# They're Back! Photos of my unusual narrow gauge Daisy Beach Railway



## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Seeing as photos of my Daisy Beach Railway were well received by some members on the old forum (many thanks to all of you who had such kind words), I thought I would repost some of my favourites. And in the absense of an outdoor layouts section, this one seems appropriate -- maybe give newcomers some ideas. These photos are from last year and the year before. I hope to add more this spring.

Cheers...


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Always cool!   Keep'em coming.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't stop now!


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree keep them coming. I wish I could get my layout to look as good. I cant wait for some spring pictures.  Is your layout burried in snow still?


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Whatever you say, guys...




























Yeah, my layout is still pretty much buried, and freezing temperatures are expected to continue this week. The upside of this long winter is that I've had plenty of indoor time to refit, refurbish, retrofit and restore my rolling stock.

Thanks to all.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Ooh, I like that miniature fence to hide the real fence idea. I think I'll be stealing that one this spring! Inspiring as always. 

Later, 

K


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

I had the good fortune to visit Pete a few years back and see the Daisy Beach first hand. It is a beautifullly balanced railroad that captures all the charm of a 2 foot ng line set in a lovely garden setting. 

Outstanding! Now more pics of those critters! 


Regards ... Doug


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## Matt Vogt (Jan 2, 2008)

Beautifully done.
Don't tease us, Pete!   3 or 4 pictures at a time?   Load 'em up!!!

Matt


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 03/21/2008 8:41 PM
Ooh, I like that miniature fence to hide the real fence idea. I think I'll be stealing that one this spring! Inspiring as always. 

Later, 

K

By all means steal it. It's funny how such a tiny fence "hides" as you say, the much larger fence. Neat how the brain works that way. Anyway, the fence is more than just decorative...in spots it extends below ground level, forming a retaining wall against which plants can grow. I should mention that it's just miniature cedar boards brad nailed to pressure treated 1 by 6 inch by 6 foot fence boards screwed horizontally to the big fence. If it didn't screw it to the big fence, frost heave would spit it out of the ground first chance.

I'll see about loading up more photos, but for now, here's a shot of my retaining wall -- same idea.










Cheers...pete


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2008)

can we get Pete more bandwidth to maybe get a live feed from his rr? 

Great Pictures! 

cale


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Fences...here if you look past the woodshed you can see one of my favourite bits, where the dianthus(?) grows against it retaining wall style. 

Btw, the woodshed has been finished (if you can call it that) since then, and moved further up hill (see below).  The wooden platform has been around for years. Doug (thanks for the compliment Doug) would have seen it elsewhere. I've never know what to do with it. It'll come to me one day.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Doug,

You mean critters like this


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

These two show off my favourite other kind of critter pretty well i think


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Charming.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

During my visit to the Daisy Beach I was impressed with many of Pete's creations. But two things left a lasting impression ... one was his lovely gardens and the other was his critters. 

The gardens are not spectacular in the sense of scenic mountains but they are harmonious and believable - the kind of landscape that is a perfect setting for a 2 foot gauge railroad or equally the kind of landscaping that anyone can enjoy looking at even without trains. 

Pete's critters (locomotives) are fascinating. They capture all of the charm of a backwoods line. pete has found some innovative ways to power them and his craftsmanship shows through in their creation. 

BTW, Daisy Beach figure critters speak for themselves. 

I need to visit again sometime!! 

Regards ... Doug


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## brooks2128 (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow thats one heckuva layout ya got there I love the rustic look to it and how all your rolling stock has a natural weather to it as the fellas said previous to me keep those pics a coming


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

Posted By Dougald on 03/23/2008 6:37 AM

Pete's critters (locomotives) are fascinating. They capture all of the charm of a backwoods line. Pete has found some innovative ways to power them and his craftsmanship shows through in their creation. 


Regards ... Doug


So does this mean we can tear up that Lilliputian On30 layout in the basement and start a 1:20th scale industrial line? /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

When I see pdk pictures it makes me wish I never got my Aristo track.  Instead I wish I had done the track by hand.  I guess I can still do that.  I can use my aristo as the main line and then branch off with the 7/8th backwoods RR.  I guess it could work.  
pdk
How do you make those figures?  I tried to send you and e-mail but it bounced back.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

What I like is the  abandon  rolling stock  rusting away on a  un used siding.    I think that adds  realism to the layout.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By snowshoe on 03/23/2008 9:10 AM
When I see pdk pictures it makes me wish I never got my Aristo track.  Instead I wish I had done the track by hand.  I guess I can still do that.  I can use my aristo as the main line and then branch off with the 7/8th backwoods RR.  I guess it could work.  
pdk
How do you make those figures?  I tried to send you and e-mail but it bounced back. 



Don't know why your email bounced. I tried emailing myself and it worked. It's [email protected] if you want to try again.

If you look at the progress photos on my web site you'll see that I started with plastic ties for my track, lifted and replaced sections one by one with hand-spiked stuff, slowly over time. That way I always had an operating layout to play with. It's the rails that are expensive and worth keeping, not the plastic tie strips.

As for my figures, I make them same as anybody else -- I sculpt them from polymer clay (i prefer super sculpey) bake them in the oven, then paint them. Just follow Chris Walas' methods, as posted here on MLS.

Cheers...


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dougald on 03/23/2008 6:37 AM
During my visit to the Daisy Beach I was impressed with many of Pete's creations. But two things left a lasting impression ... one was his lovely gardens and the other was his critters. 

The gardens are not spectacular in the sense of scenic mountains but they are harmonious and believable - the kind of landscape that is a perfect setting for a 2 foot gauge railroad or equally the kind of landscaping that anyone can enjoy looking at even without trains. 

Pete's critters (locomotives) are fascinating. They capture all of the charm of a backwoods line. pete has found some innovative ways to power them and his craftsmanship shows through in their creation. 

BTW, Daisy Beach figure critters speak for themselves. 

I need to visit again sometime!! 

Regards ... Doug



Too kind, Doug. We're organizing an ad hoc 7/8ths meet at my place this summer, to ply some Yanks who are passing through with good Canadian beer. As a true friend of 7/8ths I'll keep you posted. Apart from that. If you're going to be out this way, just drop me a line.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By pdk on 03/23/2008 6:08 AM
These two show off my favourite other kind of critter pretty well i think




















Ahhh..I percieve an HLW Mack bash!   thats quite a nice critter bash, reminds me of a little Brookville.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep, there's a Hartland Mack under there somewhere -- the power brick, wheels and deck. The rest is galvanized sheet steel, with a dash of brass, a dab of aluminum, and a wee bit of styrene. 

Thanks, and yes, it was inspired by a certain "famous" adorable two-foot gauge Brookville that spent its working life just a few miles from here.


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