Rosebud Falls Gazette, Volume 2

[ttrigg]

Rosebud Falls Gazette
Charter Member of the Garden Railways Associated Press Enterprises
Published Weekly by Acme Enterprises

Railroad Mogul installs
Miniature Railroad in Back Yard

Rosebud Falls; 7 October 1905
On The GRAPEvine today


Photo taken from atop Rosebud Falls Tramway
Mrs. Claie Flatbottom and her husband Douglas Flatbottom, President of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad are pleased to announce that they have installed a miniature railroad in their back yard. Mr. Flatbottom told this reporter that the Garden Railroad has been a dream of his since he was a young boy. Mr. Flatbottom told everyone that he had to import the trains and track from a company in Germany called Lehmann Big Trains that he will be inviting the children of employees of the D&RGW to come over to his house on Saturday mornings to help run the miniature trains. So far Mr. Flatbottom has installed just over one hundred feet of the miniature track on which he runs a single engine one flatcar and two ore cars. Mr. Flatbottom has also purchased several miniature people from another German Company called Preiser.


Photo showing Mr. & Mrs. Flatbottom, Mayor Bluster
and Three miniature workmen of the Rosebud Falls miniature Tramway
Mr. Flatbottom also provided us with a picture of the next "Garden Train" set he is planning to purchase. It will be a miniature version of the D&RGW daily passenger service to the Rosebud Falls area.


Photo as seen in the Lehmann Big Trains catalog
Mr. Flatbottom said that he commissioned Mr. Lehmann and company to construct the miniature version of the D&RGW Rosebud Falls Branch Engine #1218 and the consist of coaches. Mr. Flatbottom believes that Mr. Lehmann and company can complete the construction of the miniature in just under a year. Mr. E. Richter, representing the Lehmann company was busy getting precise measurements of the #1218 so that his company could accurately reproduce the engine. Mr. Richter told this reporter that he already had passenger coaches of this particular design and just needed to match the color of the paint scheme. Mr. Richter proudly displayed several other miniature rail lines which, he said, "were the up and coming new recreational activity around the world."

Mr. Flatbottom has hired Charles and Raymond Underlord (sons of the Late D&RGW Foreman Finias Underlord) to construct a small pond with waterfall in his backyard. Mr. Flatbottom has in mind producing the entire area of both the falls and city of Rosebud Falls in miniature. Mr. Flatbottom has hired representatives of the local Road Clan, Travelin Jack, Setten Sam, Rod Ryder Raymond, to construct in miniature all of the buildings in the City of Rosebud Falls, in a scale that Mr. Flatbottom calls 1:22.5. The Underlord boys will be constructing the miniature version of D&RGW Rosebud Falls Branch, with all trackage, sidings as well as the proposed industrial yards that the D&RGW has filled permits with the local land use commission to construct.

[tangerine-jack]

Well I must say it looks very much to "scale". Interesting concept, very interesing.........

Perhaps the whole "garden RR" miniature can be made onto one piece of plywood, complete with scenery and "plants" so it can be taken inside with the rest of the rolling stock.

You got me thinking now, buddy, and that's bad for the wallet.[:-^]


[oX)]

[ttrigg]

Instead of a "sheet of plywood"; I'm thinking a Plexiglas "doughnut". Cut just wide enough to hold the track and gravel cover. Have the miniature roadbed completely constructed, just no track. The buildings for Z scale would fit in nicely, I think. Since they can be easily fabricated and weatherproofed they could stay outside. Set the Plexiglas down on top of the "roadbed" then all plantings will still be "natural" to the basic GRR scene.

NEW THOUGHT----- The z scale track I have is nickel-silver, I don't think N/S will rust, will it? If it will withstand the weather, (here in San Diego county it never gets real bad) why not leave the track outside all the time? The trains are a different issue, I know they are not UV resistant, and I have no intentions of trying to work that small again to "build" my own fleet.

NEXT QUESTION - Who can accurately tell me how many "miniature figures" are in the scene.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

I see 3 miniature figures in the foreground, and 4 1:29? on the back side of the tracks.
If those behind tracks are indeed Mr & Mrs Flatbottom & townspeople, then the 3 in front are the minis that he purchased for the garden RR!

[ttrigg]

Rosebud Falls Gazette
Charter Member of the Garden Railways Associated Press Enterprises
Published Weekly by Acme Enterprises

Vandals Attack Miniature Railroad

Mr. Flatbottom examines the wreckage after vandalism
Falls; 8 October 1905
On The Grapevine today
Sheriff Eyegota Star today reported that vandals had attacked and destroyed the miniature railroad that Mr. Flatbottom had recently installed in his backyard. Sheriff's investigators reported that the engine and both ore cars had been taken as well as most of the track had been pulled from it's roadbed in the ground and strewn across the yard and into a neighbors yard. Sheriff Star declined to state if any suspects had been identified, saying only that several footprints and other evidence had been collected at the crime scene. Unidentified sources close to the sheriff's office indicated that it is believed that the culprit (or culprits) live in the immediate neighborhood to Mr. & Mrs. Flatbottom.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I mus concur with my peer. I think you should set up the Z scale stuff on a mobile display so it can be brought in.

Cool Beans...

[ttrigg]

Cappy:

I've posted a link to THE NORMA & MICAELA RAILROAD on my "Newspaper Archive". Hope it meets your aproval