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Hodgepodge & Whimsy Garden Railroad Facts and Figures The Hodgepodge and Whimsy Garden Railroad contains a large number
of parts, pieces, plants, animals, species, The garden covers approximately 5,000 square feet of outdoor area and 200 square feet of indoor space at the current time. It might be doubled in the future if we can get enough time, money, and wifely approval. In addition to the space occupied by the actual railroad, we have approximately 2,000 square feet of landscaping around the edges of the railroad. The H&WGRR currently has 800 feet of track and 20 turnouts. Roadbed was added in early 1999 for another 400 feet of track, but only about 100 feet of the new track has been laid so far. The new track should be completed in early 2000. All turnouts can be controlled electrically from a central location and will also be controlled by radio control when the railroad is completed. Trains on each section of track are controlled separately by radio control, either by controlling the track voltage or by direct control of voltage from battery power. There are currently 3 tunnels, a 36-inch covered bridge, and a 48-inch girder bridge on the railroad. The new track addition will require four additional bridges ranging from 24 to 60 inches in length. The track is laid length Buried below the H&WGRR are 1200 feet of PVC electrical conduit and over 1˝ miles of low voltage wiring. There are 40 low voltage electrical outlets scattered throughout the garden. Over 130 lighting fixtures are used to light and highlight the railroad and its structures. Also buried beneath the H&WGRR is 450 feet of sprinkler piping to feed 32 sprinkler heads. Water usage for irrigation in the hot, dry Alabama summer is upwards of 50,000 gallons per month. Over 150 yards of fill dirt was moved by hand (most of it several times) to fill the garden and landscaped areas and to raise ground levels up to the tops of the cross ties for the track. 25 tons of crushed rock was used for walking paths and as ballast for the track. Another 4 tons of small river rock pebbles was used to line the 120 feet of riverbeds in the garden. All rock was moved by hand, using a strong back and a weak mind. In early 1999, over 55 tons of sandstone rock was added (by hand, of course) for retaining walls, edging, and conversion of the original landscape design into a rock garden. Initial comments have been favorable. (We hope people like it, we’re not about to take the rock back out!) The garden contains three pon Two separate rivers, formed using flexible vinyl sheeting for the riverbeds, connect two of the ponds. The sides of the vinyl sheeting are secured with large rocks, and the bottoms of the rivers are covered with small, rounded river rocks. Birds love to use the rivers for bathing, wading, drinking, and people watching. Each pond contains a number of fish, primarily comets and fan tailed goldfish. The fish will be named as soon as we can determine their sex. This is difficult to do without scuba gear and an underwater microscope. Other inhabitants include a phrog named Phred, several unnamed frogs and tadpoles, and a turtle named Bogey (found on the golf course).
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and unsolved mysteries. It is
also the final resting place for the beloved family cat that helped me
build it. A summary of some of the more interesting facets of
the garden railroad and its construction are outlined below.
wise on 115 real, full-sized railroad crossties,
stacked up to three high to obtain the desired track elevations.
ds and four waterfalls. Two
ponds are pre-formed rigid butyl ponds; one pond was dug by hand and
then lined with a flexible vinyl liner.