Pondscaping Part Two

This is a followup to our article "Pondscaping Part 1," which describes the cosmetic and practical reasons I decided to ring our pond with a sort of stone walkway, as well as the first part of the project.

Basically, the project involved:

• Digging out the sod, stones, and/or weeds around the edge of the pond.

• Pouring dry sand mix an inch or two deep where I was going to work next.

• Setting stones in the sand mix so that the tops were more or less level with the edge of the pond and with each other.

• Soaking the sand mix that the stones were set in.

• Rinsing the tops of the stones to keep the sand mix from setting there.

• When all that was very dry, pouring, brushing, and otherwise mixing dry sand mix between the stone, as well as between the stones and the pond.

• Soaking that sand mix down.

• Rinsing the tops of the stones to keep the sand mix from setting there.

• Backfilling dirt and sod around the stones so they blended into "ground level.:"

I've done this sort of thing before using paving stones, pavers, etc. Generally I set the pavers, etc. in several inches of packed sand and just used the sand mix to "dress" them at the end, working it between the pavers like mortar.

None of those installations failed in any way as long as we lived in that house. But all of them were level, without the threat of future washouts, etc., if I just laid my stones or pavers on sand.

Why Two Articles? - Why isn't this information presented this clearly in the first article?

• I wanted to make certain my approach was working before I "set it in stone" (pun intended).

• The first article was getting too long and I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get the project finished.

Why a Sand Mix Base? - Since this installation wasn't going to be huge, and since it was going to be on a slope, I thought that substituting sand mix for sand would make it more stable.

Technically, sand mix is a kind of concrete mix without the pebbles. So if you mixed and poured it wet the way you do "normal" concrete, it should set up pretty hard and solid (although something in the manufacturer's instructions implies that it is less stable if it gets more than 2" thick). It does cost more than regular concrete mix, and way more than straight sand (in bulk at least). But then again it's a small project.

For this project, I poured it dry and wet it down when I had the stones where I liked them. So that's not the same as setting them in, say, wet concrete, but the sand mix does set up that way, and stays pretty stable going forward. Pouring dry sand mix between the stones like mortar (once the base layer is thoroughly dry) adds more stability.

I don't know if I'd do a big patio that way. But the way my railroad wraps around two sides of the pond, people won't likely be walking on the "downhill" side of the installation at any rate. The other side is on relatively flat, stable clay that isn't going anywhere. In other words, I expect it to hold up pretty well.

The volume of stones I used notwithstanding, I actually used more cubic feet of sand mix than there were of stones. About 16 bags. At ~$8 a bag (~$128), this was not a "free" project, but it would have cost much more if I had used, say, store-bought pavers.

Sand Mix Gotchas Some considerations if you try the sort of thing I did (setting your pavers/stones into dry sand mix and then soaking it down):

• Wear gloves,

• Work only when the ground is dry,

• Be careful to keep too much dust from blowing, say, into your pond.

• Spread only as much sand mix as you can use within the next half hour or so.

Portland cement will pull the moisture right out of your skin, plus there are apparently other reasons you shouldn't be breathing the dust or getting too much of it on your hands.

Also, even if the ground isn't damp, the Portland Cement in the sand mix will start setting up if it senses too much moisture in the soil.

That's why I worked my way around the pond a few stones at a time.

When I was done for the day, I added extra water to the pond so that the dust that had settled on the surface would spill over the edge.

Phase 2 - you may recall that Phase 1 ended with me having worked my way about 2/3 of the way around the pond, including the part that was complicated by being right up agains the railroad structure or on sloping ground that was already several inches below the pond on that side.

Because things need to dry thoroughly between applications of the sand mix, I decided to go ahead and finish the rest of the installation around the pond.

On the east (unpaved) side, the sod was nearly the same level as the edge of the pond, so I hoped that it wouldn't take as much sand mix to set the stones there as it did on the other side.

Unfortunately, the grass roots were so deep that I wound up going about 5" down for the most part. But at least I wouldn't have to deal with the same kind of slope as I encountered on the west side of the pond.

At the left side of the photo you can see that I dug all the way back to the posts supporting the lower platform in case I had enough stones and sand mix to get that far.

By now the temperature was in the 80s. I poured sand mix and set stones for an hour or so and came in to cool off with about a quarter of the pond still undone. Click here for a photo of that if you want to see it. By now, I had used up most of my large stones, so the last bit would be finished with smaller stones, many of them set in 3" or more of sand mix to bring them up to level.

