# Breathtaking G-Scale Layout in South Dakota



## DoctorZ

I had to chance to visit the only Garden Railroad in Sioux Falls, SD; and perhaps in all of Eastern South Dakota. This is a MUST SEE video of the layout!



Enjoy!


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## Bkubiak

WOW Great video, they must have a fortune invested into that


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## DoctorZ

He's a retired High School Industrial Arts Teacher and she's a Physician, still employed.


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## MtRR75

I know absolutely nothing about G-scale, so here's my naive questions and comments.
(2) Nice garden -- even without the trains. Not sure how they reach some of the plants to take care of them.
(2) Lots of impressive bridge and trestle work. I guess the trackwork is nearly perfect, because a derailment on the high tracks would be catastrophic.
(3) Those were some pretty tight curves -- some taken at high speeds. G-scale must be more forgiving than HO, when it comes to curves. I was getting dizzy watching the video -- and I don't get dizzy easily.
(4) How much of the layout must be removed each fall before winter sets in, and set up again in the spring?


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## DoctorZ

MtRR75 said:


> I know absolutely nothing about G-scale, so here's my naive questions and comments.
> (2) Nice garden -- even without the trains. Not sure how they reach some of the plants to take care of them.
> (2) Lots of impressive bridge and trestle work. I guess the trackwork is nearly perfect, because a derailment on the high tracks would be catastrophic.
> (3) Those were some pretty tight curves -- some taken at high speeds. G-scale must be more forgiving than HO, when it comes to curves. I was getting dizzy watching the video -- and I don't get dizzy easily.
> (4) How much of the layout must be removed each fall before winter sets in, and set up again in the spring?


Well it's not my layout, but I do have my own Garden Railroad, so I can shed some light on the subject.

First, if your track is laid down correctly you can walk on it, so reaching the plants is just a matter of stepping on your tracks. The structures can be moved because they just sit on top of the ground.

Next, track work does have to be done well. They even make a track level, but a small construction level will work too. If your track isn't level your trains will derail. G-scale is pretty forgiving when it comes to up and down and even side to side, but if it "twists" meaning leans left then leans right on the same piece of track your trains will simply go off the tracks.

G-Scale locomotives and rolling stock are heavy enough that they usually don't derail from curves if the track is laid well. The camera does make the train look like it's traveling faster than it really is though. I'm just guessing, but I believe the sharpest curves on his layout were 4' diameter. On my layout, my sharpest curves are 16' diameter, and I would never even consider any sharper than 10' diameter. When G-Scale trains derail, they rarely tip over. Usually they just come off the rails and continue sliding down the tracks going bump-bump-bump over the ties.

G-Scale track is designed to sit outside all year long. On my layout all my track is Stainless Steel, most guys use Brass/Copper, which after it's sat out a full year changes color to pretty close to prototypical. There are other G-Scale track mixes, but Stainless and Brass/Copper are the most common. Most guys bring in their buildings for the winter if they live in snowy climates. Everyone brings in their locomotives when not running them. Rolling stock can be left out if you want that "weathered" look, but most bring them in too so it doesn't get broken or stolen.

I hope that answers most of your questions....


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## MtRR75

Thanks for the info.


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## Shadowplayer

Does the wiring have to be repaired/replaced every year or so after winter? Or after a heavy rain? It seems like that could be a huge issue, not just with the track, but with lights on the railway or even the engines (if left in the rain).

Cool garden railway btw. Back when I lived in western PA some old guys in the neighborhood got together and built one. This was back in the 80s. I had little to do with building it or running it but every Saturday they would get together and run just about everything they could.


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## DoctorZ

The layout in the video runs on battery power. However, I have track power on my layout. The wires are buried underground and run through conduit. As long as you use wire rated for outdoor installations, it's not a problem. I do not leave my locomotives in the rain. Some guys will leave their rolling stock outside all year to give it that "weathered" look.


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## Biggie

This is so nice! Love garden railroads!


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## DoctorZ

Biggie said:


> This is so nice! Love garden railroads!


Great little layout. It's too bad no one makes a decent HD video camera small enough to do a POV engineers ride in N scale.

I know people have done it, but not to the quality I insist on for my YouTube page.


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## tjcruiser

Wow ... there were many points in that "onboard the train" video where it was hard to tell one was "onboard" a model train, rather than a real train. Incredibly realistic scenery / landscaping, all in real golden sunshine!

Thanks for sharing the link, Doc.

TJ


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