Garden Railroad

These are pictures from an outdoor loop experiment I conducted in 2005. I did not intend for this to be permanent, but instead a chance to learn some things about Garden Railroading.

1. DCC is a hassle outdoors
2. The calcium chips worked well initially, but eventually the track started to float ontop and raise itself leaving gaps between the ties.
3. Dont leave the trains out in the weather
4. Plants are fairly easy to manage, but moss can be tricky
5. Trackmans track cleaner is a great investment
6. Railclamps work well, I noticed that the aristo railclamps would loosen over time
7. Need to make sure you have access to all areas of the layout, seems obvious but sometimes available space dictates circumstances.
8. Steam engines are extremely sensitive to grades. The newer diesels work well, and hartlands engines are a dream
9. Sounds systems really add to the experience
10. Bending over to work on the railroad is a hassle.