When I went back out, I finished working around the pond, then worked my way toward the edge of the railroad platform that you can see in the left of the photo below.

In the photo above, the stones have been set, the sand mix has been soaked down so it will set up, and the tops of the stones have been rinsed so the sand mix doesn't set there.

Southwestern Ohioans will know that all those subtle, but cool colors in the limestone chunks will disappear once the limestone dries. When dry, they will all be a dusty white color. Some folks who use limestone this way apply a coat of "sealant" that keeps the colors showing. I may price that out when I'm done.

Wildlife - One fun aspect of this project is that the frogs seemed to be delighted with the stones. Usually only one sits out during the day.

Since I've installed the stones, I've seen several at a time, including a baby frog so small he must have hatched in the pond (shown at the right).

In the photo below, you can see three frogs 'hunting' during the daytime: a baby frog on the rock to the left, a young frog on the edge of the pond near the right, and another young frog floating with just his eyes above water, lower right. The big fat adult frogs tend to hunt only at night, and they almost never let me get close enough to photograph.

These all North American Green Frogs, whose "croak" isn't too noisy. Plus they help keep down the number of flies, etc. around the pond, so they're very welcome.

The frog shown to the right caught a fly while I was photographing him from a few feet away, so fast, I barely saw him move before he was sitting still again.

Okay, you may be thinking, "I run trains, why do I care about things like frogs?" For one thing, any sign that your pond is healthy is a good sign.

And, frankly, I think that being a good observer of nature in general has helped me become a better tender of my railroad's plants and landscaping.

Last Batches - A few days after I finished circling the pond with stones, I picked up four more bags of sand mix. Yes, it was hard to estimate how much I would need. But with gas prices what they were, I figured it would be cheaper to buy an extra bag I didn't need than make an extra run back to the store. As it worked out, I guessed right within a couple "shovel-fulls."

First, I dusted sand mix into the cracks between the stones I had laid but not "mortared" yet (below left).

Then I soaked the sand mix down so it would set. After a few minutes, I used the "jet" setting of the hose to blow sand mix of the top of the rocks so it wouldn't set there (above right).

After that had dried for a day, I figured I had enough stone and sand mix to go out a little further, which gave me the idea of extending the stonework under the edge of the platforms on that side. That way I wouldn't need to weed under there or figure out how to make it look right where the stone and mulch came together.

I screwed a couple leftover 2"x6" ground-rated boards into the posts supporting the platforms to provide a sort of border/barrier. Then I dumped sand mix and set the stones in place as well as I could. If you look to the upper left and upper right parts, you can see those bits after they were soaked down and the top of the stones sprayed off.

The truth is, by that time, I was down to small and odd-shaped rocks, plus working under the platform up against the pond was a little awkward. So the last bit didn't wind up as pretty as the rest. But since folks won't generally notice it, I'll consider it a win.

This project will truly be finished when I've backfilled around the stones with dirt and grass seed it so that the sod is the same level as the stones (which will be tricky on the lower side.

In the meantime, those sections under the platform look strangely empty, almost if they are demanding another street's worth of buildings.

No. Not yet at least. :-)

Keep in Touch

If you're headed toward or past Springfield, Ohio, please let me know, and I'll see if we can work out a quick visit.

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

Return to Family Garden Trains' Home Page - The home page with links to all the other stuff, including design guidelines, construction techniques, structure tips, free graphics, and more.

Proceed to "Relighting Our Railroad, Part 1" - I have been lighting buildings on this railroad since I set it up, but I had added a circuit at a time, and - truth be told - built up a tangle of wires that I couldn't troubleshoot when something stopped working or when I had to switch something out. In addition, my old, semi-professional timers died right before we moved, and the new timers I tried excelled at getting out of sync. Time for a new setup.

Click on the photo to see our status as of mid-September, 2022.

Return to "Pondscaping, Part 1" - In addition to a lot of spring maintenance I didn't have the heart to report, I also attacked a growing problem - erosion around our pond liner that looked bad and allowed excess weed growth. While I was evaluating alternatives, a garden railroading friend offered me a pile of rocks. So installing a rock border around the pond seemed like the best path.

Click on the photo to see our status as of early July, 2022.

Return to "Easy Lighting for North States Bird Feeders" - After I put my model buildings away for the winter, I brought out the North States bird feeders I use to keep my railroad from looking naked all winter long. Since I had wired several sections of my railroad for lighting, I went ahead and put lighting in my bird feeders as well.

