Welcome to the Hodgepodge & Whimsy Garden Railroad slide show web page. This page is actually the story of three H&WRR's in three different locations starting in 1997 and continuing today. Some of the railroad information is shown directly on this page, more will be added in the blog to cover individual projects as the railroad continues to evolve

The Hodgepodge & Whimsy Railroad, located in Decatur, AL, is the third garden railroad created by John Peters since 1997. It is built in a raised bed garden and has 400 feet of mainline track, 30 feet of a side spur, and a separate 45-foot trolley track. It extends across our back yard on both sides of the gazebo behind our house.  Construction began in January of 2023, and refinements continue to be added. Young children and their dads will like the railroad and the layout with the miniature buildings. Gardeners will appreciate the miniature landscaping. Modelers and techies will be interested in the radio control and electronics that make the railroad operate. Fishermen will be attracted to the goldfish in the three ponds. Wives will especially appreciate the fact that their husband has not entered this hobby.

This is a relatively new garden railroad, started in January 2023,. Landscaping and buildings are a continuing evolution. We install Christmas lighting for the season throughout the railroad garden, and most buildings have solar lighting to illuminate them at night for the rest of the year. Tours are available on request, as well as during our open houses. The lighting creates an enchanted tour that will delight young and old alike. There is something here for everyone. The best time for a Christmas visit is currently from dusk until just after dark. That allows you to see the railroad in daylight and when illuminated by the Christmas and building lights during the same visit. We are located in the Rolling Hills area of southeast Decatur, AL. Watch our Facebook group for news of our open houses. If the crossing lights in front of the garage are flashing we are showing the railroad, so stop in and visit. We will add current photos of the layout as the landscaping as the seasons change and the railroad evolves. If you want to see the railroad with your "kids" or a group, call us or message us and we will try to accommodate your schedule.

All three versions of the Hodgepodge & Whimsy RR are shown in these galleries. Garden railroaders might find the three methods of construction and landscaping to be of interest before starting their own railroad. There are many ways to prepare track bed in a garden railroad, these are only three of many but they might spark the imagination of an even better way. The first railroad used cross ties as the roadbed and to reach the desired track elevations. It was bulletproof but heavy and did not accommodate changes very well. The second version of the H&WRR used vinyl fence rails for the track bed and in retrospect may have been the best overall choice. The current railroad uses a combination of vinyl fence boards and Trex porch boards laid flat for the roadbed. It is a pretty standard setup and is flexible and repairable, but warping and bowing of the boards can be a problem in the hot Alabama sun. Putting a brace under the boards would probably help the situation.

These are the same photo galleries that are on the photo galleries page, but are arranged as slideshows. There are a lot of photos, so the first slide might take a few seconds to load. At present the slide shows cannot be made to show the photos in random order. That should change in the future.