Ron & Gayle Althardt

  We welcome you to our home and Garden Railroad. As you enter the "G & R Railroad", you will be greeted by "Smokey" our carved black bear from Colorado. Just to Smokey's right, you encounter our whimsical Disney and Circus village, outfitted with many of our friends and features from Disney World as well a Ferris wheel and Circus Tent. Mickey would be proud!

As you continue through the layout you will see a number of different villages and period settings surrounded by ponds and waterfalls. The railroad was started in 1999 as a small loop around the choke cherry tree (Now the Crow's Nest).

The yard and water features (6 ponds, a geyser and a rock fountain) were constructed using approximately 180 tons of rock and moves over 40,000 gallons of water per hour. These water features provide an interesting backdrop to the settings throughout the yard. You'll also note that there are over 3000 annuals with a vast array of perennials that create this colorful garden.

Our railroad operates with ten (10) miles of scale track, twelve (12) running G-Scale model trains. The Santa Fe Chief Passenger train (a special section of the Super Chief) circles the perimeter of the back yard, while a long freight train makes its way over bridges crossing the large waterfall moving towards a massive boulder fountain. As the train continues its trek, it moves through a tunnel directly behind the Fairy Castle.

Some of the other areas include farm houses, barns, and even a saw mill, just to name a few. As you continue, you won't want to miss the Indian Village, complete with Teepees, cowboys, and a working geyser. Our latest addition to the layout is the Big Boy loop with the Coaling Tower and the Hudson pulling the "20th Century Ltd." There is also a coal mine, diamond mine (for Gayle) as this continues to be a work in progress.

 

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