For several years now, my father has been building a 1″ scale railroad in the backyard. Till now, most of the building has been grading and gardening. But now, progress has put rails on the ground. The push came because of a visit of grandson Nick.
Nick, conductor and engineer, directs passengers to their seats. The varnish consists of a homemade handcar built just for aspiring engineers and a flatcar. Both have wooden seats padded in the finest upholstery
Nick’s daddy completed helped dad complete the ballast on the 50′ of line using bucket and man power (it was good for him)
Having a backyard railroad has been a long time dream of my fathers. He grew up in the 40′s and 50′s with live steam running in the backyard and at friends homes. The finer of those tracks went through nice gardens dotted with a few scale structures. The setting for my fathers track is his own backyard, on the hill away from the home. The hill is a mature woods. In the last few years dad has cleaned out the honeysuckle, replacing it with nice trees and ground cover. The track will eventually traverse back and forth 3 times to reach a loop at the bottom of the property. At this time, only the first 50′ from the driveway have rail. The rail came from my grandfathers track 20+ years ago.
Nick demonstrates his abilities to drive the train. In the background his father stretches, in hopes that he will not be required to more more rock.
Papa Jim watches as Charlie takes a turn as engineer. Nick watches for debris on the tracks.
Nick brings grandma safely across the trestle.
Another rider another fare. Nick's uncle enjoys the lush flora.
It is great to see dad’s dreams coming to fruition and the family enjoying it. Steam and Diesel will eventually hit the rails once lift is made to lower the locomotives to the rails. In the mean time, the handcar is entertaining for young visitors and riders.
