Garden Railways

[Cowley]

Does anyone on here currently have or have had in the past a garden railway?

I’ve been thinking about doing one on 0 gauge but it’s a very different thing to anything I’ve done before!

 

[Gloster]

Does anyone on here currently have or have had in the past a garden railway?

I’ve been thinking about doing one on 0 gauge but it’s a very different thing to anything I’ve done before!

All I know from someone who had a simple but quite large one is do not skimp on the groundwork. Best read up about which of the various types of base is best and do not forget to consult the household authorities. Putting Bescot yard in the middle of ‘er indoors’ favourite petunias is likely to have ‘er outdoors wielding a meat axe.

 

[hexagon789]

I'm not sure local weather is as conducive as that in your neck of the woods, @Cowley but I wish you well with such an endeavour if you decide to make a go for it.

There was a series on the Discovery Shed Channel some years ago called Garden Railway which featured a chap called Mark Found building his own garden layout.

Bit dated now (must be pushing 20 years old) but it's available on Found's own YouTube channel, I don't know if it would be of any interest?

 

[Ken X]

The "New Junction" YouTube channel did five or so films on building a garden O gauge layout.

 

[Cowley]

Ah. I’d completely forgotten about that series @hexagon789. That’s probably worth a look actually.

@Gloster - Wise words. I’ve got an area to work with that I’m allowed to do I want with, the groundwork’s are the key to this though. It needs to be block work with proper foundations as anything made out of wood is going to cause problems. Luckily I have some good connections on that front…

The "New Junction" YouTube channel did five or so films on building a garden O gauge layout.

I shall give that a go Ken. Thanks for that.

 

[102 fan]

I've a garden railway, it's 16mm scale and 45 mm gauge, however, as has been said before, preparation is the key. It has to be built like a full sized railway. I dug a trench and laid breeze blocks, the curves are concrete. Bridge abutments are built with bricks, my bridges were built from aluminium L sections, with aluminium U section as spacers.

 

[Cowley]

I've a garden railway, it's 16mm scale and 45 mm gauge, however, as has been said before, preparation is the key. It has to be built like a full sized railway. I dug a trench and laid breeze blocks, the curves are concrete. Bridge abutments are built with bricks, my bridges were built from aluminium L sections, with aluminium U section as spacers.

Good stuff. I like the aluminium idea for bridges.

 

[fourtytwo]

Have you looked at this forum oogardenrailway may be mostly oo but lots of info on trackbeds etc.

 

[MP33]

My former neighbour had a garden railway. It was O gauge and above the ground. The layout was just one single track loop out and back. I heard that he was expecting the type of railway with trains that you sit on and ride around, not what he got. The installer suddenly announced that he was no longer installing garden railways. I thought that would have driven his van round the corner and replaced the garden railways sign with something else.

 

[Cowley]

Have you looked at this forum oogardenrailway may be mostly oo but lots of info on trackbeds etc.

That’s looks very good, thanks for that.

 

[John Webb]

I've a garden railway, it's 16mm scale and 45 mm gauge, however, as has been said before, preparation is the key. It has to be built like a full sized railway. I dug a trench and laid breeze blocks, the curves are concrete........

Several years ago the similar gauge layout in the garden at St Albans South Box was rebuilt - the original version had used wood and not only did the wood start to rot and distort, but the space under the timber became home to some unwanted wildlife. It was rebuilt using lightweight breeze blocks, but we did the curves by cutting the breeze blocks to the desired angles to fit together.