Garden Railway Forum

It occurs to me that pretty much all our regulars on here model narrow gauge of one sort or another, so I was wondering, how many people model standard gauge or broad gauge in the garden?
As a side note 2.5" gauge in 16mm scale or 3.5" in 7/8" scale represents 4' gauge which allows modelling of the Saundersfoot railway, Redruth and Chasewater railway and the Padarn Railway

Narrow for me but a 16mm scale model of the Saundersfoot engines (bulldog especially) could be tempting.

There is always the possibility of Irish Standard Gauge lurking in the background with me. On occasion I have been heard to wonder what might have happened if someone had adopted transporter wagons for an Irish 3' gauge line, especially as ISG wagons were not usually all that large - 18' by 8' seems to have been pretty common c.1920. More usually my thoughts are confined to an odd ISG siding or wagon to represent where the traffic comes from.

Peter in Va.

3 foot narrow gauge, 1:20 scale... or as I prefer... 1:20n3

I like the idea of Gauge 3 featuring somewhere on my line but it is very expensive and I can never find info for loco size dimensions.

Dwayne wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2017 11:47 pm 3 foot narrow gauge, 1:20 scale... or as I prefer... 1:20n3

That would make me 1:16(give or take)n2

I like quaint, quirky, obscure and unique, which I think describes narrow gauge perfectly. My entire railway model-making history has concentrated on narrow gauge in 7mm and 16mm scales (and Emetts) simply due to the availability of basic components such as track and motorised chassis.
However, if I had any engineering skills at all I could easily have been tempted to model broad gauge, which also could be described in a similar way.
I was once invited by Mike Sharman to operate his brilliant broad gauge layout at an exhibition, that was an experience never to be repeated, unfortunately.

I love Narrow Gauge and the more I am involved in it, the more a sway away from my other gauge...

I love seeing Gauge 1 in the garden, the high cost(espically live steam and Marklin Euro engines I love) and needed huge curve diameter needed make it a non starter in my small back garden. My is slightly larger than most UK gardens, but has other family items like an above ground pool and its deck. So my allowed railway space is small, about 12 foot by 15 foot in size in total. I am using less than this right now, but plan to use the remaining space once funds allow me to get the wood to build the larger loop off the main raised table. Narrow gauge, the ability to be its own railway in its own right. I think Tag Gorton has some of the best reasons that 16mm narrow gauge is so popular. I have the same engine he started with, a Merlin Mayflower, a model of nothing in particular. But she captures the "narrow gauge" look so well, some would say one of the best engines to pull this off in 16mmng. I do not feel the need to "follow" a certain prototype as my railway is its own prototype just as Tag's is. Most standard gauge lines I have seen are basicaly just big loops of track, where as many narrow gauge lines are more of a point to point, some with return loops, some might be a loop but can be operated like a point to point when desired. And thats the point, operated. Trains run for a reason, moving slate, peat moss, coal and such from one point to another. I have seen one that the owner hauled his fruit crop from the trees to the house in several LGB 2 axle gondola wagons behind one of the LGB French 0-6-0's. Narrow gauge just has that charm that fits so well in the garden! Mike

Like most people here I am primarily interested in narrow gauge, but if I may make the case for 7' broad gauge, its not all 'North Stars' and 'Lord of the Isles', imagine say, one of the small E B Wilsons that built the Holyhead breakwater pulling some ancient 4 wheelers along a backwater branch line somewhere



I'm half tempted to lay some 112mm gauge myself...

Am i dreaming or is there something similar to this in 16mm....

Is it my 16mm scratch-built TPO you have seen on my thread Rod?

Thats it Peter.

Just love your builds Peter.

FWLR wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:51 pm Just love your builds Peter.

Agreed