If so, it could well be another backyard depot that unites a love of model railroading with a love of gardening. Such as can be found in thenorthern Durham backyard of Beth and Mark Haskell.
She is the gardener; he is the model railroader.
They say this is a great hobby for couples because while each pursueshis or her own specialty, it is for a common project.
Mark Haskell says he was bitten by the train bug when he was but oneyear old, and a house his parents bought had a model train in it. He likesto make the trains from kits, and gets further pleasure from creatinga backdrop for them in the outdoor setting.
When the Haskells moved from Michigan in 1993 to their basement-lessDurham home, they had no indoor room to display Mark's train collection.So they set up the track outside and began construction on a diminutiverail town, replete with a waterfall-capped tunnel,a goldfish pond, quarter-inch railworker figurines and a balsa wood coaltower.
Though the project consumed the better part of two months, three tons offield stone, 150 feet of track and countless small-growing plants,the Haskells take pleasure in sharing their hobby's secrets.
"I wouldn't recommend (railroad gardening) unless you have a train nutin the family," Beth Haskell said.
The hobby, which originated in England, has about 10,000 to 15,000 enthusiasts in the United States. The number of statewide clubs forenthusiasts has grown to more than 100, said Sharon Grefsle,who is helping to organize the national convention for railway gardeningto be held in Herndon, Va. The annual event, which looks like a colossaltrain store, Grefsle said, moves to a different city every year andusually draws up to 2,000 fans, some from as far away as Australia.
Railway gardeners even have two industry publications. Garden Railwaysand Outdoor Railroader.
Everyone's familiar with the toot-toot of the model steam locomotive asit whirls around the tracks. But the "presidents" of these miniature railroad lines can also add sound effects, so that a boxcar can squawk asif it were transporting turkeys.
For Beth, the train layout enables her to incorporate various plants,especially the miniature and dwarf varieties, into a landscape that showsoff both plant and train.The gardening part is a matter of trial and error, she said.She maintains and continuously adds to the plant collection,which includes a dwarf crape myrtle, ajuga and several variations ofthyme, which resembles miniature pine trees.
She also has charge of the houses along the right-of-way, as well asthe little figures and accessories for the various scenes.
Toot-toot-toot. Did you see the caboose disappear into the coleus?
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