In my new role as Garden Rail editor, I've been looking at lot as outdoor lines on-line.
One thing I have learned is that garden railway fans are basically interested in the bigger scale - G and 16mm. Go bigger and it's really model engineering. Smaller and its, well model railways but not in the conventional sense.
OO outdoors seems to fall somewhere outside most people's interests and as such, rarely makes an appearance in model mags. OK, there was the model of Birmingham New Street and you do see the odd line, but in truth, people building indoor models care little for tales of concrete and fighting bugs.
Perhaps this is because the whole ethos is different. No-one is worried about finescale, thy seem to just want to see long trains doing their thing - and I can really understand that. It's lineside gawping in your back garden.
Today's video shows an nice looking line. Perhaps the closeups don't do it any great favours - cameras on layouts don't usually work that well as you see all the surroundings - but I bet it's great to sit by the tracks and watch long trains trundle past.
2 comments:
Well it may not be fine scale but wow! The atmosphere with long cuttings with cables hanging off the sides, seeing long rakes of coaches and wagons parked up in sidings along the route, the sense of movement, the sounds of going through tunnels and over bridges just all fantastic. No doubt some will not like but this is just another side of a hobby which has something for everyone. Much to appreciate, admire and learn from in that clip. You've got a cracking new job Phil having to find and write on garden railways like this which I guess you already know.
Woody
A few members of merg have oo gauge outdoor layouts iirc, John Gowers has one that is DCC and merg cbus operated (though he also has o gauge so the garden layout could be o). Judi rustal (merg kit locker manager) has I believe a fairly extensive garden railway in oo too.
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