The G&O Story (O Gauge Outdoors)

A friend is building a layout that his grandkids can operate.  He asked me for photos of the control panel for the G&O children's display.  I realized that I never took any photos of only the control panel.  So I went back through the years to find control panel photos.  Many of the kids in these photos are teenagers today.

Looks great, Joe!

The G&O was open for the annual Holiday Show yesterday, December 17, 2022.  The weather was clear and cool with bright sunlight.  We were able to really decorate the display for the first time since the start of Covid.  Here are a few photos.  NH Joe

We inserted artificial poinsettias into the plants to brighten the display for the holidays.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is always a favorite.

Christmas is coming on the children's display.

The snowman sure looks swell.

Everyone loves poinsettias.  

Radiator Springs sparkels.  

Here comes the Santa train.  The 1201 MTH Dasher engine has been converted to battery command control using the Air Wire system.  The battery is in the trialing SP SD-9.  The engine ran for 4 hours before running out of battery power.  

Polar bears have taken over Norris Falls.  

San Leandro is decorated for the holidays.  

The Santa train is on the Bixby Bridge.  The cars are from a 12 days of Christmas K-Line set.  

Here is Depot Yard.  

This is the Santa train at Norris Falls.  

Everyone in Radiator Springs is caroling for the holidays.  

The Santa Fe makes an appearance.  This is a track powered G gauge train.

A G gauge Christmas train at Bouey Canyon.  Look at those boxes of gifts!

Everyone loves a snowman.

The Santa Fe Super Chief is on the Bixby Bridge.  Happy Holidays to all!

Anyone who has followed this post will know that the G&O crew has a tradition of running trains New Years Day.  January 1, 2023 was not an exception.  The weather was cool, bright and clear.  There was a break between rain storms that have been flooding northern CA for the last few days.  These photos chase the Daylight eastbound from San Francisco to LA.  (On the Souther Pacific and G&O all trains going toward SF are westbound and all trains going away from SF are eastbound regardless of actual geographic direction.)  NH Joe

Here is the Daylight exiting Coupler Curve and crossing the G gauge line.  A G Gauge Napa Valley Wine Train is crossing below the bridge.  

The Daylight is powered by a brass Williams GS-4 that has been upgraded to Lionel TMCC command control.  The cars are a mix of K-Line and MTH.

The Daylight has just crossed the Bouey Bridge and is entering Radiator Springs.  

Another view of the Daylight.

The Daylight holds the main during its Radiator Springs stop.

The Daylight is passing Lizard Peak.

The Daylight at Norris Falls.

The Daylight at Mountain Junction.

The SP called the Daylight the most beautiful train in the world.  

As per SP practice, the engines have been changed half way to LA.  This is a MTH GS-4 that has been converted to battery power.  Control is with the Rail Pro system.  

The train is passing Fireside.  Recent rains have put out the fire.

Our last view of the train is at Bouey Canyon.  The Golden Gate Bridge is in the background.  Happy New Year to everyone.

Joe, the trains, bridges, scenery, and weather look great!  Thank you for the photographs!!

The east and west Daylight trains meet on the G&O on 25 February 2023.  NH Joe

Saturday, April 15, 2023 (tax day) was also Dinosaurs at the Depot Day at the San Leandro Historical Railway Society Depot.  Here are a few photos and videos from Saturday.  NH Joe

Below:  Norris Falls.  Gold will be found in this creek in several million years.

A Shay and a Climax haul dinosaurs.  These are G gauge engines.

A Western Pacific mine train avoids a T-Rex.  The engines and cars are K-Line.

Bedrock is a peaceful village.

The Dinosaur Park train roars by on the children's display.  This is a Lionel train that has been converted to battery.  The battery is in the box car.  The LionChief remote controls the train.  

Dinosaurs look at the volcano.  The volcano uses a fog unit.

Another view of the K-Line mine train.

This is a battery powered G gauge European engine.

A Santa Fe freight passes a dinosaur at Radiator Springs.

The Santa Fe engines are Menards.  

The dinosaur train passes over a newly constructed G&O bridge.  This is the third bridge at this location.

If this video doesn't work, I will remove it.

Very nice

During the last two weeks the G&O crew has been repairing and repainting the G gauge Norris Falls bridges.  Here are a few photos.  NH Joe

This is a photo of the two bridges before the restoration was started.

The bridges have been removed.  The G gauge track is supported by saw horses.  

Here is a bridge with new cross members.

This bridge has been repainted a new dark brown color.  

Repairs are being made to the top of the bridge.

Cutting new bridge parts.

Painting in progress.

The repaired bridges have been reinstalled in Norris Falls.

Joe, the new bridge looks great!