Click on the photo to see our status as of December, 2021.

Return to "Easy Lighting for North States Bird Feeders" - After I put my model buildings away for the winter, I brought out the North States bird feeders I use to keep my railroad from looking naked all winter long. Since I had wired several sections of my railroad for lighting, I went ahead and put lighting in my bird feeders as well.

Click on the photo to see our status as of December, 2021.

Return to "Preparing for 2021's Christmas Train Day." - In preparation for our annual Christmas-themed open railway, I ran lighting to some of our buildings, installed rope lighting on one section, and chose appropriate rolling stock. I also lit a bunch of our dwarf conifers and ran colored light strands that would brighten up our waterfall after dark.

Click on the photo to see our status as of early November, 2021.

Return to "Making a Large Scale Ghost Train" - In preparation for an October open railway, I repainted and relabeled decrepit Bachmann Big Hauler pieces to create a one-of-a-kind Halloween train. Materials included purple spray paint and vinyl lettering I created on my Cricut. I added "ghost" passengers made from cheap Asian seated figures painted with glow-in-the-dark paint.

Click on the photo to see our status as of mid-October, 2021.

Return to "Portal Installation on the New Boston and Donnels Creek." . We shimmed out the frames for the tunnel entrances to make them more vertical, installed I.S.L.E. portals we had painted previously, and stacked stones around them to camouflage the wooden parts. There's a bit more work to do, but its a big improvement over black holes at each end of the tunnel

Click on the picture to see our status as of early October, 2021.

Return to "Dirtscaping on the New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 3" - Raising 'mini-mountains' near the new tunnels to make them seem more blended into the dirtscape. Lots of rocks moved, and more trees trimmed and planted. Also, we moved our towns into position in preparation for a club meeting at our home.

Click on the photo to see our status as of mid-August, 2021.

Return to "Tunnel Framing on the New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 2" - Adding rocks, dirt, and plants to the new tunnel structures. Because I wanted to transplant dwarf and miniature trees to the new "mountains," I had to move a substantial amount of rocks and dirt. But I feel the result will be well worth it, once the groundcovers fill in.

Click on the photo to see our status as of late July, 2021.

Return to "Tunnel Framing on the New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 1." We planned and built two wooden boxes that would become the framework for two short tunnels on our raised platform railroad. That effort was made a little more complicated by the fact it was a "retrofit." I hadn't planned for them at first, so getting them in place took some finangling.

Click on the picture to see our status as of mid-July, 2021.

Return to "New Right-of-Ways on the New Boston and Donnels Creek RR" - Adding a loop based on 10'-diameter curves. Includes cutting and installing 2x6 roadbed, bridging the waterfall, and cutting a third passage through the train shed, as well as installing roadbed for two smaller loops.

Click on the picture to see our status as of late March, 2021.

Return to "Creating a Railroad Timetable" - No train station would be complete without a timetable showing arrivals and departures (as well as expected arrivals and departures). We made one with a big piece of underlayment, framed it with scrap lumber, cut lettering for it with a craftcutter, and lined it with striping tape. This one is hinged to a shallow shelving unit that is holding the dvds we sometimes watch while working on projects in our workshop.

Click on the picture to see our status as of January, 2021.

Return to "Christmas Preparations and Operations 2020" - A series of families were going to visit during the holiday season (masked and distanced, of course), so we just had to do a little Christmas decorating, and get as many trains running as possible for the kids. This included laying temporary ROWs on the new platform and setting up two Lionel RTP trains for kids to run.

Return to "Garage to Train Station, Part 2" - continuing to fix up one end of my garage to resemble a Victorian train station interior. I used a digital projector to outline vintage coach details for my windowframes. Then I painted the backgrounds, attached the windowframes, and installed them on the wall. A repro Regulator clock and other details are added.

Click on the picture to see our status as of late December, 2020.

Return to "Garage to Train Station, Part 1" - fixing up one end of my garage to resemble a Victorian train station interior. The initial steps included demolition, patching the ceiling and walls, moving electrical outlets, adding wainscotting and baseboard, and planning for windowframes with painted backgrounds.

Click on the picture to see our status as of early December, 2020.

Return to "Westward Expansion, 2020, Part 3" - Thanks to a spate of unusually warm weather in early November, I was able to get the new platform finished, lined with vinyl, and bordered with trim boards to keep the dirt and gravel in place.

