(The following story by Rebecca Jamescourie appeared on The Californian website on March 30.)
GLEN OAKS, Calif. — On any given day, neighbors can hear the huff and puff of a train — its whistle signaling the approach to an intersection, the smoke betraying the engine’s heavy chug up a hill.
No, folks living in the sleepy, gated community of Glen Oaks Hills east of Temecula don’t live near the Union Pacific, but they do live near Jack and Lorraine Keefer’s railroad garden.
In front of the Keefers’ home, a railroad crossing marks the entrance to 500 feet of track, miniature villages, underground tunnels and a couple of 8- to 12-foot-long trains.
“This was a perfect place to put it,” Lorraine Keefer said of the tracks that rest on a 38- by 75-foot space at the base of the hill their house rests upon. “When we first got here, there was no trees, no plants, no nothing. Now there’s a train yard,” she said, chuckling.
Jack Keefer, 75, said his interest in trains started when he was young, but got pushed into high gear in 1995 when his grandchildren gave him a train he placed under the Christmas tree. As the train got longer, so did the need for a larger display area. It was then they moved the train outside.
That was nine years and thousands of dollars ago. Today, the railroad garden is an ongoing project for the retired electrical engineer. One of his favorite trains is a 29-to-1 “G” scale, which means it’s 29 times smaller than an actual train.
A closer look will reveal the Keefers’ use of birdhouses placed in villages throughout the cemented tracks. A miniature windmill, church, feed and grain store and water towers also help to complete the scene. As the train pulls by, miniature people are seen stuck precariously inside the cars.
“You can spend a small fortune on the people,” said Jack Keefer, his engineer cap guarding his eyes from the sun.
An electrical box stands like a monolith to the side of the tracks and holds the power source for the tracks. He uses a hand-held remote control to run the trains.
“Some folks have computer-run trains,” he said. “But that’s not as fun as this.”
Flanking one side of the yard is a 40-foot-long trestle that stands more than two feet above the ground. Keefer said he built it to scale from a “bridge book” and used the wood from a fence that used to surround his garage. The trestle took about 8 months to complete and it was installed in six-foot sections.
Necessity gave way to ingenuity as Keefer found it difficult to be carrying the trains in and out of the garage where they were stored. So, he converted one wall of his brick garage into a train station. By removing one brick from the side wall, Keefer created an opening for the tracks that would lead the trains from the garage, over an 8-foot-long bridge and into the train yard.
Keefer said the brass tracks don’t rust, but the pitch from the overhanging pine trees will stop a train in its tracks.
“Pitch and a pepper corn is all you need to derail a train,” he said, pulling a brush from the hip pocket of his overalls and swiping it across the tracks.
The trains have been a neighborhood attraction for many of the young folks that come visit their families.
Neighbors Gail and Phyllis Griffith have lived down the street for 13 years.
“Our grandchildren love to go down there and watch the trains,” said Gail. “We have a Memorial Day party here and that’s the first place the kids head for.”
Like most train enthusiasts, Keefer is an active member of the 600-member San Diego Garden Society and the 30-member Temecula Valley Garden Railroad Society. Every November, the Temecula group, which has members from as far away as Idllywild, converge at the Keefers,’ bringing their trains, swapping stories and sharing a meal.
On July 7 to 10, Keefer’s railroad garden will be among those showcased during the Western Regional Garden Railroad Meet.