12 train sets for the holidays

Color photo of HO scale train set box with painted box art and display windows for models.

If you’ve read Model Railroader magazine for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed the hobby journey for many of our authors started with a train set. For baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, the set was often produced by Lionel or American Flyer. Fast forward a generation or two, and those sets were […]

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Trains.com Insider Exclusive | Touring Sievers Benchwork

Come along with Trains.com host Gerry Leone, as he explores the production facilities of Sievers Benchwork, located on Washington Island, Wisconsin. With master carpenters Barb Cornell and Butch Young guiding us through the manufacturing process, learn how model railroad framework fabricated with pre-drilled holes and modular designs, revolutionized benchwork construction! Discover additional insights about its history, […]

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Meet Shawn Viggiano

model caboose with figure and dog heading away from you on a garden railway

Meet Shawn Viggiano How did I get started in the hobby? I got started into trains at an early age. My dad would set up an old Lionel train set around the Christmas tree every year. When I got older, my dad would set up a layout with buildings and switch tracks in our basement. […]

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Camouflage full-size items near your railway

colorful model train on garden railway, with two mesh buildings in the background

Do you need to camouflage full-size items near your railway? Even though the 12 x 43 feet space in my yard is designated for my garden railway, I must share it with a couple of essential items that are full size, namely the composting bin and a storage bin. Every time I run my trains […]

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Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails returns to Eiteljorg Museum

model train display with Christmas tree

One of Indianapolis’ favorite Hoosier holiday traditions returns this season when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents the 14th annual Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Running from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15, the family favorite Jingle Rails model railroad display will also be open late on eight […]

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Scratchbuild a large-scale grain elevator

model grain elevator on garden railway

I scratchbuilt a large-scale grain elevator in 1:29 scale using PVC pipes, PVC boards, and styrene.   To make the silos, I used 4” diameter PVC pipes. After cutting the pipes to the length that I wanted, I drilled holes through each pipe and used 2 threaded bolts to hold them together. The bolts run […]

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Preview November and December 2023 Garden Railways content

While we may no longer be printing Garden Railways magazine, we’re adding new content to Trains.com every week! Here’s a few recent items, and a preview of what’s coming in the next month. Become a Trains.com member so you don’t miss any of this great content! If you have a story suggestion, email editor@gardenrailways.com Playmobil […]

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Meet Ted Yarbrough

Man holding walkie-talkie near cab of locomotive

How did you get started in the hobby? I received my first model electric train for my sixth Christmas. It was an American Flyer train. Nothing against Lionel, but I told Santa that I wanted a train with two rails, like the real ones. Like many modelers, I really started building what you might consider […]

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Creeping milkwort

plant with pink flowers next to figure in garden railway

Common name: Creeping milkwort, chapparal pea, box-leaved milkwort Latin name: Polygala chamaebuxus var. grandiflora Plant type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8 Plant size: 4″ (possibly mounding to 10″), spreading very slowly to 2′ wide Cultural needs: Well-drained, moist, acid soil; sun or bright shade; slow-release evergreen/acidic fertilizer If we didn’t wait so long to get […]

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Playmobil and kids in the garden railway

boy in red shirt smiling next to garden railway

The Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad (a.k.a. the Triple O) operates across eras and continents on a small piece of land on Oahu’s windward coast (see Garden railroading in Hawaii – Trains). We have employed the German toy line Playmobile) to bring it to life in all its incarnations, whether European, Wild West, or Hawaiian […]

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Playmobil in the garden railroad

two figures in front of black model steam engine

by Eric Mueller The Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad (a.k.a. the Triple O) operates across eras and continents on a small piece of land on Oahu’s windward coast (see Garden railroading in Hawaii – Trains). We have employed the German toy line Playmobil to bring it to life in all its incarnations, whether European, Wild […]

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Preview October and November 2023 Garden Railways content

model caboose with figure and dog heading away from you on a garden railway

While we may no longer be printing Garden Railways magazine, we’re adding new content to Trains.com every week! Here’s a few recent items, and a preview of what’s coming in the next month. Become a Trains.com member so you don’t miss any of this great content! If you have a story suggestion, email editor@gardenrailways.com   […]

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