The next "permanent" improvements will wait for now. In the meantime, we will set out buildings and a temporary loop or to entertain visitors between now and Christmas.

Click on the picture to see our status as of mid-November, 2020.

Return to "Westward Expansion, 2020, Part 2" - We had to be careful leveling the last joists so the frame, decking, and right-of-way would be as level as possible. Fortunately we were able to get enough lumber to get a good start on the frame.

We also added one last tweak to the frame design to make it easier to extend this platform to its originally planned size, if and when we get a chance to do so.

Return to "Westward Expansion, 2020, Part 1" - With a lumber shortage and warm weather running out, we revised our plans for the next addition, bought what decent lumber we could find, dug holes, installed posts, and attached joists.

We were hoping to get the lumber we need to finish the platform before cold weather set in. Click on the link to see our status as of late September, 2020.

Return to "Train Storage Solutions, 2020" - Using periods of cold weather to get things sorted in the garage, including shelf building and tips for schlepping trains from storage to the tracks.

Click on the following link to see our status as of late January, 2020. https://familygardentrains.com/newbost/20_1_19_shelves/shelves.htm

Return to "Expansion Planning, 2020" - Three years after starting a garden railroad in our new home, we are trying to figure out the best way to finish the last loop of our raised platform railroad. How to make room for 10'-diameter curves and more towns and industries, but still keeping things manageable requires some thinking and rethinking.

Click on the photo to see the options we were reviewing for the next and last expansion.

Return to "Winter Preparation, 2019" - After the big open railroad event, we try to prepare the railroad for the cold months, including populating the railroad with North States bird feeders so it doesn't look empty, adding an air pump and bubblers to the pond, and more.

Click on the following link to see our status as of early December, 2019. https://familygardentrains.com/newbost/19_11_24_winter_prep/19_11_24_winter_prep.htm

Return to "Christmas Train Day, 2019" - Three years after starting a garden railroad in our new home, we host another Christmas-themed open railroad, giving many families a jump start on Christmas celebrations and sharing the experience of running trains with lots of kids.

Click on the photo to see a brief record of our busiest weekend in November, 2019.

Return to "Preparing for Christmas Train Day 2019" - Wrapping up construction projects for 2019 and getting ready for our annual Christmas-themed open railroad. Includes new lighting and other features, providing a temporary home for a Hogwarts Express train, weather issues, and more. Click to go to article.

Click on the following link to see our progress of mid-November, 2019.

https://familygardentrains.com/newbost/19_11_01_prep_for_train_day/19_11_01_prep_for_train_day.htm

Return to Decking the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek Part 2 - Getting the next part of the railroad ready to install trains. Includes installing 2"x6" decking, vinyl sheeting, edges to hold back the gravel, and corrugated steel panels. It's not done, but it will give us another place to set up trains for our next Christmas-themed open railroad.

Click on the photo to see our status as of late October, 2019.

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR - Part 7" - Installing posts, joists, framing, and decking for the eastern expansion of the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek. Although this installation was complicated by having to fit into an existing framework, the methods used could work for any raised-platform railroad.

Click on the following link to see our progress of early October, 2019.

https://familygardentrains.com/newbost/19_27_framing/19_27_framing_part_7.htm

Return to "Planning the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR - Part 5" - Once the major components of the water feature were installed and tested, we decided to add one more bit of railroad proper before our "Christmas Train Day," this November. The addition, about 5'x11', will allow us to put a small train and some scenery closer to eye level for youngsters. Eventually it will be part of the larger plan that will allow us to run our bigger cars and locomotives.

Click on the photo to see our plans for the next addition, as of late September, 2019.

Return to Waterscaping Part 4. - Installing the last connecting pool, so the whole planned waterfall is complete except for dirtscaping and planting.

The process included checking the pump, extending the hoses, rescuing toads, building the platform, trimming the platform, testing the pool's location, etc.

Click the photo to go to the article.

Return to "Waterscaping, Part 3" - After seven months of crazy long work hours, I finally got some free time to continue working on the railroad. Weather permitting, I often worked all the live-long day. This article describes installing two posts that will eventually support the last connecting pool, then digging the big hole for the in-ground pond, complicated by a three-month drought that turned the ground to concrete.

Click on the photo to see our progress as of mid-September, 2019.

Return to Christmas Train Day, 2018 - After two years without our traditional Christmas Train Day (something we did from 2008 through 2015), we were anxious to get started again, even without a huge right of way to show off. The kids' trains, the extra Thomas railroad, the popcorn popper and two Bachmann Christmas trains got a big workout. And the visiting kids all loved it!

