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How to Start a Garden Railroad

Building a garden railroad from scratch can seem like an overwhelming project. If you've attended a gardening railroad expo, read some hobby magazines or visited someone's garden railroad you might have admired a setup with yards of track and dozens of trains. However, you can build the most basic setup at your own pace as you learn about the hobby.

Things You'll Need

Rock garden plants
Standard gauge train set
Crushed gravel
Miniature buildings

Instructions

- 1
  Evaluate the site for your railroad. You must have a garden to create a garden railroad, so transplant specimens from elsewhere on your property or plant rock garden species, such as sedum or thyme.
- 2
  Start small even if your budget allows for an elaborate system. You can get discouraged or make expensive mistakes if you purchase too much train before you're experienced enough to utilize it.
- 3
  Purchase an outdoor standard gauge starter set. Consider a 5- or 10-foot diameter track, depending on your outdoor space. You can extend the track later with straight pieces sold separately.
- 4
  Dig a trench 5-inches wide and deep in the shape and length of your track. Fill the trench with crushed gravel, not pea gravel, so the gravel doesn't migrate away from the track.
- 5
  Immerse the track in the gravel so that the ties barely show at the top. The gravel can settle over time and your track must not shift.
- 6
  Add some buildings for your train to service. Consider farmhouses, a train depot or a passenger station artfully placed among your groundcover or dwarf conifers.
- 7
  Maintain the track. Wipe sap and bird droppings off with a damp cloth once a month. Clear the track of leaves and twigs each time you run the train.

Model Railroads