SAGRES - San Antonio's Garden Railroad Society
Texas Transportation Museum
11730 Wetmore Road, San Antonio, TX 78247
(210)490-3554
Garden or "G" scale model railroading is one of the fastest growing parts of the railroad enthusiast community. The
largest scale of model railroading, "G" scale replicates most completely full size railroads. Operating out of doors, it
involves all the disciplines involved in indoor model railroading while taking into consideration all the challenges involved
in operating outdoors in the harsh Texas climate. SAGRES, San Antonio's only "G" scale club, operates one of the largest
public "G" scale layouts in Texas. It occupies over one acre. SAGRES is an autonomous club which operates as a
division of the Texas Transportation Museum. The layout is in operation every weekend and on Thursdays and Fridays upon
special request. New members are always welcome. SAGRES meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month.
It is fair to say that SAGRES is one of the most attractive jewels in the museum's crown. It was created in January 1990
and has been steadily expanding ever since. It now occupies a full acre. The layout consists of twin tracks around the
perimeter with multiple bridges of varying styles and a growing number of sidings and other points
of interest. The most dramatic is a large river gorge leading to a "lake." The ravine is so large
and deep the club had to build a very attractive wooden bridge to allow visitors to cross it. The layout is
increasingly utilizing xeroscape plants typical of the San Antonio area.
In the beginning there was simply a large grassy area in the center of the layout. Now
underneath plentiful shade trees a small town has been constructed. Given the name of Granger,
Texas, it has an H.E.B., a Texaco, a Dairy Queen and a hugely imposing grain silo. Of course there are
other civic amenities like a railroad depot and a garage complete with several mechanic's bays. Also
gracing this area is a special inner loop where "Thomas the Tank Engine" can often be found. While the club
owns a large amount of locomotives and rolling stock club members also bring their own trains with them to run
on the club layout. Visitors are welcome to do so also, providing they contact SAGRES in advance.
As mentioned the layout is enormous. Being outdoors, it is subject to the elements all the time,
just like the full size railroad. Newer types of track, power delivery and road bed maintenance
have recently been installed to better tolerate the Texas heat. It is most likely that when
you visit both main lines will be in operation with several trains waiting on a few sidings.
As more members have joined, the variety of trains being operated has increased. The
club is in the middle of an exciting effort to recreate trains representing each of the ten
railroad companies that have served San Antonio since 1877.
SAGRES. is always making improvements and additions. The town of Granger is undergoing a great deal of civic renovation.
New businesses are finding the community to be more and more attractive, not least because of the town's excellent rail service.
On the far side of the layout, the lake fed by a river flowing down the steep sided rocky ravine
provides a different, far wilder, experience. As the layout expands, new spur lines are being
built to serve new industries, such as mining and saw mills.
The comfort of visitors and volunteers alike has not been ignored. The once humble club shed has been
dramatically enhanced with the construction of a lovely large shade canopy, complete with overhead fans. These expensive
additions have made hanging out at the layout far more comfortable for everyone. Attention has
also been paid to the plants around the area. Year round color and shade now permeates the entire
layout. Rose bushes adorn the fence between the SAGRES layout and the full sized tracks of the
Longhorn & Western nearby. In this way the traditions of proud station masters who saw to it that
their depots always looked their best are being maintained.
LATEST NEWS
May 2009
With a plethora of new members and a new president, Zip Zepeda, SAGRES is undertaking a wholesale revamp of the entire
layout. Both the track underpinnings and the wiring will be upgraded to the latest standards. SAGRES will also be installing
its mobile layout at the upcoming annual Folklife Festival held at the Institute of Texan Cultures.
March 2009
Current SAGRES president 'Zip' Zepeda and former president Jim Shutt, acquired a "G" scale model of one of San Antonio's
most significant lost treasures, the old Missouri, Kansas & Texas station staion. Opened in 1917 and located at the corner
of Durango and South Flores, this magnificent structure succumbed to the wrecking ball in the late 1960s. The "G" scale
model of the Katy station was built in the 1970s by a local railroad enthusiast. Before it can be put on display on the
outdoor layout itself it will need to be restored and weatherized. A way to protect it from the elements and other types of
issues indoor modelers don't have to worry about, such as deer foraging for food, is in the process of being devised.
November 2008
For the second year, SAGRES installed its mobile layout at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens for a month. Everyone
involved, the museum, SAGRES, the botanical gardens and the public, gains from this most complimentary of partnerships. It
takes a lot of effort to run both the temporary layout and the permanant layout at the museum all at once whilst also
preparing for the museum's huge Christmas show in December. However, the rewards far exceed the amount of work involved and
visitors appreciate it. G scale model railroading is far more than just a hobby, it almost becomes a way of life!
