The track is made of aluminum, steel or brass, with plastic or wood ties. It stays outside all year long. Most structures are made to withstand the elements , some will bring in their buildings over the winter. The track and bridges stay outside, just like on real railroads!

    The trains are powered by track voltage, like the old Lionels, battery power or the fastest growing hobby,  Live Steam. You fill the boiler with water, the fuel is alcohol, butane or coal, oil the mechanism and  light it up. Once it has achieved operating pressure, off it goes, spurting out water and steam just like a real locomotive-which it is! The trains can be remote controlled, manually controlled or run with the transformer. Most people have a mix of those, or all three. Live steam can work out to be the cheapest, since it needs no sound system.

    The garden plants usually fall into the 'dwarf' category so the vegetation does not overwhelm the scale of the trains. You try to keep the plants by the track real small, then you can get a bit larger as you move away from the track. Dwarf trees are also used, or trees/shrubs that have been trimmed in a Bonsai fashion to mimic a real tree. Sedums, mosses and herbs are used as ground covers. It is usual for the wife to control the plants and the husband to take care of the trains. It can bring a couple closer, or not!

    A water feature is often part of the railroad, be it a pond, waterfall or a river. It adds another dimension to the hobby that most find is a perfect fit with the railroad. Raising the fish and the plants is quite enjoyable.

    It can be an affordable hobby, some of the lower priced locomotives can be obtained for less than $50.00. You can go up as high as your budget will allow, some limited run, brass locomotives can cost over $15,000. If you are handy with tools you can make a lot of your own buildings/cars/locomotives.  You can make a layout in a small space, or use your whole backyard. Some are done inside, but you need a big basement.

    It is a very versatile and enjoyable activity that you can bring all your interests and abilities into play to create your own world, be it real, fanciful or a blend of the two. It is a fun family activity for dad, mom, grandparents and kids. There are many clubs you can visit and most in the hobby are happy to explain and show off their railroad to all comers.

There are many publications devoted to the hobby and it's various aspects. Garden Railroad Magazine is the biggest in the U.S., Steam in the Garden covers the live steam segment, Finescale Railroad is more into the photography end of the hobby. There are also various publications in England, France and Germany. Most have a list of clubs. You can see Jerry's links for the internet addresses of some of these and web sites devoted to the scale.

LGB was the first main G scale manufacturer, it is based in Germany, but recently went bankrupt. It's main market had become the United States, but was not making very many US style locomotives. Aristo Craft is now one of the largest companies, with it's 1/29th scale, concentrating on US locomotives, all are electric, but they are now branching out into live steam.. Bachman is focusing on 1/22nd narrow gauge scale and has improved it's quality and level of detail. USA Trains focuses on US mainline locomotives and cars, mostly in 1/29th scale,  but did bring out a Hudson and the Big Boy is coming out soon.. MTH just entered the market with a Union Pacific Challenger and now a Union Pacific Big Boy.  Aster is a company in Japan noted for it's live steam locomotives of incredible detail. They are usually offered as kits or assembled, some models are also electric. Aster uses 1/32nd scale and has an avid following, if you can afford it. Their prices go up to $5000 or so for a detailed locomotive. They are made in small runs and usually sell out fast. . Roundhouse, out of England is noted for it's live steam locomotives, mostly of English engines, but they run  and sell well. Small, specialized companies spring up occasionally, making obscure locomotives in batches of 25 or so, usually of good quality, most of these seem to be in the UK.
Jerry Barnes