The garden railway or outdoor model train is a fast growing hobby, and one I find fascinating. Until now, I mistakenly assumed garden railroading to be a laborious pastime, better suited to the mechanically inclined and detail oriented perfectionist. Not so!
(from the editor: I am really sorry, but many of the links in this article have disappeared since it was written. "C'est la net", I guess, but it is frustrating and, sadly, quite beyond my control.)
Here are links to information about where to see garden railway displays, how to build them at home and how to keep them running, along with links to historical overviews and the most concise of FAQ's. Start with the Beginner's Overview, and Enjoy!
Not for the Timid
Garden railway buffs intimidate me. Not because of the gardening part, but because they know about model trains. Unless you had model trains when you were a kid, the whole set up is a bit mesmerizing and let's be frank, mystifying. The trains whizz and whirr back and forth on endless loops of track and sometimes, they stop. The little things are Mechanical Beings, inorganic and hence, to the right-brained (or would that be left-brained?) among us, utterly inscrutable.
So how do they do that? Today's garden railroads use a variety of model trains, some of which are real steam engines, some battery operated and radio controlled, and some run on plain old electricity -- with a ground fault interrupter, of course.
So, let's get that little electrocution and safety issue out of the way since, given my past history with extension cords, this is not a purely rhetorical question. Am I gonna electrocute myself? Probably not, but one can never be too sure.
Minimal dangers aside, the trains are captivating and the concept of landscaping in Lilliputian scale is intriguing. Over the years I have been entranced by the occasional model train, but just lately I have seen several of them set into the landscape to great and wonderful effect. Being as susceptible to fads and momentum-gathering trends as anyone else, my interest is now well and truly piqued. I'd like to see more.
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