Preparing for the 2023 garden railroading season

It is beginning to feel like spring, at least some days, and the snow cover is almost gone so work can resume in the garden. There are hints of life here and there, but I think it will be a couple more weeks before it really feels like spring is fully here. 

This picture was from just a few weeks ago when there was still a light blanket of snow. The Spokane area normally receives about 45" of snow over the winter but this year has received about 60" so far.

In the train area of the garden my only work so far has been cleaning up all of the leaves and other dead organic matter that accumulated over the winter. While I don't have a lot of leaves from my own trees, the wind does such a great job of redistributing that the leaf piles in my yard reflect the diversity of trees from around the neighborhood.

Last year it was late April before I was doing much work outside as it was unusually cold and wet. The current forecast is for a colder than average April so we may see a similar spring this year, but I'm still hopeful I will have an operating loop of track set up before the end of April.

Another view of the PE&A as the snow is melting away

The raised platform behind the shed for the upper track loop. This settled in well over the winter. A couple of stones fell off the rock wall, but overall it did very well and the winter rains and snow helped pack everything into place so it's ready to build on.

It's been a bit of time since my last post so I feel I have some catch up to do. I've been going through photos and I've come across a number of train related pictures that I know I had taken with a blog post in mind, so I'm going to write a couple of posts just about rail trails. Below are a few other random train related photos from the past few months 

The Don Kardong pedestrian bridge over the Spokane river connects the Gonzaga and WSU campuses. The bridge was built in the 1920s by the Great Northern Railway (replacing an early rail bridge) and was used until its abandonment in 1973. It was converted to a pedestrian bridge in 1988, and after 34 years of use, the bridge deck was failing and had to be replaced. This photo shows construction in progress last fall, and I thought it was interesting that the construction company installed rails on top of the girders to aid in moving precast concrete deck plates into place. So, for a brief period of time, it was a rail bridge again! The bridge reopened in December, about four months ahead of schedule. 

Not too far upstream from the Don Kardong bridge is the current BNSF bridge over the Spokane River. One day this winter I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and caught this picture of a long consist of BNSF locomotives, including a couple of B-units, hauling a mixed freight train southbound. This line doesn't get a lot of use so this was only the second time I saw an active train on this bridge.

The River City Modelers, an NMRA railroad club in Spokane focused mostly on HO, holds a train show twice a year at the county fairgrounds. This winter's show did not include a garden railroad layout, but I was happy to see a Lego layout with lots of BN themed cars.

Another pictures from the train show of a great grain elevator model on an HO layout.

My first buttercup siting of the spring, at the James T. Slavin Conservation Area southwest of Spokane. The sagebrush buttercup, Ranunculus glaberrimus, is one of the first flowers to bloom and their bright yellow flowers are a sure sign that warm weather is on its way.

2022 National Garden Railway Convention: Part 4

This set of pictures is from our last day touring layouts in Colorado

Tuscarora Railroad

The Tuscarora Railroad is set in 1916 in Pennsylvania (it's modeled after a branch of the East Broad Top Railroad) and it features some amazing modeling work.

A small loading facility supported by a mix of logs and lumber boards.

I liked this scene of loading logs on a flat car, with a partially finished log cabin in the background.

Another station along the line. I like the use of planks on top of the tracks where it is crossing a small ravine, as presumably horses or pedestrians would be crossing here as well.

San Miguel Southern Railway

The San Miguel Southern Railway was a large layout built into a slope that led up to a fence at the back of the garden. Lots and lots of rock was used to provide tiers for building on. There were a a number of sidings and this seemed like it could well for railroad operating sessions. 

Cattle grazing in a field of succulents.

A lot catches the eye here from the bridges in the foreground to the stamp mill clinging to the hill above.

A nice curved trestle helps the railroad navigate a small canyon.

Cat Mountain Railroad

The Cat Mountain Railroad isn't a very large layout but it has a whole lot packed in to provide interest. This layout was started eight years ago. I like the use of flagstone as a bridge.

The layout is built on a raised bed and then a whole lot of very attractive rocks help raise the center of the layout higher.

And a lot of great plantings around the entire layout provide splashes of color.

The Golden Spires Railroad

The Golden Spires Railroad was inspired by the owners' love for Disneyland. It is still a work in progress, and completed buildings are interspersed with two-dimensional renderings of future buildings that are in progress so you can see what will be there in the future.

Lots of curves and stone arch trestles and tunnels. Like a ride a Disneyland the railroad twists and turns and you're never quite sure where it is headed next.

The locomotive is very much in the style of Disneyland trains.

B&E Colorado & Northern Pass Railroad

The B&E Colorado & Northern mainline loops around the entire backyard twice, requiring some elevation at one end to help keep the lines level. Here the outer loop floats above the garden while the inner loop rests on a long trestle. 

A street tram provides service along main street.

The mainline also passes underneath a mountain lake and waterfall.

Flowers, quilts, garden trains and flags. Was this made for me?

I like the use of large PVC pipes for grain silos. Or is it perhaps a water filtration system for the pond?

The Denver & Clear Creek Railway

The Denver & Clear Creek Railway was the last layout we visited and it was a great last stop. It's a new railroad, just started last year, and so far there is a long dog bone loop and expansion is already in progress. They were running a long freight train when we stopped by headed by two locomotives.

A town and I think there might be a train there but really this picture is all about the incredible view. I could have sat here for hours just enjoying the view.

 

A mountain cabin and a windmill, echoed by another windmill in the distance.

I'm really just focused on the view here and the ranch buildings in the background.

A train barely made it in this picture of the Front Range.

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.