Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails returns to Eiteljorg Museum

model train display with Christmas tree

One of Indianapolis’ favorite Hoosier holiday traditions returns this season when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents the 14th annual Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Running from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15, the family favorite Jingle Rails model railroad display will also be open late on eight […]

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Scratchbuild a large-scale grain elevator

model grain elevator on garden railway

I scratchbuilt a large-scale grain elevator in 1:29 scale using PVC pipes, PVC boards, and styrene.   To make the silos, I used 4” diameter PVC pipes. After cutting the pipes to the length that I wanted, I drilled holes through each pipe and used 2 threaded bolts to hold them together. The bolts run […]

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Preview November and December 2023 Garden Railways content

While we may no longer be printing Garden Railways magazine, we’re adding new content to Trains.com every week! Here’s a few recent items, and a preview of what’s coming in the next month. Become a Trains.com member so you don’t miss any of this great content! If you have a story suggestion, email editor@gardenrailways.com Playmobil […]

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Meet Ted Yarbrough

Man holding walkie-talkie near cab of locomotive

How did you get started in the hobby? I received my first model electric train for my sixth Christmas. It was an American Flyer train. Nothing against Lionel, but I told Santa that I wanted a train with two rails, like the real ones. Like many modelers, I really started building what you might consider […]

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Creeping milkwort

plant with pink flowers next to figure in garden railway

Common name: Creeping milkwort, chapparal pea, box-leaved milkwort Latin name: Polygala chamaebuxus var. grandiflora Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8 Plant size: 4″ (possibly mounding to 10″), spreading very slowly to 2′ wide Cultural needs: Well-drained, moist, acid soil; sun or bright shade; slow-release evergreen/acidic fertilizer If we didn’t wait so long to get […]

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Playmobil and kids in the garden railway

boy in red shirt smiling next to garden railway

The Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad (a.k.a. the Triple O) operates across eras and continents on a small piece of land on Oahu’s windward coast (see Garden railroading in Hawaii – Trains). We have employed the German toy line Playmobile) to bring it to life in all its incarnations, whether European, Wild West, or Hawaiian […]

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Playmobil in the garden railroad

two figures in front of black model steam engine

by Eric Mueller The Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad (a.k.a. the Triple O) operates across eras and continents on a small piece of land on Oahu’s windward coast (see Garden railroading in Hawaii – Trains). We have employed the German toy line Playmobil to bring it to life in all its incarnations, whether European, Wild […]

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2024 Midlands Garden Rail Show dates set

Midlands Garden Rail Show logo

Dates have been set for the UK’s 2024 Midlands Garden Rail Show on March 2-3, 2024. This event attracts nearly 2,000 enthusiasts from all over the UK and offers visitors the opportunity to see layouts in larger gauges and scales including gauge 1, O gauge, large scale, and more. There will be more than 15 […]

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Meet Marc Horovitz

black and red model live steam engine on track

In a paragraph, how did you get started in the hobby? Like many model railroaders, I got started in the hobby with toy trains: first with Marx clockwork, then with Lionel when I was six. In my teenage years I moved up (or down, depending on your point of view) to HO, then HOn3. I […]

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New large scale products for September/October 2023

New large scale products for September/October 2023 Locomotives and rolling stock Accucraft, 33260 Central Ave, Union City, CA 94587, has a 13T Class A Shay locomotive, available in kit and ready-to-run versions. It features brass and metal construction, is butane fired, two safety valves, and a water level gauge. Price: $1,995. Delivery expected in November […]

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Columnar Japanese holly

black steam locomotive crosses wooden bridge with tall evergreen trees behind it

Common name: Columnar Japanese holly Latin name: Ilex crenata ’Sky Pencil’; synonym I.c. ‘Sky Sentry’ Plant type: Shrubs & small trees Plant size: 4-6′ high x 4-12″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9 Cultural needs: Sun; moist, drained soil Introduced by the National Arboretum in 1985, columnar Japanese holly is usually called Sky Pencil or Sky […]

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Small rural station with freight house

model of station and freight house

Sometime ago I decided to build a combination small rural station with a freight house. I often use pieces of several kits (or sometimes broken items) to make my projects. For this one, I started with a Korber station and used part of an Aristo-Craft platform to add waiting platform with roof. I wanted the […]

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