No matter what scale or gauge you plan to work with in the garden there are considerations to make a construction methods to choose from. Trevor Jones relays his own experiences and offers his top tips for starting out in garden railway modelling. Photography, Trevor Jones.
Above: Building a garden railway is a highly rewarding experience, but careful planning is essential for success. A ‘Crosti’ boilered ‘9F’ 2-10-0 leads a loaded coal train on Trevor Jones ‘OO’ gauge garden railway.
The importance of planning cannot be over emphasised when it comes to garden railway construction. Decisions that you make at the start of a project cannot be as easily rectified as with an indoor layout. The layout you build will have to stand up to the extremes of the British weather, from freezing winters to hot summers and, worst of all, days of rain. The construction techniques involved are more like civil engineering than baseboard construction.
However, armed with the right knowledge, taking your time and planning every move building a garden railway is a highly rewarding and enjoyable activity which brings together the pursuits of railway modelling and gardening.
Construction of a garden railway is likely to take much longer than an indoo…
