]
  • Member since
    January 2014
  • 1,264 posts
Posted by bman36 on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 8:36 PM
Hey there,
I voted an equal balance. The roadbed is prepped and ready for track. Until now it has been a garden with winding paths begging for track to be laid. Too much else on the go to get my track down. Enough is enough...after my trip to Marty's and touring with OLD DAD.....IT"S TIME!!! Will post the inaugural run! Soon baby soon...Later eh...Brian.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 9:21 PM
hi Kim
I would have voted none of the above had it been there the garden and railway are one entity or should be. the removal of one part should spoil the other and vice versa.
Seek the path of true wisdom[:D]
regards John
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 9, 2004 2:16 AM
Hi John,
Yes, I agree. That was my main meaning with 'garden with a railway in it'. I like to sit in my garden and admire the features, bushes, flowers etc as well as the RR. Depending where you sit in the garden - and when planting is finished - you wouldn't notice the RR unless something was moving but you would know something was missing if it was taken away. It's a great life!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
  • Member since
    May 2002
  • From: South Australia
  • 380 posts
Posted by toenailridgesl on Thursday, September 9, 2004 3:42 AM
The Toenail Ridge Shortline was built 8 years ago as one entity, the railway and garden planned & made together.
This same concept is still the rule. I don't have a garden railway, I own a private little world.
Phil Creer, The Toenail Ridge Shortline,  Adelaide Sth Oz http://www.trainweb.org/toenailridge toparo ergo sum
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 9, 2004 6:45 AM
In the beginning I had a construction site, then it became a model railroad with no garden. Now it is slowly becoming a balanced railway and garden.
This has been my plan all along but I work so slow that many thought I didn't plan for a garden.

OLD slowpoke DAD
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 9, 2004 8:39 AM
MY RAIL ROAD HAS A LOT OF FLOWERS AND BUSHES AND A POND WITH GOLD FISH IN. BEN
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 23, 2004 6:38 PM
i wont to say a trade off with hubby but there was none so i have to say it with this i have a garden yet he let the grass grow up to his head but one day its going to be out there and now its getting to cold and sometimes if we wont to play in the garden ( someone, or something alwasy gets in the way ...do i hope one day we will have a good start on it but there in no shuch thing in that word ...... i said it with that thanks ramswife2004 [V][V][V][V][V][V][V]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 23, 2004 7:12 PM
My first layout back in Sydney was a pool with a rail line around it. Now I have moved up here to Queensland; I started in my area 2 the same way but with more garden and an entertainment area. But now i have area 1 going and am well into area 3 and these are all separate courtyards with separate layouts all joined together by rail, but all layouts fit in with the garden they are situated in. And they can all be controlled from anywhere using a remote handset to my MTS.

Area 1 is an anticlockwise reversing loop wending its way thriough a tortuouse set of curves amongst palms and ferns and "birds of paradise" and a Japanese pagoda complex, it is connected to

Area 2 by a 10 metre track along side the lawn. This area is my main drag at this time and it has a complete circuit which is a shape I cannot describe but i think from my schoolboy geometry it is roughly a rhomboid or possibl;y a rhombus. It includes a small bridge and two Thai Pagoda areas. Then we have Tunnel Doreen, which I have described ad nauseum, going behind the pools pumhouse and connecting it to.

Area 3 this is my first planned layout with a double dogbone all curves are about R3 and all grades are 4 %. We have managed to fit 35 M (220') into just over 22 M2 or 242 sq ft, ie 7.2 m X 3 m. It nearly has a clockwise reversing loop to complement the one in area .1

In the planning stages (doing nothing stages) is to run a major line from area 3 through area 4 down to the garage and I will eventually stable my trains there. Garages in Queensland have a roller on there back wall to allow you to take a boat or a caravan right through.

Also another one which is going to be quite tricky is to connect area 3 up to area 1 with a second tunnel behind the pumphopuse ( this will be an elevated tunnel as well and this will then be a rare thing a double decker tunnel) and an elevated track right over area 2's main straight connecting up to right in the midlle of the reversing loop in area 1.

In this new layout in area 3 I am putting in two sets of points (switches) to accomodate these two planned extensions.

Regards

ian
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 23, 2004 8:35 PM
Ian, as complicated(in a cool way[8D]) as yours sounds I'd love to see a track plan!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 23, 2004 8:46 PM
I had to vote "Garden with a Railroad" because, truthfully, the garden started first; Although, the railroad has given me the incentive to finish up garden projects.

I had one part of my yard I just couldn't decide what to do about; so, it remained a weed strewn mess. Now I have a mountain with a tunnel and the weeds are gone (at least as gone as they are in the rest of the garden - weeds are never truely 'gone').

Jon
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 23, 2004 8:47 PM

Mine is a railway with a garden in it. Even though it is a modest railway, the passing track still allows me to do run-arounds for switching purposes, or offers storage for another train. My sidings allow for storage of cars or sources of revenue from the adjacent warehouse and quarry.

I do try to keep up the garden part of it up so that visitors will enjoy looking at that too.

The bottom line is that that neither are so large that they become a burden to take care of.

Regards,
Bill C.
South Jersey

Search the Community

FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get the Garden Railways newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Garden Railways magazine. Please view our privacy policy