 |
| You Are Here. |
Jump to other pages. | |
 |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Garden Trains are big, weather-resistant model trains that you can run outside. Once you install the track, you leave it out all year 'round, (though most people bring the trains in overnight). You can surround your railroad with real ponds and plants that not only make your trains look "at home," but beautify your yard all year long as well.
Since many new Garden Trains became available in the 1980s, the hobby called Garden Railroading has been attracting both "indoor" model railroaders and families that never owned an "indoor train." All have found that a Garden Railroad is a family enterprise, with everyone finding something to enjoy and something to contribute. That's why, when we started "Family Garden Trains"™ in 1996, we put the word "Family" into the title and kept it there.
We at Family Garden Trains™ are Garden Railroaders who want to help our hobby grow, and we think that the best way to do that is to give anyone interested the information that they need the most to get started. That is why we publish that information on our web site in the form of free, original articles. Each article is written or edited by a professional writer with the beginning garden railroader in mind. To help you as much as possible:
- We provide clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, and lists of resources you can consult when you need more detail about a particular subject than we can provide.
- We keep our content "fresh" by
adding new content and updating older articles as new products or techniques become available.
- We encourage two-way communication, through a Letters to the Editor section, a Contact Page for your questions, a Mailing List signup, and a Blog. If you poke around a little, you'll also see that we have incorporated reader feedback directly into dozens of our articles, and we'll be glad to include your suggestions, additions, and corrections as well.
Information about Garden Railroading
Free: Garden Railroading Primer Articles - Everything you need to know to get started, including many planning and construction articles to give you more ideas for getting a railroad in your back yard this year. The following list shows the general breakdown of our articles, as well as a few recent or especially helpful articles. Clicking on the list will either take you that portion of our Primer page or to a table of contents for that topic particular (if available). Updated, March, 2009, with new articles.
- Introduction to Garden Railroading - Help getting a handle on the worlds' fastest-growing model railroading hobby, including:
- Garden Railroad Planning Articles - Help planning the physical, operational, and aesthetic aspects of your garden railroad
- Garden Railroad Construction Articles - Cost-effective and easy-to-use techniques for building your own garden railroad, including:
- Garden Railroad Plant Articles - Articles about planning, planting, and cultivating the "garden" part of your garden railroad
- Landscaping Tips for Garden Railroaders - Ponds, retaining walls, and more
- Installation and Lighting - Powering your trains, lighting your buildings, and more, including:
- Garden Railroad Structures
- Articles about creating and improving buildings and bridges for your garden railroad, including:
- Building an HDPE Tunnel Portal - an easy but effective project by reader Daryll Smith, New April, 2009
- Rod Horsburgh's Windowsill Trestle - An indoor display bridge that can be moved outside when the time comes. This uses the basic principles explained in our Trestles 101 article, but adds additional details such as a water barrel platform. New, July, 2009
- Cribbing - Build attractive "retaining walls" to complement your tunnel portals and mountain trackage, another easy but effective project by reader Daryll Smith. New June, 2009
- O Gauge Outside - Using O gauge trains and accessories outside.
- Real-World Trains and Operations - An introduction railroads in general and the kinds of operations you can consider modeling in your back yard, including:
- Reference Information and Things to Think About - Miscellaneous topics that are important to most garden railroaders.
- Other Articles about Garden Railroading and Large Scale, including:
- Idiot-Friendly Digital Cameras for Photographing Trains (and Other Things) - with new examples and tips, and a "best buy" to consider if you still haven't taken the digital plunge yet. Updated, July, 2009!
- Garden Railroading with Toy Trains - Our first report on "Shoe-String Railroading." Whether you're pinching pennies or just want to try something different, these tiny investments can provide big fun inside and out. Recent additions include:
- More about Scrounging Figures - Some new off-the-wall sources for Large Scale figures that I discovered in early 2009. Even if these sources disappear soon (which they might), they'll give you some ideas for other places to look. New, March, 2009
Other Resources
Search Family Garden Trains™ and related pages.
Garden Train Buyer's Guides - Descriptions of the products you will find most useful when you are starting out, with links to multiple suppliers when available.
- Garden Train Store - A "virtual" storefront that provides pictures and descriptions of the products you are mostly likely to find useful when you are beginning and expanding your railroad. Links to multiple suppliers are included when available.
|
|
|
 Garden Trains for Kids - What do you buy someone who's not ready for big expensive models but wants something of his or her own to run? Several solid, weather-resistant trains with superior play value are suggested.
|
- Starter Set Catalog - A description and catalog of several quality train sets that you can use to start your Garden Railroad.
|
|
|
|
Big Trains Store™ - On30 is a fast-growing hobby that can use resources from O gauge railroads, collectible villages, and even from Large Scale - In fact many Garden Railroaders have On30 trains they run inside during cold weather. The Big Trains Store™ buyers' guide describes On30 and O gauge model trains for building indoor railroads.
|
Other Resources - The following club links will help you learn what other people in southwest Ohio are doing with trains outside.
What Members of the Large Scale Community are saying about Family Garden Trains
| Home Pages |
Reading Index Pages | Buyer's Guide Pages |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Note: Family Garden Trains™, Garden Train Store™, Big Christmas Trains™, Big Indoor Trains™, Big Train Store™ and Trains-N-Towns™ are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications™ (www.btcomm.com). All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are
Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 by Paul D. Race.
Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically
forbidden.
For more information, please contact us.
Help us Beta-Test Our New Feature:
Search Family Garden Trains™ and related pages.
Building a Garden Railroad on a Budget - Get into garden railroading without breaking the bank. 
Letters to the Editor Section - Answers to questions about garden trains. New questions and answers, from May and June, 2009!