Click on the photo to see a lot of last-minute preparations and some photos of the November 10, 2018 event itself.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 6" - Installing the board and batten siding on our train shed, installing the windows, installing the trim, testing the "tunnel entrances," and more.

By the way, going over lumber receipts in early 2019, I couldn't believe I was still siding the train shed in late October, and managed to have an open railroad in mid-November. It is a little crazy how fast things can go together if you have a deadline and a lot of gift cards.

Click on the photo to see our progress as of late October, 2018.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 5" - Planning the doors, walls, and windows of our garden train shed.

Includes choosing the siding and windows, installing the door, painting the windowframes, and adding crosspieces to support the vertical siding boards.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 4" - Choosing and installing underlayment and drip edge to protect the sheathing until I can get the final roof installed.

Now the roof is waterproof enough to get us through the next couple of months at least, maybe more.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 3" - Adding fascia, sheathing, and end trim to the in-progress train shed.

I thought about bringing in helpers for this part, but a reader commented on how helpful it was to see how one person could do this sort of thing by himself, so I just kept plugging away.

Click on the photo to see our progress as of September 13, 2018

Return to "Waterscaping Part 2" - Getting this year's waterscaping project done (for now at least). Installing and dirtscaping the third level of the waterfall. Installing pump and filter, adding an extra container and modifying the ones we already had installed to keep the water running smoothly. And lots of other tweaking. Includes tips about introducing fish and plants, as well as other information about water features in general that you may find helpful.

Click on the photo to see our status as of August 5, 2018.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 2" - Adding rafters to the frame of the in-progress train shed. Now it's starting to look like it might actually be a structure and not just a crazy collection of posts.

The way we got the rafters and ridge board up wouldn't work for everybody, but it worked for us, and hopefully will help other folks to "think outside the box" - literally in this case.

Click on the photo to see our progress as of July 14, 2018.

Return to "Adding a Train Shed Part 1" - What started out as a simple addition of a deck to stand on when putting trains on the track got a little more ambitious when I realized that JUST installing the deck this year would require more work next year. So we framed out what we planned to be a train shed attached to the railroad. If it ever gets finished, I can easily put trains on the track at a moment's notice instead of schlepping them out from the garage.

Click on the photo to see our status as of July 9, 2018.

Return to "Waterscaping the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek Part 1," our article on getting the top two layers of the waterfall on solid footing and getting the third layer framed. After we finish decking and dirtscaping the third layer, we will probably add a washbasin or something for the water to flow into, then add a pump to get the waterfall flowing. No big pond until next year at least - too many other projects.

Click on the photo to see our progress as of June 13, 2018.

Return to "Dirtscaping the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 2. - Adding barriers to keep the rocks, dirt, and plants where they're supposed to go, placing platforms and running wiring for buildings, adding rocks, dirt, and plants to the upper level of the railroad.

Click on the photo to see our status as of June 1, 2018.

Return to "Adding Raised Roadbed to the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 2" - Trimming the corners off the roadbed on the upper layer and cutting the pieces that will support the curves on the middle layer. We need to get the upper two tiers of the pond installed before we totally complete this step, so the article doesn't quite show the finished product. You'll see it later as part of other articles.

Return to "Adding Raised Roadbed to the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 1" - Sorting out our priorities for the spring and summer of 2018. There a lot of little chores we really should get done before we start on the next big addition. Click to see our plans as of February 27, 2018.

Click on the photo to see our status as of February 20, 2018

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

Click on the photo to see our status as of February 20, 2018

Return to "Dirtscaping the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 1. - Putting edging around the existing "layers" of the new railroad, and beginning to add gravel and rocks. There were a few test runs, but we got stopped early by bad weather before we could dump the rest of the rocks, gravel, and dirt, much less plant the plants we hoped to get in before snowfall.

Click on the photo to see our status as of November 21, 2017

Return to "Decking the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR - Decking the 'middle layer' of our proposed three-tier outdoor railroad. Prepping more track, laying out track and decking to make certain we have measurements correct, installing most of the remaining decking for this layer.

Click on the photo to see our status as of October 25, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 6" - Modifying and finishing the framing on the second layer, cantilevering, using R3 track versus all other pre-curved track formats, finalizing the track plan, why painting the track makes old and new track blend better, and more. This will be the last bit of "framing" in 2017, and it worked out well, considering.

