The Family Garden Trains Primer section was started in 1999 to encourage newcomers to garden railroading, and to help them avoid some pitfalls. Since then, the list of articles has grown and has benefitted from many suggestions, corrections, and additions, by industry leaders, professional gardeners, prominent hobbyists, and other authors and friends.
Our goal is not to treat every subject, but to cover the 20% of information about garden railroading that 80% of all beginning garden railroaders need to know. If you want to know why we are making these articles available for free, please visit our article on "Why Our Content is Free".
Please let us know if an article is helpful to you, or if you think it could be made more helpful, or if you need information on something we don't discuss. Also, if you would like to be notified by e-mail when a new articles are posted, please sign up for our free e-mail newsletter by clicking the green button at the right.
In addition, please remember that all articles are for your personal use only; they are copyrighted by their respective authors and may not be copied without permission.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Garden Railroading:
Garden Railroad Planning Articles: - A new index to available resources. We have articles about planning the layout and infrastructure, the operational options, the kind of railroad, the "look and feel" of your garden and many more. Updated, October, 2008
A short list is provided below. For a complete list of our Planning articles, with descriptions, click here.
- Building a Garden Railroad on a Budget - Updated February, 2008
- Planning Your Garden Railroad for Watchability - July, 2006
- Planning Your Garden Railroad for High Reliability - January, 2001
- Planning Your Garden Railroad for Operations - August, 2006
- Garden Railroad Track Options - June, 2008
- Is Aluminum Track a Viable Option? - June, 2008
- Accessible Garden Railroads - March, 2006
- Which Scale Should I Model? - Updated August, 2005
- Themes, Conventions, and Willing Suspension of Disbelief - Updated April, 2008
Garden Railroad Construction Articles - A new index to available resources. The articles in this section start easy, small, and temporary, and work toward more permanent and more elaborate. We also try to present new, cost-effective, and easy-to-use techniques in great detail, so even the most inexperienced gardener, landscaper, or carpenter can achieve permanent, quality results. - Updated, October, 2008
A short list is provided below. For a complete list of our Construction articles, with descriptions, click
here.
- Introduction to Garden Railroad Construction - Updated, October, 2008
- 1-Day Railroad - When You Have One Day to Build a Garden Railroad - Updated, October, 2008
- Raising a Ground-Level Railroad - April, 2006
- Flextrack and Railbenders - April, 2006
- Building a Simple Raised Railroad- A must-read! - January, 2006
- HDPE Flexible Roadbed - An elegant solution - Updated March, 2006
- HDPE Lumber In the Shop - January, 2007
- The Little Railroad That Grew - June, 2003
- How We Built Our Garden Railroads - January, 2004.
- New Article: Refurbishing Garden Railroad Roadbed - New September, 2008
Garden Railroad Plant Articles: - A new index to available resources. We have articles about planning, planting, and cultivating the "garden" part of your garden railroad just like the "pros" do . . . well, actually, better than some of them. Updated, October, 2008
A short list is provided below. For a complete list of our Plant articles, with descriptions, click here.
- Groundcover 101 - Updated August, 2005
- Trees for Your Trains - Choosing and Cultivating Dwarf Conifers The definitive article on planning, purchasing, trimming, planting, and maintaining evergreen plants that will give your railroad life and charm all year long - October, 2006
- Inexpensive and Low-Maintenance Plants for Garden Railroads - September, 2001
- The Secret Life of Perennials - June, 2001
- Early Spring Color for your Garden Railroad - Start learning now how to make your railroad sparkle with bright color next Spring, in time to learn the name of things while you can still see them in bloom. Includes a bonus springtime "picture-poem" you can print as a poster! - April, 2006
- Gardening Safety Tips - July, 2005
Landscaping Tips for Garden Railroaders:
Electrical and Lighting Articles - Explanations and hints about electricity on a garden railroad, including lighting buildings, and powering and controlling your trains. A short list is provided below. For a complete list of our electrical and lighting articles, with descriptions, click here.
Garden Railroad Structures - A new index to available resources. We have articles about making conventional models more durable and realistic, and about creating buildings from unconventional (and inexpensive) materials, and much more. -
Updated October, 2008
A short list is provided below. For a complete list of our Structure articles, with descriptions, click here.
- Stuff to Have on Hand - What to keep around so you're not always having to run to the store.
