I am considering a garden layout,In the past I have always modeled HO. Any tips or advice on HO outdoors would be of great help. THANKS eanimal1
There have been few, if any, successful HO scale outdoor railroads. Some of the problems are: 1. if on the ground, the trains are almost too small to see properly, 2. the trains are small enough that small objects such as leaves or insects can derail them. 3. the trains are light enough that strong breezes, let alone wind, can blow them off the track, 4. electrical contact is hard to maintain, although Las Vegas does not have the humidity problem other areas have, and 5. pets and wild amimals can wreak havoc with everything, train, tracks, and structures. Bachmann and USA Trains have reasonably priced large scale equipment - if you have the room outdoors, go to the larger size.
I live in northern Ohio and have seen one such succes, but it was run on the top of a railing for a some what sheltered deck. Not really a layout, but it did run well out side. And like Greg said in the other sesponce, the wind, leaves, and bugs did give it problems, but it wasn’t very much, i.e. it was some what sheltered.
I have a friend who tried this: He made a board with nickle silver track on it, and attached a couple of clips for power, with the power pack inside out of the weather. He mounted the board 24" off the ground so he could mow grass, and cut weeds. Most animals (his cats) would walk under it. Bird droppings were his major problem. He was able to run trains only after cleaning the track each time he wanted to run. The next spring, he gave it up and went to “G” scale. Best you try your location first. If he had lived in a dryer climate, he feels his would have worked. Brass track will fail outside where the nickle silver did work OK.
I am building a HO outdoor track and have been trying to find data from other efforts as well. I live in a dry area of New Mexico so I have not had significant problems with water. Also the layout is in a xeric-scape front yard so, grass and sprinklers are not a problem. I am working out the connectivity issues now. I am going to try hard wiring the track at regular intervals to over come both size and connection degradation.
I am sure that on windy days I may have issues, but otherwise I think the scale will work for a small yard like mine. Not to mention the cost difference between HO and the arger scales. If interested in sharing learnings as the efforts progress, email me at WimsattDRW@hotmail.com
I am fairly new at the hobby so learnings will be plentiful I’m sure.
evart:
I visited a layout a few years ago that was HO in the garden. It was suspended from the fence at a normal operating height, with a terminal station at one end and a loop or station (I forget which) at the other.
I think the rolling stock was removed when not in use. I suspect the track was covered in bad weather. I haven’t been back,so I don’t know how successful it has been. You might have to be careful about the heat on plastic cars and track.
–David
Evert,
I once knew a man in San Jose CA who had about 150’ line from the garage down the fence line to a loop. Two shelves about 12" deep with an awning like deal to close it to the weather. It was in operation in San Jose for about 7 to 10 years. He then moved it all to Paradise CA. I haven’t seen it in 6 - 8 years now. The yards were in the garage and the trains stored there. He based his scenery on aluminum foil painted with house paint. Worked real well.
Yeah, it was operated even in the rain.
e-mail me if you want to hear more about it.
bfsfabs@earthlink.net
Lowell
Pacific & Southwest Railroad Co HO
HO and OO outdoor garden layouts are not uncommon in England, as that is the only space they have.
Check into some of the English model train magazines at Barnes & Nobles.
Nigel
There have been a few successful outdoor OO/HO garden layouts in the UK over the years. Most have used Peco code 100 track and most people have found it to be fairly long-lasting, not that too much sun is a problem here!. The ones I have visited and run trains on, have had fairly simple track plans with a loop outside and the train storage and power supplies in a garage or shed. All have run successfully in the wet, and most have weighted stock to improve adhesion, electrical pick-up, and tracking in windy weather.
to continue, The main advice seems to concern the electrical hardware; each piece of RAIL needs to have an electrical feed, the wiring needs to be heavy enough to cope with the voltage drop over the longer distances, and all electrical joints need to be soldered and easily inspected. Most garden modellers in small scales in the UK use elevated tracks with treated timber.
to continue, I hope this advice is usefull, and I think if you start simple and experiment with perhaps a shelf along a fence you will find out whether outdoor modelling is for you. The Railway Modeller magazine in the UK has run garden railway articles for years. Try them on www.peco-uk.com Regards, Dave Elbourne, Rugby, England.