Hi All from Lancashire

[Honestman]

Hi all, ive just joined but having been running indoor 00 and n gauge trains for many years.  Im looking to a garden railway now and will be looking for some advice on the best options for electrics as im a novice on outside electrics.

[mick]

Welcome to the OOGR forum - it's always good to see another new member interested in building a garden railway.

Are you looking for a new challenge or have you come to the conclusion that there's insufficient space indoors? Comparing indoor and outdoor layouts I think you can build an indoor layout and more or less forget about it as you sit back and enjoy running trains, whereas with an outdoor layout you must be prepared for endless maintenance in order to keep things running smoothly. It is indeed a challenge that certainly mirrors what real life railways have to contend with.

As for outdoor electrics, if you're referring to low voltage applications then like everything else with a garden layout, it's best to keep it as simple as possible. I wouldn't advise using sophisticated electronics even if they are located under cover as I have found to my cost in the past. I would suggest minimal point work out in the open but others may well disagree. If you were referring to 240 volt applications then I would recommend seeking professional advice!

Let us know what you're proposed plans are and we can take it from there.

[Honestman]

15 minutes ago, mick said:

Welcome to the OOGR forum - it's always good to see another new member interested in building a garden railway.

Are you looking for a new challenge or have you come to the conclusion that there's insufficient space indoors? Comparing indoor and outdoor layouts I think you can build an indoor layout and more or less forget about it as you sit back and enjoy running trains, whereas with an outdoor layout you must be prepared for endless maintenance in order to keep things running smoothly. It is indeed a challenge that certainly mirrors what real life railways have to contend with.

As for outdoor electrics, if you're referring to low voltage applications then like everything else with a garden layout, it's best to keep it as simple as possible. I wouldn't advise using sophisticated electronics even if they are located under cover as I have found to my cost in the past. I would suggest minimal point work out in the open but others may well disagree. If you were referring to 240 volt applications then I would recommend seeking professional advice!

Let us know what you're proposed plans are and we can take it from there.

Thanks for that Mick.  I have run out of space at home for many reasons.  So its loft or outside.  Ive been clever and got my grand son to 'demand' a train set which we have but he wants more and so its 'where?'.  Im currently lifting a small 5' by 4' in and out of the garage when he comes.

Outside seems best.  However, I did consider what problems with electrics there would be outdoors and so thats why I came here.  Your comments are extremely helpful.

I will have to think the options through again.  Maybe its up to a tricky loft.

Jim

[mick]

I'm not sure how much of the forum you've managed to view so far Jim but you might have noticed that I also had the attic or 'loft' option available to me and in fact it might still be a possibility one day. I did make a start and got it boarded out and some baseboards laid down in between the roof trusses giving me a nice lengthy run but I still prefer the outdoors. The attic is either bitterly cold or stiflingly hot and with no natural light it feels very enclosed - not to mention the dust etc. I could make improvements perhaps but it would be at a high cost if it were to be done properly. I prefer the open aspect and natural light of the garden. Yes the operating season is limited but it's still possible to operate in the winter months given a decent spell of dry weather and a few extra layers of clothing.

You mention a garage - what is it's location in relation to where you would likely be building an outdoor line? Is it possible to have a small layout inside that extends outside so that it could still be used when conditions are less favourable? Do you have a garden shed or other outbuilding you could use? I kept away from small radius curves so the idea of a circular layout in my shed wasn't ever a consideration but if you could accept small radius curves then a layout in an outbuilding that can be used all year round with an extension out into the garden for when conditions are suitable would be worthy of consideration.

There is absolutely no problem with power to the tracks outdoors. I run bus wires alongside my track and each length of track is connected to the bus via soldered joints. If you prefer you can add power feeds at one point and simply solder short lengths of wire across each rail joint to electrically bond them. Once it's done there's very little else you need to worry about other than cleaning the rail tops. All my transformers and controllers are housed inside the shed and only low voltage cables extend outside.