Click on the photo to see our status as of October 15, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 5" - Spreading the billboard-sourced vinyl underlayment on the top layer. Prepping used Aristo track for (hopefully) many more years of service. Laying the first loop of track, attaching power wires with spade terminals, and testing conductivity with a Bachmann streetcar.

Click on the photo to see our status as of October, 10, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 4" - Planning and running the decking for the top layer, testing the track plan, checking clearances, prepping used track with new railjoiners, examining the vinyl I ordered to go over the decking, and more.

Click on the photo to see our status as of September 26, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 3" - Getting the frame finished on the top layer, ordering other things I'd need eventually, deciding on materials for the decking on the top layer (at least).

Click on the photo to see our status as of September 17, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 2" - Once I had the overall frame relatively solid, I hooked up the underground power lines to two GFI plugs that should be in easy reach once everything is finished. I also decided to frame out the top railroad layer while I could still access the center of the railroad easily. Because I was running out of vertical space, I reconfigured that layer. Then after I got the "core" pieces on, I changed my plan again. But the whole thing is getting easier and easier to visualize, and is getting closer to complete with every board I cut and fasten on.

Click on the photo to see our status as of September 7, 2017

Return to "Framing the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek RR, Part 1" - Once I started dropping posts in the holes and screwing things together, I didn't want to stop before I had the basic frame built (for one thing, the wood warps less once it's fastened in place). Now the folks driving down the street past our house (we're on a corner lot) probably wonder if I'm building an elaborate chicken coop, but that's fine with me. I still need to make a few more lumber runs and do a lot more cutting and sawing, but having the basic frame in place should make the next bits a lot easier.

Click on the photo to see our status as of August 10, 2017

Return to "Breaking Ground on the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek" - Okay, in case you wondered if we'd ever get started on the thing, we broke ground in July, using a manual post-hole digger. Well two manual post-hole diggers. But by the end of this article, we're ready for the posts to start going in.

Click on the photo to see our status as of the end of July, 2017

Return to "Planning the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 4" - Well, the rented post-hole digger fell through, so we dug our vegetable garden with a manual post-hole digger (the scissors kind). In addition, I stake out where the railroad was going to be. Twice. And tweaked the plans again. Sorry about the redo's, but sometimes just walking around the yard trying to visualize things makes me reconsider something that seemed "settled" only a few days before.

Click on the photo to see what we were considering as of late May, 2017

Return to "Planning the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 3" - We have still not broken ground. In part because we plan to rent a post-hole digger and dig the post holes for our raised vegetable garden and the first phase of the garden railroad at the same time, and we don't have enough lumber on hand yet. (If we didn't break it down into multiple trips, we'd be blowing out the shocks on our minivan.) In the meantime, we used a line level to see if the slope of the back yard was as bad as we thought it was (it's worse), and we did other site preparation, including planting a whole bunch of spruce tree seedlings to eventually give us some privacy in our side and back yard. Plus, I'm still wavering a little on the "where-to-start-first" issue.

Click on the photo to see what we were considering as of late April, 2017

Return to "Planning the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 2" - More plans. We've moved on from the 2"x6" roadbed-on-posts to a sort of "train-table-outside" plan. Our goals include low-maintenance, high interest, and high reliability. We're also trying to get around having a thousand dollars' worth of dirt hauled into the back yard. If you want to get some idea of what our planning process looks like, reading these through in sequence may help. Or it may drive you crazy.

Click on the photo to see what we were considering in early April, 2017

Return to "Planning the NEW New Boston and Donnels Creek, Part 1" - If you're subscribed to our newsletter, you know that we moved just after Thanksgiving in 2016, leaving behind most of the track, a few of the bird feeders, and one Bachmann train set for the new owners. We also left behind a high-maintenance garden that we do not intend to replicate at the new place. This is the first chapter of a new chapter in our lives, which we hope will include a lot of "lessons learned." But first, some serious landscaping had to take place.

Click on the photo to see what we were considering in March, 2017

Return to the New Boston and Donnels Creek RR Page - This is the page describing Paul Race's progress and frequent rework on his own garden railroad, started on a shoe-string budget in 1998, later expanded, and later refurbished several times as issues arose. Issues that Paul hopes to avoid by building the next iteration above ground.

Click on the photo to see the home page of Paul's railroad.

Return to Family Garden Trains' Home Page - The home page with links to all the other stuff, including design guidelines, construction techniques, structure tips, free graphics, and more.

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