# Finished after seven years.



## davetrou (Jan 2, 2008)

Finished after seven years. A week ago I laid my last piece of mainline track. When I drew up my plans seven years ago a 1,000 feet of track didn’t seem like too much. After seven years of hauling dirt, rock and ballast, I can finally say thank God that parts DONE. Now I can get on with building more bridges, trestles and buildings. Most of the layout is built at ground level, Four to 20 inches. From the back path it’s 16 to 36 inches. Three mainlines at about 300 feet each, two at ground level and one elevated at 18 inches. Eleven # 6 mainline switches and six X-wide yard switches. Although it was a lot of work I wouldn’t trade one minute of it. A good way to spend time outdoors in the sun with my bride of twenty years, have a few suds with friends and watch the expressions on little kids faces. But most of all the enjoyment of running trains. It’s a great hobby.
I’ll try to embed some walkaround pictures in a slide show.


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

An excellent finish to a monumental project. I hope you've planned a golden spike ceremony, although with the price of gold these days you might have to settle for copper. 

The whole project, railroad and yard together, came out beautiful. Congratulations!


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## jkarns (Jan 5, 2008)

Dave, 
That is a wonderful looking layout (great slideshow to boot). I commend you for all of the hard work you obviously put into your layout. 
Jesse


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Whooee!! That is one really nice layout you've got there! I love your trestles and rock work.....heck, the whole thing is magnificent! I'm also impressed with the slideshow you've imbedded! Could you provide some info?


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## coyote97 (Apr 5, 2009)

that looks really fine!
I like the little trees...are they grown like this or do you "shear" them?

some impressive bridges....wow

Frank
g-scale-structures.de


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## itsmcgee (Jan 4, 2008)

all I can say is a big WOW!!!!! EXCELENT


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

FANTASTIC JOB! What an accomplishment, you should be very proud. Thanks for sharing!


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

That is an awesome layout. Good job. Great photos. Thanks for posting.
I really like your American 4-4-0. Who makes the one in your photo below?









A few months ago, I bought an Accucraft live steam Baldwin 4-4-0, D&RG #101 "Col. Boone" . Now I need to get a layout so "The Colonel" can have a proper run.


















Your photos have almost motivated me, but 7 years? Now that's what I call dedication!


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

7 years for this remarkable layout is a HUGE accomplishment! I am 2 full years into mine and it is no where near completion. Time flies though when you have so much work to do and especially when you manage your time "like a business" ; Marty tought me this one. Just get started Don, throw it down on the graound at least.


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW! What a beautiful railroad! I have done similar things to my dwarf albreta spruce tree, need to take care of the rest!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Beautiful layout indeed! AND a great slideshow. THX for posting.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Can't come up with any better adjectives, WOW is a repeat but is my honest reaction!!


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

_Posted By Biblegrove RR on 09 Dec 2009 11:46 AM 
Just get started Don, throw it down on the ground at least. _

That's what I've done. I threw the oval loop down on the ground a year ago. I've done it 3 times before. Each time it gets picked up and stored for a year or so until something motivates me once again. 

This is pretty much the way it looks today after 5 years of "ups" and "downs".


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Really Nice!


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job, all around. Definitely have a gold spike ceremony. That's a lot of fine work and it needs recognition.

Thanks for sharing, Bob


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Dave, 

Congratulations on a wonderful layout and you have finished it in a very short time! 

Thank you for the photos whuich provide inspiration for us all!


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## Manco (Jan 5, 2009)

Excellent! That is the complete package right there! Blends beautifully with the yard and real-world surroundings. Hope to see you post on your technique for the rock-work someday, it really caught my eye.


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## ped (Nov 25, 2009)

Absolutley Brilliant,what a huge achievement in not such a long time,the miniature trees are fantastic as is everything else,iv'e seen lots of garden railways but none with a WOW factor like yours,you should be very proud and thankyou for sharing,Gongratulations.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

One cool looking RR. Good detail. Are you running Battery or track power? Later RJD


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, that would have taken me seven decades........


