Garden Trains are big rugged trains that can be run outside. Families all over the world have begun outdoor railroads, and the hobby is growing rapidly. Since 1998 our "parent" site, Family Garden Trains(tm), has been helping people start their own outdoor railroads by providing the information that beginning and intermediate garden railroaders are most likely to need.

To help folks even further, we have started a "buyers guide" that recommends products that beginning and intermediate garden railroaders are most likely to find useful.

When choosing from the many products and suppliers available, we have attempted to choose products that:

• Are available from multiple, suppliers, so you don't have to panic if one supplier runs out of stock on something we've recommended,
• Are sturdy, reliable, and very useful, based on personal experience with the product, and
• Can easily be used by anyone.

We also provide you with more than just "a train in a box." Each page of our catalog provides links to beginner-friendly articles that help you make the best decisions at each stage of your involvement in the hobby. In fact this storefront was put together because readers who found our Primer articles invaluable kept contacting us to say, "Okay, I think I know what I need to get started; now where do I buy it?"

If you're completely new to outdoor trains and you'd like a very quick summary of what it will take you to get started, our article "How to Start a Garden Railroad" will give you a very quick idea.

Finally, if the storefront doesn't list something you would like to track down, or if the Family Garden Trains Primer articles don't provide information you need on a particular topic or product, please contact me and I'll help you if I can.

Note about Suppliers: While we try to help you get the products you want by recommending suppliers with a good record of customer service, all transactions between you and the supplier you chose to provide your trains or other purchases are governed by the published policies on the supplier's web site. So please print off any order confirmation screens and save copies of invoices, etc., so you can contact the appropriate supplier should any problems occur. (They almost never do, but you want to be on the safe side.)

The catalog pages that you will probably find most helpful when you are first starting out are:

Note about Availability and Pricing: Although I try to keep an eye on things and to recommend products that are reasonably available, the model train market does fluctuate, and any product on this page may change price or become unavailable without prior notice. If you "click through" to see details on a product, and nothing happens at all, or you are routed to a supplier's home page, please let me know and I will remove the product from the online catalog until I can find a replacement or another supplier. For more detailed information about why products seem to come and go and why I have stopped listing prices for most products, please see my article "About Pricing and Availability."