| DIY People: Paradise Valley Railroad |
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Growing up in Detroit, Bob Allen loved model railroading. He was content to visit the Christmas train display at the local department store, knowing the sleek silver liners and powerful freights were beyond his reach. "I knew I could never afford those trains back then. But now, things have changed," Bob says with a smile. After retiring from the automobile industry, Bob and his wife moved to Florida, where big backyards can accommodate big dreams. "In Detroit, I had a small layout of "N" scale trains -- some of the smallest trains made -- so I didn't need much room," he recalls. "The problem with "N" scale is that as one grows older, those trains seem to get smaller and smaller. Retiring has allowed me to upgrade to garden railroading, where the trains are downright huge." Today, Bob is very content sitting in his garden swing watching his "G" scale trains traverse his enormous backyard. What strikes you, besides the size of Bob's layout (figure A), are the features that dot his landscape. "All of my buildings are scratch-built," Bob explains. "They are scaled one half inch to the foot. So, I cut the lumber to scale size, using 1-1/4" cypress wood. I assemble all my buildings using waterproof glue and brass nails. It takes about 55 hours to construct a typical building." Bob has also transplanted another of his other hobbies to his new Florida address. "It may not look like it, because of the size of the layout," Bob says, "but there are 75 bonsai plants. Each plant is in a pot, and the pot is buried in the ground (figure B). This way, I can control the growth of the root of the plant." Successful garden railroading requires a great deal of landscape maintenance, applying this technique has significantly cut down on the amount of work Bob must perform. Bob continues to dream big. "In the beginning, I started out with just one set of tracks, and was really happy with it. And, the more I looked at it and the room that I had, I thought I can expand on this. And, I did," he says. "This has been a labor of -- well everybody says a labor of love -- but, it's much more than that. It's been physical and mental therapy for me. It keeps your mind active. It keeps your hands active, and I think it's a wonderful pastime for just those reasons. Who knows how far this railroad will take me."
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