Baker and Grande Ronde Railroad

See the 2015 Summer Tour Garden Time news clip for this railroad at https://www.youtube.com/embed/TIHTpmJ7YV8.

Engineer: Gary Lee
Scale: 1:24 (½ inch)
Power: Battery and steam

The Baker & Grande Ronde Railroad is a fictitious 1:24 scale narrow-gauge railroad that connects with the Sumpter Valley Railroad at its terminus in Baker City, Oregon. Circa 1890, during the glory days of mining and lumbering in the Oregon Blue Mountains, this small railroad ambitiously crossed the Elkhorn Range to reach its western destination of Ukiah. The 1:24 scale trains traverse six trestles and bridges that cross three rivers. A twenty-foot long, five-foot tall curved trestle near the summit transverses Freezeout Creek. There is over 800 feet of mainline on the 175′ x 60′ point-to-point railroad that was started in 2003. The forest of dwarf Alberta Spruce are pruned to represent large mature conifers; herbs and succulent ground cover create a lush forest floor, and locally gathered rock complete the landscape. The track is hand-laid and all structures and bridges are scratch-built. Engines are battery with remote control. This railroad was featured in the April, 2013, issue of Garden Railways Magazine.

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
No Public Restroom. Handicapped accessible.

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Chicago and Far Western Railroad

Engineer: Jay Burke
Power: Battery

The Chicago and Far Western Railroad (C. & F.W. Railroad) nestled in the foothills of a great mountain it is the lifeblood of the two communities it serves. The railroad crosses waterfalls, canyons and through farms. The trains are controlled via Radio controls by individual operators. The tracks carry both Passenger and Freight and all engines are battery powered.

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
The layout is handicap friendly in a large backyard in Vancouver.

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Crooked River Railroad

Engineers: Alan and Nola Olson
Power: Track

What can you do with a small railroad? Lots! This 17 ft. X 55 ft. dogbone layout is packed with 2 mountains, hills, a waterfall, pond, river and lake. Set in the 1890’s Old West, the Crooked River Railroad with its 200 ft. of track, yard and spurs uses battery and track power as it services the town of Mapleton, a mine, farm, flour mill and lumber mill. Filled with deciduous and evergreen trees — some are dwarf, some miniature and some Not — but all are kept in scale by the use of Bonsai techniques. Over 150 people and animals (some home-made with Sculpey) are set in vignettes that delight the eye and bring the railroad to life. Our favorite comments? One woman said, “I want to live there.” An arborist exclaimed, “Now, that’s landscaping!” And a TV cameraman said, “The more you look, the more there is to see.”.

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
Handicapped access is limited. No wheelchair access.

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High Cascades Railway

Hosts: Bob and Ellie Hutton
Power: Track

This railway integrates rockwork, tunnels, bridges and wide sweeping curves to traverse its natural Cascade Foothill setting. More than 700 feet of track grading takes advantage of abundant on-site volcanic basalt rock to achieve a maximum 3% grade. The railway compliments the Douglas Fir shaded landscape while navigating a real ten-foot drop between remote mountains and lower elevation lakes. Features include an under-driveway tunnel, a spiral helix, and snaking descents from rocky ridgetops through rugged canyons to tranquil lakes. Unique accents of cascading waterfalls and massive boulders are intermixed with blueberries and flowering plants. Current and historical western US passenger, freight, and logging trains run on battery and track power with layout expansions under construction.

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
Limited sight-distance from driveway entrance onto steep county road; parking only along driveway; limited handicap access on mowed lawn, paths and driveway; no restroom

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Lakeview and Boulder Railroad

Engineers: Jeff and Dianne Lange
Power: Track, Battery, Steam

The newly rebuilt Lake View and Boulder Railway in the NW neighborhood of Vancouver, Washington, has just that; a good view of Vancouver Lake and the railroad is surrounded by small boulders. It is made up of approximately 800 feet of single mainline track with sidings. The mainline is built around the perimeter of a large back yard just inside of a large privacy fence and adjoining arborvitae hedge. The south end of the layout crosses three steel bridges as it begins a long 3% climb up to the summit along the southern property line. It then returns back down a steep grade to the lower, level portions of the layout. At normal speeds, it takes almost 3 minutes for the trains to make a complete circuit. As many as 4 to 5 trains can run at the same time, providing that many operators are on duty. The layout is track, battery and steam powered. The owners enjoy running long mainline diesel freight and passenger trains, but also have a large collection of steam engines which run alongside their more recent counterparts from time to time. The 5 operating indoor layouts in the owner’s shop represent all scales, from the smaller Z, to the largest of the scales, including N, HO, O, and G scales.

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
Handicapped accessible.

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Serrano Creek Line

Engineers: Jim and Linda Loudon
Scale: 1:22, 1:24, 1:32
Power: Battery and Track

The Serrano Creek line was up and chugging by October 2017 with no foreseeable completion date. The diesel dominated Serrano Creek Line travels through a representation of life in early 1970’s.
The ever-changing landscape features both scratch built, “unique” 1:24 scale kit structures and refurbished buildings that were “acquired” by its creators.

Highlighted features:

» 550 feet of code 332 rail with switches: Aristo, LGB, and USA
» A continuous loop runs around three sides of our home
» A water feature that begins as a bubbling spring, waterfalls, and a long bubbling brook
» A dry creek bed that runs from the backyard to the front sidewalk
» Three bridges (wood and steel)
» Dominant power utilized is both versions (100 and 200) Locolinc
» All mainline curves are 10 foot diameter (5 foot radius) with a maximum of 2% grade
» Beautiful landscape with a variety of trees, shrubs, flowering plants, and ground covers

Open for tour on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.
Handicapped accessible.

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