I love collecting and displaying large-scale trains. I also love showing off my 1956 GMC pick up at car shows, or even at the front of my driveway at home. I decided to combine the two and make a mobile display layout! The layout is an easy build. My truck has slots on the truck […]
Magazine: Garden Railways
A large-scale Halloween display in a vintage pick-up truck
Hobbyist Dale van Ingen loves collecting large-scale equipment. He also loves his 1956 GMC pick-up truck. He combined the two to create a traveling display layout! Watch this video of a Halloween-themed display he shares with others. Learn more about how he built the display and see more photos in our photo gallery. […]
News & products for the week of October 14, 2021
Large scale locomotives Austrian Federal Rys. Taurus Railjet locomotive. Digital Command Control sound decoder; molded and separate, factory-applied parts, including lights, windshield wipers, handrails, horn, vents, fans, bumpers, and exhaust stack; hook-and-loop couplers; and can-type ball-bearing motor. $779.99. November 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com Large scale passenger equipment Austrian Federal Rys. Railjet first-class coach. Plastic wheelsets, molded […]
Add a solar-powered light to a large-scale cabin
Garden Railways Editor Hal Miller shows step-by-step how to illuminate a PIKO cabin kit with an inexpensive solar-powered path light available from a home improvement store. […]
Selling a house with a garden railway: Help or hindrance?
When I built my outdoor railway – on three sides of my house – I never intended to sell it. I thought I’d be teetering behind a walker at 90, running my live-steam engines over rails I had built to last a lifetime. I like building strong, “permanent” track, which gives me a feeling of […]
News & products for the week of October 7, 2021
Large scale passenger equipment Deutsche Bundesbahn two-axle third-class coach. Separate, factory-applied ladder, handrails, and underbody piping; hook-and-loop couplers; and plastic wheelsets. $164.99. November 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com Deutsche Reichsbahn two-axle luggage wagon. Separate, factory-applied ladder, handrails, and underbody piping; hook-and-loop couplers; and plastic wheelsets. $264.99. November 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com […]
Dwarf crape myrtle
Common name: Dwarf crape myrtle Latin name: Lagerstroemia indica ‘Violet Filli’ (Filigree series) Plant size: 6-24″, depending on the miniature variety Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-11 (or grown as an annual) Cultural needs: Well-drained, slightly acidic to acidic soil, full sun The miniature crape myrtle in the photo, one of […]
News & products for the week of September 23, 2021
Large scale locomotives Deutsche Reichsbahn Class 50 2-10-0 steam locomotive. Molded and separate, factory-applied parts, including lights, brake cylinders, bumpers, smokestack, tanks, piping, and handrails; hook-and-loop couplers; and can-type ball-bearing motor. Direct-current model can be upgraded with PIKO locomotive decoder no. 36125 and sound kit no. 36230, both sold separately. Direct-current model, $1,499.99; with PIKO […]
Visit the Burlington Garden Center’s garden railroad
Garden center owner Walt Uebele had an idea—build a garden railway to keep the husbands and kids entertained while the wives shopped. Little did he know that folks of all ages would love watching the trains run. Watch an interview conducted by Production Editor Rene Schweitzer about the railway and its beginnings, only on Trains.com! […]
The Garden Variety Railroad Show: Visiting the Burlington Garden Center, Episode 5
Hal and Rene are on location at the Burlington Garden Center in Burlington, Wisconsin. In this episode, they showcase the garden center’s railway display, show you tips on weathering a structure, and update you on Cody’s diesel locomotive project! […]
News & products for the week of September 9, 2021
Large scale locomotives Deutsche Reichsbahn BR V180 diesel locomotive. Two five-pole can-type ball-bearing motors, detailed engine room interior and engineer figure, hook-and-loop couplers, operating red and white directional lighting with functional high beam using Digital Command Control (DCC), and DCC sound decoder (Locomotive will run on analog DC, but sound functions only on DCC.) $789.99. […]
Meet the modeler: Bob Treat
How did you get started in the hobby? Like so many of us, I was around five years old and woke up on Christmas morning to see a brand-new Lionel train running around the Christmas tree. I’ve been hooked ever since. What was your first large scale locomotive? It was a secondhand LGB European 0-4-0. […]