Grade crossing for a garden railway

applying driveway sealer to gap in gauge-1 track in groove

Grade crossing for a garden railway: I founded the Motorcycle and Model Railroad Museum of Wisconsin, a non-profit corporation that allows others to enjoy model trains and growing vintage motorcycles, in 2002. These, along with a 3,000 square foot HO scale model railroad layout, will be the centerpiece of this Green Bay area attraction. Having […]

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Preview Garden Railways March and April content

blue model train on a garden railway

March and April 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 coming month. Become a Trains.com member so you don’t miss any of this great content! Kitbash an inexpensive […]

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The Eiteljorg Museum’s Jingle Rails display

A train in front of a lodge in a canyon

For its 13th holiday season, the Eiteljorg Museum’s Jingle Rails showcased the American West in a whimsical fashion. Created by the team at Applied Imagination, the G gauge display featured miniature depictions of downtown Indianapolis along with landmarks of the western United States. Such features included Lucas Oil Stadium, Monument Circle, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone […]

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Basic parts of a gauge-1 switch

illustrations of two turnouts

Basic parts of a gauge-1 switch: Switches are necessary any time one wants to send a train in an alternate direction. They’re what makes it possible to store one train on a siding and run another around it, or any other basic operation. They’re essential if you want your trains to do more than just […]

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Earthwork on the project railroad

retaining wall illustration

Earthwork on the project railroad: We are ready to begin grading the line. The first thing we had to do was to transfer our design to the ground. This would give us a feeling for how the railroad would actually sit in its site and it would also delineate where the earthwork had to be […]

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An overview of garden railroading

a model steam locomotive approaches a switch

An overview of garden railroading: Garden railroading is the art of combining a model railroad and a beautiful garden to create a railway-like atmosphere. The difference between a traditional indoor layout and a garden railway is the difference between realism and reality. Indoors, the goal is to create the illusion of reality through the use […]

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Questions and answers about large-scale track

two containers of rock

Questions and answers about large-scale track I see there are locomotives in 1:24 scale for gauge-3 track. What width is gauge-3 track? How many gauges are there? Gauge 3 is 2.5″, which is the correct gauge for modeling standard-gauge trains in G scale (1:22.5). 1:24 scale is close. There are three gauges commonly used in […]

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Lego Trains for Large Scale Rails

green and white Lego diesel engine

Lego Trains for Large Scale Rails In the Summer 2019 issue, Gary Raymond shares how he modified Lego trains to run on gauge-1 track. Here, Ben Lake has shown the steps to build a Mack diesel using Lego parts. Download the PDF below and share what you build with us! […]

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White Pygmy cypress

small evergreen tree on garden railroad

White Pygmy cypress Latin name: Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘White Pygmy’ Common name: White Pygmy cypress Plant type: Dwarf conifer Growth rate: 12″ x 14″ wide USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8 Cultural needs: Sun to part shade, rich soil, moderate water White Pygmy is one of the smallest dwarf conifers available, usually growing only to a foot tall […]

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Kitbash an inexpensive flag stop station

red and green model station on a table

Kitbash an inexpensive flag stop station: I stopped by a garage sale last year that had children’s toys piled up on a table. I found several items I thought I could use, including what looked to be a horse stable building. The seller was asking 50 cents for it and the other items I picked […]

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