2022 National Garden Railway Convention: Part 3

Sharing photos from day three of layout visits in Colorado. I hope you enjoy them.

Red Cliff, Denver and Rio Grande RR

The Red Cliff, Denver and Rio Grande RR is a nice raised layout that allows two trains to run independently. Here we see a passenger train on the upper track while some maintenance-of-way cars pass on the lower track.

My favorite feature was this 16 foot long engine house with roof sections that tilt up to allow access along the entire length of the building. The side toward the railroad is decorated with false building fronts so it provides a nice backdrop to the railroad.

There is a single track running into the train shed and then it splits into three tracks inside.

Another cool feature was using an old train car to hide electrical switches. This blended in so well I almost missed it.

Worthington Central Railroad

One part of the Worthington Central Railroad is a raised railroad floating above a planter bed. Here a train hauling logs floats through the vegetation.

This koi seemed to be posing for the camera.

A very nice five-track yard in a storage shed, with a very nice pair of folding doors.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Ridgeview Division

What I really liked about this railroad is how it was split in two personalities. One side of the layout had sufficient shade to allow a lush garden to develop with all sorts of dwarf and miniature plants and groundcovers.

While the other side of the layout which had more sun exposure featured exposed rock, catcus and other xeriscape plants. 

Great Southern and Western Railway

The Great Southern and Western Railway is set in the 1940s in a rough, mountainous terrain with minimal vegetation. A lot of various rock types are used to create a very rough environment requiring multiple bridges. Trains are hauling ore from mines and whole logs from lumber camps, and there is a small village as well.

A double-track through truss bridge in the foreground and a trestle in the back crossing over another track. Also notice the stone arch in the upper right-hand corner.

This layout features a lot of very detailed modeling which made it very fun to explore. Here a station sits up above the tracks which must be reached by a long staircase.

A lumber mill is the destination for the logs. Behind the mill is a very cool stepped-back retaining wall.

Another view of the village.

Here is a loading facility for mine ore. I really like seeing HO scale track used for the mine cars.

A close up view of one of the mine portals.

A loaded ore train is about to head under a long, curved trestle. This was one of my favorite railroad layouts I saw in Colorado.

Windsor Extension, Rio Grande Southern

The last train we visited on this day was the Windsor Extension, Rio Grande Southern. The layout is spread out over a large garden area which allowed fast moving trains over long, sweeping curves.

There are over 90 feet of trestles, including this long curving trestle following the edge of the lawn.

I really like the use of cribbing along this road cut through the bushes. A passenger streamliner is just disappearing around the curve.

This was also a very cool feature—a bridge directly into a tunnel built from stacked stone.