The San Leandro Historical Railway Society summer show was June 3, 2023.  Here are a few photos of the G&O.  NH Joe

A SP RDC travels on the G gauge inner loop.

The Napa Valley Wine Train travels on the G gauge outer loop at Bouey Canyon.

A farm scene on the children's display.

A K-Line mining train on the children's display.

Hogwarts at Norris Falls.  This Hogwarts is battery powered.  It ran for six hours without needing to recharge the battery.  The battery is in the tender.  

San Leandro.

A Santa Freight passes on the O gauge line.  The engines are Menards.

Very nice looking trains, Joe!

Attendees of the 2023 National Garden Railroad Convention visited the G&O on Saturday, July 8.  One bus load came to the display.  Other people self-drove.  About 200 people visited the G&O throughout the day.  Here are a few photos.  NH Joe

The G&O was the 82nd layout open on the tour.  Over 100 garden railroads were open during the convention.  

The G&O was decorated to celebrate the 4th of July.

California fire feature and the American Freedom Train by Lionel.

The fire fighting feature passed by a battery powered MTH KCS Veterans engine.  The battery is in the George Bush 4141.

The patriotic train on the mountain line.  With one exception, the train honors the U.S. Navy.  I am a Navy veteran.  

The children's display where kids can run trains.  

A visitor running trains.  

The whole family enjoys trains.

This is a LGB Santa Fe steam train on the G gauge line.

This is a K-Line engine and ore cars.  

The Napa Valley Wine Train.  

A SP RDC.

Everything looks great!  That’s some smoker in the early photographs!!

What kind of special maintenance on the O locomotives and rolling stock, if any?

Thanks

Mike

@Train Mike posted:

What kind of special maintenance on the O locomotives and rolling stock, if any?

Thanks

Mike

Mike,

There isn't any special maintenance of the trains.  All the trains are taken home or put away after they are run.  No trains are left outside overnight.  

Trains need to be completely dried if we run in the rain which sometimes happens.  I clean the wheels and pickup rollers before running engines.

The track is completely cleaned before we run any trains each day.  We use Northeast Trains track cleaning cars and Goo Gone to clean the track.  

Thank you for your interest in the G&.  NH Joe

Much appreciated.

The San Leandro Historical Railway Society held its annual Winter Holiday Show on Friday, December 16, 2023.  It is hard to believe that it is almost Christmas.  The weather was wonderful.  It was not too hot or too cold.  Here are a few photos.  NH Joe

We had a happy crowd most of the day.

Everyone loves Frosty and Santa.

A Christmas village.

More decorations.

A Christmas train pulled by a battery powered MTH Christmas diesel.  The battery is in the SP SD-9.  AirWire controls the engine.  The box cars are loaded with presents.  The cars are Lionel Christmas cars from the 1980s and 1990s.

Another Christmas Village.

Everyone loves the Polar Express.  The engine is battery powered and uses the Lion Chief system for control.  

A closer view of the Polar Express on the children's display.

Thomas is also popular.

A Menard's SF A-A pulls a K-Line 12 days of Christmas train.  

A Blunami controlled Shay pulls a long empty log train on the G gauge line.  

Another view of the children's display.

The Napa Valley Wine train and the Golden Gate Bridge are a perfect ending to a perfect SF Bay Area day.

Looks like fun Joe!

Love the trains and the layouts! In some of the pictures I spotted a Federal Signal 2001 outdoor siren...big white siren in the top right of one of the SP Daylight photos. Oddly enough, that's an interest of mine too. But, I'm here for the trains!

Thank you for the photographs, Joe!  Everything looks great for the visitors!

The G&O Spring Train Show was held Saturday, March 16, 2024.  Here are a few photos.  NH Joe

The weather was perfect all day and we had large crowds.

A young engineer is shown how to run Thomas using the Lion Chief remote control.

This is the East end of the display.

A battery powered G gauge train using Blunami control was running.

Here is another G gauge battery powered train with Blunami control.  

These are the controls  of the children's display.  The controls are located so that kids can run trains.  

We had a LGB DC powered G gauge train on the lower level and a Lionel O gauge train on the middle level.

This is the Lionel O gauge western train.  The Lionel engine was DC powered.  It was modified to run on AC powered track.  

Kids enjoying the children's display.  

Another photo of the children's display.

This is our California fire fighting display.

This is a Menards Santa Fe diesel train.  

Here is another photo of the G gauge SP train.  The Golden Gate Bridge is in the background.  

Here is another photo of the Menards powered Santa Fe train.  

Here is a UP Heritage Lionel diesel pulling a TCA passenger train.  The SP Daylight colors and the TCA colors look good together.  

That looks like a great day!  The children like it.  Weather was great; although I’m used to blustery Northwest Pennsylvania in March.  😄

Very nice photographs, indeed!