During a family visit in southwestern Ohio, Mark Edwards (Santa Margarita, CA) was welcomed by several members of the Greater Cincinnati Garden Railway Society who graciously operated their layouts for a special “private” tour. This is another example of the comradery displayed among those who share our hobby. We hope that people interested in garden railroads feel equally welcome visiting CCCGRS layouts here while touring the scenic central California coast.
Here are a few images from the impromptu tour in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky :
Fern Valley Railroad, Crestview Hills, KY – Mike & Jeanette Wolf
Broad curving trestles supported by custom-made piers and tunnels allow trains on the Fern Valley Railroad to intertwine among ponds and waterfalls (M. Edwards, 2018).The Wolf’s Fern Valley Railroad begins on the back deck and extends down the sloping backyard to a beautiful koi pond (M. Edwards, 2018).
Cranberry & Linville River Railroad Co., Walton, KY – Dan & Pam Stenger
Dan & Pam Stenger’s highly detailed garden railroad operates for multiple events throughout the year hosting train and garden groups, as well as popular Christmas holiday displays (M. Edwards, 2018).High trestles, deep canyons, tunnels and mature vegetation are among the impressive features of the Cranberry & Linville River Railroad Co. (M. Edwards, 2018).
Featured in Garden Railways magazine, the Rogers creatively took advantage of a fallen catalpa tree creating not one, but two tunnels on the Gnome Forest Line (M. Edwards, 2018).The Flat Iron Mine is one of several unique scenes on the Gnome Forest Line. The entire railroad is situated in an impressive garden of plants and art (M. Edwards, 2018).
Open Eight, Cincinnati, OH – Richard & Nancy Enghouser
Routinely toured by local gardening groups, the Open Eight railroad demonstrates how an ingenious track plan can blend into the surrounding garden (M. Edwards, 2018).Enghouser’s describe their layout as a “railroad in the garden.” Organic elements are joined with the train elements to create a unique landscape feature (M. Edwards, 2018).
Buckeye Springs Railway, West Chester, OH – Steve & Karen Carr
With a pastoral background, trestles are employed to traverse the sloping grade of the site. It is clear in this view that southwestern Ohio is not struggling with the same water shortages we have in central California (M. Edwards, 2018).The Buckeye Springs Railway features three main overlapping loops with strategic placement of trestles. Creative placement of plants, stones and other features create visual barriers behind which trains “disappear” and later are seen in another part of the layout (M. Edwards, 2018).
In addition to the outdoor large scale layouts, several indoor smaller scale layouts were visited.
Ohio-Erie Railroad, Amelia, OH – Peter Weiglin
Peter Weiglin’s extensive HO layout models the fictitious Ohio-Erie line operating between locations in southwestern Ohio (M. Edwards, 2018).
