LM&B - The Original Site

The Original Lynx Mountain and Blackberry

The first LM&B was built on a rental property, so it was never meant to be permanent. Unfortunately, it was less permanent than I had planned. Originally conceived in late 1994 after a visit to the NMRA national train show in Portland, it was constructed over a period of three weeks in the summer of 1995. Plans from Garden Textures were used to construct a Howe Truss bridge in August 1995 and trestle in July 1996. Rolling stock was built from plans included in Garden Railways magazine.

It consisted of a 45' loop of hand laid code 250 aluminum rail on cedar ties cut at Point Grey's wood shop. The roadbed was garden ties and recycled decking material from my neighbour's garden built into a raised garden around a large cedar tree. Wiring was old telephone cable from the electronics shop.

The Golden Spike was on August 8th, 1995 when the Lehmann Porter pulled a train consisting of of flatcar #1 and 1 stock car #1.

The next year I built a tunnel with rock from my father-in-laws house, a mayonnaise tub from a restaurant ( empty of course ) and cedar 1x1's . Landscaping was a problem because of the cedar tree making the soil very acidic and dry. Not much greenery save for the occasional sun flower from the bird feeder spill over.

Winter was hard, harder so because the landlord was muttering about his son needing a place to stay. And it snowed - big time for the west coast. Roof shoveling big time.

The bad news came in January, we had to go and so did the railroad. It didn't take long. Destruction never does.

I left a marker on the spot where the tunnel was and moved on. There would be another garden somewhere....

Tales From Lynx Mountain - something that occurred late one night on my computer. Actually published in A.W.N.U.T.S. Magazine and The Burnt Journal - the Greater Vancouver Garden Railway Society newsletter
A Short History of the Lynx Mountain and Blackberry - I had to vent a bit after pulling up the track and storing it in someones basement

Overview Credits The Original Lynx Mountain and Blackberry Message from the President
Structures Landscaping Rolling Stock Locomotives Whimsey Programs Links News

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Copyright 2001 - Ravenscroft Design Co.

The first LM&B was built on a rental property, so it was never meant to be permanent. Unfortunately, it was less permanent than I had planned. Originally conceived in late 1994 after a visit to the NMRA national train show in Portland, it was constructed over a period of three weeks in the summer of 1995. Plans from Garden Textures were used to construct a Howe Truss bridge in August 1995 and trestle in July 1996. Rolling stock was built from plans included in Garden Railways magazine.
	It consisted of a 45' loop of hand laid code 250 aluminum rail on cedar ties cut at Point Grey's wood shop. The roadbed was garden ties and recycled decking material from my neighbour's garden built into a raised garden around a large cedar tree. Wiring was old telephone cable from the electronics shop.
The Golden Spike was on August 8th, 1995 when the Lehmann Porter pulled a train consisting of of flatcar #1 and 1 stock car #1.
	The next year I built a tunnel with rock from my father-in-laws house, a mayonnaise tub from a restaurant ( empty of course ) and cedar 1x1's . Landscaping was a problem because of the cedar tree making the soil very acidic and dry. Not much greenery save for the occasional sun flower from the bird feeder spill over.
Winter was hard, harder so because the landlord was muttering about his son needing a place to stay. And it snowed - big time for the west coast. Roof shoveling big time.
	The bad news came in January, we had to go and so did the railroad. It didn't take long. Destruction never does. I left a marker on the spot where the tunnel was and moved on. There would be another garden somewhere....