- Painting Plastic Structures - Free "how-to's" and many photos and examples to help you make your buildings more attractive and weather-worthy - Updated October, 2007
- Painting a Piko Gingerbread House - February, 2008
- Painting the Colorado Model Structures Tower - October, 2007
- Glazing Windows with Lucite® - October, 2007
- Recycle Road Spam - Reusing fluted plastic sign material - January, 2008
- Making Corrugated Metal Panels from Disposable Aluminum Pans - a cheap, quick, and effective way to produce attractive "corrugated steel" building materials New, January, 2009
- Trashbashing 101 - Creating attractive structures from unlikely source materials - Updated, November, 2008
- Converting an Artline Bird Feeder into a Gazebo - New, November, 2008
- Mullions (Free windowframes) - Updated October, 2008
- Trestles 101 Build elaborate-looking structures with a home-made jig and a few simple hand-tools. July, 2007
- Rod Horsburgh's Windowsill Trestle - An indoor display bridge that can be moved outside when the time comes. New, July, 2009
- Building a Simple Foam Viaduct - September, 2007
- Building an HDPE Tunnel Portal - an easy but effective project by reader Daryll Smith, New April, 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
- Cast in Concrete - Ben Hartman's Stone Houses - New, September, 2008
O Gauge Outside
- Introduction to O Gauge Outside - The first two articles in a series that will show the "does and don'ts" of building an O gauge garden railroad. Lots of help from John and Gale Blessing; lots of photos from Dawn Hatfield. - May, 2007
- Using O Gauge Gargraves Track (Outside) - January, 2008
- Evolution of the B&P Garden Railroad (B&P) An O Gauge Hi-Rail Railroad Designed for Outdoor Use
- Part 1 - Designing an O Gauge Hi-Rail railroad for outdoor use
- Part 2 - Building an HDPE Roadbed Infrastructure That Will Survive Las Vegas Summers
- Part 3 - Finishing Touches on an HDPE Roadbed
- Part 4 - Installing Atlas Nickel-Silver O-Gauge track on HDPE Roadbed
- Part 5 - HDPE Expansion in the Nevada Summer - New, July, 2008
- Part 6 - Additional Track Repair, Storage, and Wiring for TMCC- New, November, 2008
- Using Lionel's TrainMaster™ Command Control Outside - October, 2007
- Fred Young's Ground-Level Arizona Railroad - A ground-level railroad that has lots of operational options and some unique ways of adapting to the Arizona summer sun. New February, 2008
Real-World Trains and Operations - Articles of introduction to railroads in general and the kinds of operations you can consider modeling in your back yard, including:
- Real-World Trains You can Model - What kind of railroad do you want to model? This is a summary of your basic choices, followed by a list of reading resources for learning more. Note: Unique resources you'll find only on our pages include:
- Thirty-Inch Railroading - The trains that "did more with less." Some 30" railroads provided all the functions of full-service common carriers on hastily-laid trackage that went boldly where no one else has gone before or since. New, April, 2008
- Small but Mighty - 30" Power - The unique "real-world" steam locomotives that pulled 30" trains. New, May, 2008
- The Little River Railroad - A standard-gauge logging railroad with common carrier aspirations. This Smoky Mountain railroad used compromises and combinations of equipment that hardly anyone would believe today if it wasn't for the photographs. New, August, 2008
- Little River Railroad Northern Division Learn about the last and most unusual locomotive that ever ran on the Little River Railroad, now fully restored and running in south-central Michigan. New, October, 2008
- Rail Cars and Busses on the Little River Railroad - with more modeling ideas for your own empire. New, March, 2009
- Introduction to Train and Car Cards - This is a companion article to the Planning Your Garden Railroad for Operations above. This article gives more detail about how folks use various planning techniques to run their railroads more like the real thing. - August, 2006
Reference Information and Things to Think About
- Miscellaneous topics that are important to most garden railroaders.
- Details for your Garden Railroad - Updated, October, 2008
- 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, March, 2009!
- Glossary of Garden Railroading Terms - Updated June, 2005
- Getting (and Keeping) the Kids Involved - Updated 7, 2007
- Where to Buy Garden Railroading Stuff - Updated 9, 2006
- Where Do I Go From Here? - Updated, April, 2008
Other Articles about Garden Railroading and Large Scale
- Garden Railroading with Toy Trains - No, we haven't "sold out" on our commitment to support folks who make quality trains. But we also have friends who like seeing how far they can "stretch" a dollar or an "envelope." Whether you're pinching pennies or just want to try something different, these tiny investments can provide big fun inside and out. New, January, 2009
- Family Garden Trains Archive Articles - Past Family Garden Trains articles about garden railroading that don't fit neatly into the categories above. Most of them are still wholesome and useful for most purposes.
- Letters to the Editor - You may have a question we've already attempted to answer for someone else. Click here to see. This file is updated often. Be sure and stop by every few days for updates.
- Other People's Articles
- If you want to get "down-and-dirty" technical details on most of the commonly used Large Scale locomotives and rolling stock, refer to George Shreyer's "Technical Tips Page". This page also reviews many power and control solutions for your locomotives, including DCC, Crest/AristoCraft Train Engineer, etc. In fact, George is an expert on several subjects and one of the hobby's most prolific writers. His resources should be important to you as your railroad grows.
- If you want some quick ideas for inexpensive and relatively easy
scratchbuilding projects, look at Phil Creer's Toenail Ridge Shortline Articles Page.
Note: Our Contents pages for Planning, Structures, etc., also include links to related articles on other sites we enjoy.
Keep watching this space: We always have more articles in the "pipeline."
*Note: In some cases, I also wanted to provide an authoritative reference to reduce some of the misunderstandings about issues like scale and gauge that have caused problems and even arguments. To that end, I sought and received the assistance of many industry professionals when putting together articles such as "Which Scale Should I Model?" Thanks again to all who participated.
Thanks to all my editors, error-catchers, contributors, and encouragers, including:
Dave Smith
Dick Friedman
Ray Turner
Walter Sheldon
Peter Stremic
James R. Avery
Ric Golding
Noel F. Widdifield
David J. Smith
Lewis Polk
Earl J. Chevalier, Jr.
David Buffington
George Shreyer
Vance Bass
Tony Walsham
Marc Horovitz
Scot Osterweil
Wil Davis
Peter Wine
TATE (Whoever you are)
Fred Mills
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