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

That is a really, really,really great layout. 

tom h


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## Bills (Feb 20, 2008)

Beautiful garden and railroad. I like the way you have been able to maintain the use of your yard while still have a an interesting track layout. Your plantings look great. Looks like it was 7 years of fun and experimentation . If you make a video please post it.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Wow!!! You've done an excellent job! The plants and trees are well placed, the track layout is great, and the rock work is top-notch and quite realistic. The overall appearance is very easy on the eye, and there seems to be plenty of good camera angles. Congrats on a job well done!


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## UK_Pete (May 13, 2009)

A fantastic looking railroad, truly inspirational!







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Pete.[/b]


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Magnificent, Dave. Truly a work of beauty and done with a very evident labor of love. 

What a way to enjoy this hobby. Thanks for letting us share it with the fanstatic "slide show".


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Normally I would say a railway is never finnished, but yours is! Very beautifull. No, actually, its magnificant! 
The pictures give me inspiration, ideas, dreams and... some healthy jealousy ;-)))


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

Dave, what are the round decked things next to each other? Burn pits? Hot tubs? Water wells? hhhhmmmmm


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

"SHAMWOW" Great looking layout, and those trees, Man o Man Whered ya get em, and can ya get me about 40 or 50 of em nobody around here has em, and if they do they want $30+ dollers apiece!!! Regal


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Looks fantastic.

I was gonna ask if there was anything you'd do different, but you said "wouldn't trade a minute of it," meaning the work, so I guess that answers it.


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## davetrou (Jan 2, 2008)

I would like to thank everyone for the kind words and comments, if it wasn’t for the people here at myLargescale, my layout probably would never have progressed as it has. Gleaning from all the master craftsman on this site is what helped build my layout. The many answered questions, pictures, and detailed projects has helped many G-gauge modelers. A lot of things you learn here, you can’t get from a book.
Thanks Again

Steve
I used Google/Picasa Web album, It’s a free program with 30 MB storage space. It has a picture album and slide show presentation with an embedding program. An easy copy and paste. “After you know / learn how”. I store all my permanent train related pictures on myLargescale, everything else on Picasa.

Coyote97
There’s 170 Alberta Spruce total. Planted 25 the first summer, 50 the 2nd and 3rd. and 50 last summer.150 are planted in pots, the rest are in the ground. I prune and thin them every two or three years. Takes about two days for the ones in the pots, I pull the pot out of the ground, cut the tap roots/loosen soil, soak in fertilizer and dip in spider mite killer.

Sailordon 
My 4-4-0 is a Bachmann. R/C Locolink with Phoenix sound, Converted tender to oil. I built the upper loop with a staging area, with the idea of running live steam someday.

Aceinspp
Running all battery.


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## Doug C (Jan 14, 2008)

Excellent layout ! I really enjoyed your slide show presentation of it perfect way perfect shots ! My guess on those circular wood 'tops' . . . abstract loading/unloading platforms !?

If GR mag gets wind of your layout they should run not walk to your layout for the story and to 'borrow' some shots from ya.









doug c


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

Amen Doug! This is nicer than many I've seen in that rag... lol 

They look like burn pits to me...that would be cool, and to double as loading platforms? Why not! 

I suppose he is too busy out running trains than to let the cat out of the bag on these things. I would be!


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## davetrou (Jan 2, 2008)

John Bible, Doug C
When I started my layout, I made a list of things I needed in the backyard, and a list for the trains.

This is only a parcel list for the backyard.

Table Benches “That I didn’t have to move.SeatElectrical outlet “For yard maintenance and battery charging.Water “hose bib ”Sprinkler manifold”Storage “for ballast”Place for 10 gal. air tank “air for switches”
 Parcel list for trains.

Six/Eight foot Arch or Truss bridge.One I could get around and remove.Switches I could get to without climbing into layout. A place to connect trains without getting on my hands and knees.
 These just seemed to fill the bill.


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

Great ideas! Thanks for the explanation... the removable bridge is cool!


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