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Leaves on the line
Hidden away in one Aylesbury residents garden is a delightful model garden railway that weaves it way around the blooming plants and flowers.
For well over a century miniature railways have been built in gardens throughout Britain and around the world. Beginning with the small-scale tinplate trains and larger live-steam locomotives, the garden railway phenomenon has flourished.
For engineer Keith Robinson his hobby soon developed and he's built an unobtrusive circuit around his gardens perimeter. This scenic sight incorporates his garden into the railway to provide a horticultural wonder.
Keith, 68, first became interested in trains as a young teenager. Living in Sheffield he happily watched big express trains run through the main line near the bottom of his garden.
He explains: "I just liked to watch the steam engines because they're such impressive machines. But I was no trainspotter and wasn't into jotting down the numbers."
Keith was soon making 00 scale models and 2ft long coaches in the garden, whilst building smaller items in the house.
He moved to his Aylesbury home 28 years ago and soon realised his hobby may have to expand. "Most modern houses do not have enough space to build a model railway, and controlled steam locomotives are hard to run indoors due to spillage.
"Seven years ago the idea crept up on me and I thought it would be nice to put something in the garden. First I had to plan an outline to fit into the garden without destroying my wife's existing garden!"
He added: "The line was eventually dug through the rockery and put on wooden posts. At certain points the planting is as high as the track so it can still be hidden within the planting, so the track is not obvious but you can see the trains running as if travelling through the countryside. There's also box hedge plants alongside to provide small scale scenery."
Keith finished the complete 30metre circuit round the garden in one year and trains are able to run up to 30 minutes with several trains running at once, while half a dozen steam trains are being prepared. He also runs open days at his garden where others come along and bring their locomotives to his railway to run.
"I suppose the garden is looked on as being slightly weird," Keith confessed "But it gives people something to look at and talk about from your usual garden. Some people think it's slightly eccentric but many friends find themselves using it even when they have no specific interest in trains. They enjoy working the controls and I hope they become converts!"
Once the winter is over Keith is busy repairing any damage the frost may have brought, such as relevelling track lifts. Once the summer arrives the railway provides an attractive addition to the garden, much to the relief of his wife. "She was horrified at first about what it might do to the garden, but I help maintain the plants around it whereas before I had no interest in the garden until the railway came. Now I cut round the plants and take more interest which benefits her and the garden."
Keith now spends his time building any additional rolling stock such as coaches and wagons he may want to add. "I try to build throughout the winter and then run them the rest of the year" he said.
Keith explained that garden railways can be wrongly perceived as being a solely male preserve, but argues that many women get involved specialising in the planting and operating. "You have to have an interest in railways but they can also be made on a much smaller level to be just a talking point. It's not difficult to do but can be time consuming. You can also run rechargeable battery powered models if you're on a budget.
"It certainly provides hours of entertainment and my grandchildren love it," he enthused. His son Simon even followed in his father's footsteps and built a garden railway on a raised flowerbed throughout the garden that featured steam engines running on an 8ft wide by 20ft long
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Weather for Aylesbury
Thursday 09 February 2012
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Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
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