• Don’t arrive early. Most garden railroaders tend to work frantically up until the last minute getting their lines ready. Arriving early can be disruptive.
• Don’t stay late. Our hosts are exhausted by the end of the day, so please leave by closing time.
• Sign the guest book. Owners like to know who and how many attended their event, so take a few moments to enter your name.
• Thank the host and hostess. Whether you liked the railway or not, the owners have gone to a lot of work to make you their guest. A thank you is always appreciated.
• If you have kids, keep an eye on them. Kids love garden railways and most garden railroaders welcome well-behaved children. However, your kids’ behavior is ultimately your responsibility. There have been too many instances of kids who ran amuck while their parents were elsewhere or, worse, blandly looked on.
• Don’t step into a railway without first making sure it’s OK. Sometimes there are obvious footpaths or signs directing you into the interior, but if there aren’t, just ask.
• Don’t ever step over the track while a train is passing. This minimizes the risk of accidents.
• If you bring a train to someone else’s track, make sure you have permission before putting it on the track. In one memorable episode, a fellow brought his trains in and just plunked them on the track without asking. The result was a bad accident, as the track was not clear.
• If you’re running live steam and sharing a track with other trains, keep an eye on what’s ahead. Any number of accidents have been caused by thoughtless or distracted engineers.
• If you don’t like what you see, keep your remarks to yourself until you leave. Critical remarks about someone else’s work have a way of being overheard.
• If you’re a host, it’s nice to have drinks available. Even cold water is appreciated on hot days.
• If you’re shooting video, be considerate of those around you. People hesitate to walk in front of someone with a video camera. Video-takers sometimes block proceedings in crowded gardens for minutes on end, oblivious to the fact that they were holding up traffic. Be aware.
