Family and friends discover Campbell’s paradise railway

Pat Campbell dressed as the engineer at Campbell’s Paradise Railway, wearing traditional striped denim overalls and engineer’s hat. Gary West photo

By Diane Danen

Jim and Pat Campbell welcomed family and friends to their backyard this past weekend to enjoy a look at Campbell’s Paradise Railway (CPR).

Visitors had the opportunity to explore the Campbells’ impressive garden railway and discover the story behind the miniature railroad they have been building for nearly two decades.

When the Campbells began this adventure, they had no idea where to begin. Determined to learn, the couple joined two garden railway clubs in 2005, where they gained advice from people who had already been through the process. They toured members’ layouts and attended the London Garden Railway Open House, gathering ideas and inspiration along the way.

Back home, they marked out a large oval area measuring approximately 45 feet long by 25 feet wide. After drawing their plans on graph paper, construction of Campbell’s Paradise Railroad began in 2007.

The railway operates on what is known as “G” scale, with the trains and cars built at approximately one twenty-fourth to one thirty-second the size of the real thing. The buildings are built to a scale of one-half inch to one foot.

To put the size into perspective, the railway track is two inches wide, while some of the cars are an impressive 30 inches long.

Campbell’s Paradise Railway includes a Canadian Pacific model of the train used by Queen Elizabeth when she travelled across Canada in the early 1950s. Another favourite is a model of the White Pass diesel engine, which operates between Skagway, Alaska, and the Canadian border in Yukon.

Six engines operate on the layout, taking turns making their way along the tracks to their destinations. Each engine has its own electric motor, powered by low-voltage current supplied through the track.

Most of the engines are equipped with sound. One is a diesel, while the others are steam engines. One even features the actual train sound of the South Simcoe Railway, which operates between Tottenham and Beeton, Ontario.

The Campbells chose a Western theme for their railway, which meant that mountains would be essential.

Creating the mountainous landscape was no small undertaking. The couple brought in large fieldstones, many of them collected from their own farm, while friends also donated stones for the project. Some of the massive rocks weigh more than a ton.

What began with a simple question about how to build a garden railway has grown into a unique backyard attraction, reflecting years of planning, learning and hard work, providing family and friends with a miniature railway world to explore.