March, 2018 Update from Family Garden Trains^TM

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In This Issue

Winter's End

This past winter, though, the incessant snow, sleet, and freezing rain was more than an inconvenience. It kept me from making any progress to speak of on my new railroad after early November.

A bunch of stuff we were going to have finished by Christmas didn't happen. Here's hoping that the plants I bought specifically to go on the railroad survived the winter. Frankly, a few seem a little funny-looking after the long, cold, wet spells.

I used what time I did have to put into this hobby into planning the next steps and documenting another "Fallen Flag" of garden railroading. In this case it's Lionel's track-powered Large Scale trains, effectively discontinued a couple decades ago. For a time, Lionel really looked like they were going to give garden trains a chance. Until they bailed unceremoniously and started making battery-powered toys instead. I've owned at least one of every locomotive they produced in the track-powered line, except the Geep (general purpose diesel-electric), and still run several. But I can't write about them without including some caveats based on personal experience and interactions with Lionel personnel, so this article will almost certainly be one of the longest of the series.

In This Issue

The following content is linked to or included in this newsletter:

• 2018: Springing into Spring on the NEW New Boston & Donnels Creek RR - Sorting out next steps

• The Fallen Flags of Garden Railroading: Lionel's Track-Powered Large Scale Trains

• Thomas Keeps Rolling - What's been happening in the Large Scale world of Thomas and Friends, including a look at Bachmann's Large Scale Percy.

• Garden Railroading in Early Spring

• St. Patrick's Day Coming Up - From Family Christmas Online^TM

2018: Springing into Spring on the NEW New Boston & Donnels Creek RR - Sorting out our priorities for the spring and summer of 2018. There are a lot of little chores we really should get done before we start on the next big addition(s). Click to see our plans as of February 27, 2018.

Click on the link below to see our status as of February 27, 2018

https://familygardentrains.com/newbost/18_02_springing/18_02_spring_into_spring.htm

The Fallen Flags of Garden Railroading: Lionel's Track-Powered Large Scale Trains, not to be confused with the battery-powered toys Lionel is making today. This line actually started with some help from Delton, but quickly went "off the rails" when they began designing tinplate-proportioned toys about the same time everyone else started releasing realistically-proportioned models. That said, the original Delton-designed 0-6-0T and several other pieces are still worth looking at.

Click on the link below to see the article:

https://familygardentrains.com/primer/rolling_stock/fallen_flags/lionel/fallen_flags_lionel.htm

Thomas Keeps Rolling - Countless Lionel-built Large Scale Thomases are still running on club layouts and in private homes. But the only new Large Scale "Thomas and Friends" trains are being built by Bachmann, who also makes a very nice product. This article describes what's been happening in the Large Scale Isle of Sodor, and compares a new Bachmann-built Percy the Small Engine to my Lionel-built Thomas and James.

If you have small ones in your family, or if you have open railroads that kids come to, you might find this article and its companion articles helpful.

Click on the link below to see the article:

https://familygardentrains.com/primer/rolling_stock/thomas_shootout/thomas_keeps_rolling.htm

Garden Railroading in Early Spring

If the weather is still too nasty to work much outside, this is a good time to clean the wheels on your locomotives, test the lighting in your buildings, and review your plans for any expansions or open railroads this summer. Once you can see your right of way, look for places where frost heave, burrowing animals, or washouts have knocked the track askew or made it uneven. (Before I poured concrete under large parts of my right of way, moles used to turn it into a roller coaster ever spring.)

For some tips on cleaning your train's wheels, click the following link:

https://familygardentrains.com/primer/maintenance/wheel_cleaning/wheel_cleaning.htm

Consider upgrading the part of your garden railroad that everyone notices and that is with you year-round: its natural setting. Our article on Landscaping Hints for Garden Railroaders will give you ideas for improving access, balance, interest, and beauty in and around your miniature world. Click the following link to see that article:

http://familygardentrains.com/primer/landscaping/landscaping_hints_for_gr/landscaping_hints_for_grs.htm

If you didn't get a chance to trim your conifers last year, and you have a chance to do some nipping before they start to put on fresh growth, do so. Pay special attention to places where Dwarf Alberta Spruce have grown too close to each other or to some object - needles that are crowded will die, leaving you with an asymmetrical plant you'll have to trim anyway.

For more tips about trimming conifers, click the following link:

https://familygardentrains.com/primer/plants/conifers/conifers.htm

Some folks use Preen or a similar product to deter weed seed germination in the spring. After all, 99% of your plants are either miniature trees or perennials, so why not? I never used it because the OLD New Boston and Donnels Creek was big enough that it would cost more than I would want to spend on it. But if you choose to use it, follow the directions carefully.

One of my big "weed" problems was actually grass control, but I tend to wait until the grass has started to green up before I start applying "grass killer." Also, I have been known to damage flowers with grass-like leaves, such as Sea Pinks.

Be careful not to apply "weed and grass killer" to your garden, because that will kill everything. Also, try not to apply ANY insecticides or herbicides where rain could make them run off into your pond.

Even if you use battery power, you'll want to check your track for twigs, raccoon poop, encroaching plants, etc., before you actually run any trains. My battery-powered-train friends make fun of me for having to clean the track, but most of my track-related maintenance is really WEEDING around the track and CLEARING it each spring and after every bad storm, and that's something they have to do also.

Do your best.

You might also consider making travel plans. For example,

• If you live anywhere near York, Pennsylvania, you might consider going to the East Coast Large Scale Train Show on March 30th from 9am to 5pm and March 31st from 9am to 4pm. Click the following link for details:
  http://eclsts.com/

• If you live anywhere near Atlanta, Georgia, or don't mind traveling there you might consider making plans to attend the National Garden Railway Convention there on June 3-10. Click the following link to see the 2014 National Convention web page (still under development)
  http://ngrc2018.com/

In the meantime, many clubs put together regional events, so stay in touch with the club nearest you. If you need to find a club, try our club directory page at the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/outside_resources/grr_clubs/grr_clubs.htm"

St. Patrick's Day Coming Up - From a sister site, Family Christmas Online^TM - Here's a chance to learn about what you're really celebrating on St. Patrick's day. Turns out he's pretty important even if you're not Irish.

• http://familychristmasonline.com/other_holidays/st_patricks_day/st_patricks_day.htm

Keep in Touch

Finally, please let us know about your ongoing projects. Ask questions, send corrections, suggest article ideas, send photos, whatever you think will help you or your fellow railroaders. In the meantime, enjoy your trains, and especially enjoy any time you have with your family in the coming weeks,

Paul Race

FamilyGardenTrains.com

To view the newsletter for November, 2018, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/fgt_newsletter/17_11_newsletter_gr.htm

To read more, or to look at recommended Garden Railroading and Big Indoor Train products, please click on the index pages below.