• Garden Railroad: What scale should I use?
    13 replies, posted
I'm moving into a new house next month with a huge backyard, and my girlfriend wants to make a "miniature garden railroad" out back next to the grill, and I've never built a scale railroad before. So, I have a few questions. The house is in Arvada, Colorado, so the weather can change drastically over less than a day, and it's very cold during the winter - What plants do you recommend that can't be easily shredded by cats, live during cold/warm weather, and easily planted? What scale should I use? I'm thinking HO scale, but I'm afraid that the winds will easily knock over the scale - but if I make it too larger, I'm afraid the backyard will be too hard to navigate, having to step over the train, running out of space to put the rails and whatnot. I'd like some advice from a real garden railroad expert, thanks for reading in the first place. EDIT: Well, now I'm starting to doubt if the backyard is big enough for: A small patio with chairs and a table BBQ Grill Garden Railroad Koi Pond Plant/vegetable garden I don't think there's enough space. Next time there's an open house, I'll take pictures of the backyard and do some measurements, but it's almost as big as the house itself. Until then, do you guys think it'll be cluttered or messy to have all of those things in one backyard? I might make the miniature train travel around/near the koi pond, but it shouldn't be near the grill or patio or else someone might step on it. Plus, I have 2 cats, so all of the moving parts might interest them - the koi pond, the thick plants, the little train shaped like a rodent... I'll take pictures next time I can, but I'm still worried - what should I cut?
HO Scale is the most popular although you might have trouble finding waterproof track,switches, etc. And yes on a windy day you will probably have issues with it being knocked over. :(
Cool people use Z Scale, which would would fit well in your limited space: [Img]http://modeltrainssets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Z-Scale-Locomotive.jpg[/Img] Also, I have an N scale model railroad WIP (inside) :3:
[QUOTE=Alan Ninja!;30048541]Cool people use Z Scale, which would would fit well in your limited space: [Img]http://modeltrainssets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Z-Scale-Locomotive.jpg[/Img] Also, I have an N scale model railroad WIP (inside) :3:[/QUOTE] The house has a gigantic basement; I might put a regular model railroad in there, as there's room for both it and the Xbox Kinect. Z scale seems like it would be even less wind-proof than HO scale, but I'll take a look at N scale.
I haven't wind tunnel tested my railroad so I can't vouch for N Scale's wind resistance, but my cheap ass locomotives are pretty densely built. I find N is a nice compromise between size and detail. My layout is 3 x 6 but there's a fair bit of room for scenery if I ever take the time to add it.
Garden railroads are best done in G, although you could probably figure out HO.
Gscale is best for garden railroads, I used to be into model railroading, it was fun while it lasted. BMake sure you use stainless steel track, does not get dirty easily. Brands like Aristocraft Trains, Bachmann, USA trains have some good kits to start with. It is an expensive hobby, so be warned. [editline]2nd June 2011[/editline] LGB is my favorite brand when it comes to G-scale stuff.
Like green bandit said, G Scale is the best for garden railroads. The loco's and the cars tend to be far more durable. However. You can also go with O Scale if you feel the weather is stable enough. P.S., Bachmann = sex.
Bachmann has had issues with quality control in the past, it is a Chinese company. They have been working in raising the quality of the products, so that's good. O scale could work, albeit there isn't much of a community for O scale garden railroading, and finding weatherproof tracks at good prices can be troublesome. (The Lionel tubular track wont last at all outdoors)
A thread about model trains? fuck yeah OP go with G scale, anything smaller is going to have massive problems when weathers starts to kick in especially in a place like Colorado where snow is common. LGB is the best company when it comes to track by far, really good stuff. You order them [url=http://www.walthers.com/exec/manuinfo/426/LGB.html]here[/url] As for trains you can go with Bachmann or LGB, both make solid stuff. If you could also provide some pictures along with some dimensions of the build-space that would be great so we can help plan this thing. Last but not least check out these links for some tips: [url]http://personalweb.donet.com/~paulrace/trains/primer/index.htm[/url]
[QUOTE=green bandit;30213227]Bachmann has had issues with quality control in the past, it is a Chinese company. They have been working in raising the quality of the products, so that's good. O scale could work, albeit there isn't much of a community for O scale garden railroading, and finding weatherproof tracks at good prices can be troublesome. (The Lionel tubular track wont last at all outdoors)[/QUOTE] Wait, not Bachmann. What the hell is the name of that German company that makes all the incredible HO stuff? Interior lighting, figurines, the works.
Marklin? [editline]5th June 2011[/editline] I don't think they make gscale stuff. they do own LGB.
Thanks for your help everyone! I'm moving into the house on the 18th, and I'll be able to take pictures of the entire area by then. I'm likely going to use G scale and stainless steel tracks thanks to your advice, but I might need some tips on terra-forming and other things once I move in. But it's been almost a month since I saw the house, so here's counting down to the 18th.
[QUOTE=green bandit;30252263]Marklin? [editline]5th June 2011[/editline] I don't think they make gscale stuff. they do own LGB.[/QUOTE] YES MARKLIN. They are truly brilliant.
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