February 2008
New SAGRES member Ben King is now making custom made G and O scale railroad layout bridges
available for the first time. Until now such bridges have not been commercially available,
even in kit form. For more information, click:
Custom Railroad Bridges
November 2007
In a joint project with the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, SAGRES is installing five different
layouts in five different "rooms" at the Lucille Halsell Conservatory. The layouts will be in daily
operation from November 17 through December 2, 2007. The layouts will be situated among the
different types of plants and climates in each room. Entrance to the layouts is free with
admission to the gardens.
For pictures click:
SAGRES at Botanical Gardens
Spring 2006
A brand new feature is being added to the SAGRES empire. A special layout specifically designed for
younger children is being created. Named "The Island of Sodor," after Thomas the Tank Engine's
home, SAGRES has built a raised small layout that the little one's can see in its
entirety. It is already proving to be very popular. Landscaping will be added once all the
mechanicals have been situated. More picture will follow as progress develops.
SAGRES "Fallen Flags" Project
SAGRES is making a significant addition to the historical work being carried out on this web site
and at the museum by setting in motion a plan to recreate model trains of the many
railroad companies
that have served San Antonio and South Texas. Some of these are obvious, like the South Pacific or
the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, but many were much smaller, like the San Antonio & Aransas Pass and the
Artesian Belt. The effort to model representative locomotives and rolling stock is a real labor of love.
In some cases, like the San Antonio Southern, no images of the company, which was folded into the
Missouri Pacific in 1927, are known to exist, despite exhaustive searches in many an obscure archive.
For images of the club's efforts so far, please click:
SAGRES "Fallen Flags" Project;
Longhorn & Western in "G" gauge
SAGRES, once again thanks to the efforts of Jim Shutt, has begun assembling a number of
railroad cars to represent the Longhorn & Western RR, the museum's very own full sized railroad
company. It is hoped that models representing the L&W's actual rolling stock will become available.
In the mean time, SAGRES has some rolling stock that the L&W can only dream about at this point.
Mark Burns, former SAGRES President
Mark Burns is a past president of SAGRES. He is regarded as the museum's gentle giant and was
named the museum's "Volunteer Of The Year" for 2001. He is in the construction business.
As well as working on the SAGRES layout, building the huge grain silo behind him in one of the
photos, he has built many other structures at TTM; a cover for the '58 fire truck, a yard
equipment shed plus, of course, the shade canopy at SAGRES.
SAGRES Mobile Layout
Not content to rest on their laurels, the club has a mobile display of some complexity.
The layouts you see in these pictures is one of their simpler configurations, constrained as they were by the size of the floor and the time available
to set everything up. Given more space and more time, they can really make a good show.
SAGRES had its mobile layout at the 2006 San Antonio Founder's Day event held at San Pedro Park.
Using a quiet generator to provide power, the trains ran flawlessly all day. Using trains from
the club's "Fallen Flags" collection, visitors were delighted to see the trains which bring
back so many memories and remind people of the vital contribution the railroads have made to
the development of this region.
The club is keen to participate in more events. For surprisingly little, the club can
set up their spectacular layout at YOUR event! Please contact them using the link provided on this page.
SAGRES and "Santa's Holiday Depot
During Santa's Holiday Depot, the museum's Christmas Extravaganza, SAGRES goes all out and the
layout looks as well lit as many a small town in Texas! Let's just say they are not afraid to
get into the spirit of the season! Thomas the Tank Engine is sure to be there. They also have
some special cars that play Christmas tunes as they roll along. Seen from the moving Longhorn &
Western train that runs adjacent to SAGRES, the whole thing makes for a fantastic spectacle.
Passengers on jets landing at the nearby San Antonio International Airport probably get a good
view, as well!
Additional images of the SAGRES layout
For more images and even movies on YouTube, please click:
SAGRES on YouTube
To contact SAGRES click
SAGRES
Please be sure to add a subject for your message
Site Navigation & Links
Many of the pages below will have sub-directories of their own.
•Main Page•
•Hours of Operation & Location•
•The Longhorn & Western Railroad•
•S.A.G.R.E.S. - San Antonio Garden Railroad Society•
•TTM'S Road Vehicle Collection;
•A.M.R.E. - Alamo Model Railroad Engineers•
•The Longhorn Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society•
•Private parties at TTM•
•School & Private Group Visits•
•Santa's Holiday Depot;
•Tractors, Trucks, Big Engines & Small Engines•
•History of San Antonio Transportation•
•Links to Other Related Web Sites, Books, Videos, Etc•
•Contacting the Museum;
Site Established: June 13, 2002
copyright ©2001