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Beginning Garden Railroading
Nothing can match it's appeal. It's a hobby that can involve the entire family. It's a creative
hobby that can be as challenging or simple as one wishes it to be.
A railroad built outdoors takes on a realism that nothing else can match. Outdoors, you are
dealing with real life. Mountains made out of dirt, ponds or streams with water, rocks, shale,
slate, lava, tufa. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Washouts can cause problems, snow can
stop trains and trees and branches can fall on the track.
But when you compare these nuisances to the joys of having a railroad at your doorstep that is
constantly growing and changing with the seasons, the weather and even the time of day, this seems
a small item.
As a general rule in building a garden railroad, less is more. Outdoors we are dealing with the elements,
a single-track mainline usually suffices, with sidings at stations, industries, points of interest
and perhaps a branch line to an outlying terminal. To get started, a single locomotive and three
or four pieces of rolling stock - freight or passenger - are all you really need.
Some skills utilized in building a garden railway:
- Scratch built modeling
- Design and planning
- Travel by rail
- Electrical
- Alpine plant study
- History and geography
- Mechanical study
- Gardening
Links to Learn More
More links....
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Products to Get You Started
The easiest and most economical way to get started is with Starter Sets. All Starter Sets come with an engine, a transformer (power source), cars (non
motorized rail cars), and a circle of track. One engine can pull at least 10 cars on a flat surface. After you get your basic set up, you can expand
your railroad empire with more track, switches, buidlings, and sound.
CN Freight Starter Set
The engine in this starter set has lights and smoke and uses 120 volts. The price is Canadian $319.98. It's made by the manufacturer LGB and it's product number is 72436.
Christmas Passenger Starter Set
The engine in this starter set has lights and smoke and uses 120 volts. The price is Canadian $359.98. It's made by the manufacturer LGB and it's product number is 72325.
Peanuts Starter Set
The engine in this starter set has lights and smoke and uses 120 volts. The price is Canadian $431.98. It's made by the manufacturer LGB and it's product number is 72427.
Coca Cola Freighter Starter Set
The engine in this starter set has lights and smoke and uses 120 volts. The price is Canadian $431.98. It's made by the manufacturer LGB and it's product number is 72428.
Circus Starter Set
The engine in this starter set has lights and smoke and uses 120 volts. The price is Canadian $319.98. It's made by the manufacturer LGB and it's product number is 72310.
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