Small Beginnings
It all started in 2020 with a temporary holiday display in our front yard. It was a tough year for all, and we were looking for a way to bring more joy into the world. Fast forward, now the BeeLine is a full-fledged layout with two loops consisting of 600-700 feet of track that thousands of folks come and enjoy each year.
The Name
The name ‘BeeLine’ has three different meanings for us.
First, we strive to be pollinator friendly around here. Some ways we do this is by minimizing use of gardening chemicals, allowing various native “weeds” to bloom, and leaving fall leaf litter on the ground to give chrysalis’ a chance to emerge.
Secondly, the first loop constructed is roughly in the shape of the letter “B”.
Finally, the connotation BeeLine has on railroading (getting from point A to point B in a speedy manner).
Operations
We operate on a private basis sporadically throughout the year. However, the big event for us is the Holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Years). The nearly quarter mile pathway through our neighborhood turns into a winter wonderland. Thousands of visitors walk the trail during this time and we typically have trains running most weekends during the Holiday season. Subscribe and stay tuned to our social media channels as we typically post about operating days and time for the public to walk the trail and see the trains.
*** If you come for a visit, we ask that you respect the boundaries by staying on the paved pathway. DO NOT enter the garden area - the BeeLine Railroad is situated on private property. ***
Design
The BeeLine is a G Gauge outdoor layout custom designed to fit our landscape and flow with the elevation changes. Much of the layout is elevated to keep the grades reasonable. This improves operation and locomotive reliability. Our curves are broad, with our minimum diameter being around 18-19ft curves. It was designed to reduce the amount of maintenance needed, whilst keeping operations reliable.
The equipment we run comes from a variety of manufacturers, such as Aristocraft, LGB, USA Trains, Bachmann, Accucraft, etc. Our locomotives run on battery power, remote controlled either by Soundtraxx Blunami or Precision RC Revolution. The materials and equipment we use was all designed for outdoor use.
We’ve experienced challenges and have learned a lot of things along the way. As such we have created solutions for various things. Some of these solutions you can buy in our store, custom designed by us (such as remote control module mounts, coupler boxes, solutions to ease remote control installations, as well as various 3D printed parts that are either no longer made or available). We use our own products on the BeeLine Railroad extensively, and would not offer them for sale unless we were completely satisfied with them.
Questions?
Have questions about Garden Railroading? Looking to get started, and need some advice? Questions about our products and services? Please be sure to visit our contact page as well as our social media outlets and send us an inquiry. We’re always happy to help!
