The Beginning.
Year 1 of the Stonehedge & Shadypines Railroad.

Stonehedge & Shadypines Railroad built by Richard Lawrence, Waverly, NY.
Your narrator for this webpage is his Son, Scot Lawrence.

It all started in the Summer of 2001.
I had not done any model railroading for over 15 years..
I used to have an HO scale layout when I was in highschool.
I would still visit train shops once in awhile..just to "look around".. ;)
Well one day I went to this HUGE shop that had tons of G gauge trains!
they were BIG! :) and REALLY COOL! :)
My Dad had also noticed them in supermarkets and resturants and such..
hmmmmm...

My Dad has been building models for a long time..
he has built amazing scratch-built ship models.
An incredible scratch-built model of the USS Constitution and a HO scale model
of the Ship he was on in the Navy! 5 feet long!
and he used to scratch-build buildings for my HO railroad when I was a kid..

Well my Mom and Dad have a cool Garden, with Rock walls and Ponds and fish..
My Dad loves building the rock work..
My Mom jokingly named the garden "StoneHedge" one day a few years ago..
(as opposed to "StoneHenge" in England)
and the name stuck!

So my Dad casually mentions one day that those "Garden trains are pretty cool"
hmmmm..he has a Garden, loves building walls and ponds and waterfalls in it,
already loves model building, thinks G trains are cool..where else could this lead?! ;)
So I decieded that for Christmas my Dad needed G gauge trains!
and that was the beginning..
 
 

In October 2001 I bought a Bachman "Annie" (10th Anniversary 4-6-0) from Gary Lantz at
Lantz train shop in Horseheads. Here is the engine in November.
 

I also got a USA trains caboose and an Aristocraft
LVRR gondola. I converted all 3 over to kadee couplers.
 

Here is the engine in its new home on Christmas Day! in the stonehedge
garden itself. I re-lettered the tender for the LSHRR.
 The decals were custom made by Ricky Rupp.
 

April 13, 2002, First tracks were laid on the ground, just to have a look!
Already Dad is plotting and scheming! ;)
 

None of this track was kept in this position..except for the
cinder block in the center..this will become a viaduct..