i was thinking and also hello

[Anonymous]

Hi, i am new to the forrum and would like to say hello to this comunity. Well in about a week we are planning on moving(new house is in escro) and we have a mighty big backyard(aprx 16,000 sqft) in a city so we are fortunet. My father tolod me we would make a layout along the fence of the backyard. I was thinking, i usually see garden railways in the G scale. Is it possible to make it ho scale? I've been a fan of HO scale since i was 3 when i got my first "circuler" layout on the dinning room table. 11 years later i am wanting to make a layout but with no space and money i am looking to my father. Making a gardenrailway with HO will eliminate the expenses of benchwork. Is it possible to have a layout in ho open to the weathering of a backyard? I live in Fresno, california so there isnt snow and such, the weather is hot during winter and the worse it gets in winter is light hail and thunder. im pretty sure i cant use electric track that has a current run through the rail, what would the alternitive be if there is? Also i plan on using dcc. How about roadbed? Do you use real rocks or a roadbed prebought? Thank you for your help and i hope to learn a lot in this forum. Thank You :)

Sunny Singh

[Rastun]

Sunny,

I hate to answer this way but, do a search on HO Outdoors, there are a few posts most of them all say the same thing, make sure you buy UV resistant track (peco I think) gotta make sure the track is clean something that maybe run over by a #1 guage train may easily derail an HO train etc.

Hope this leads you in the right direction and good searching.

[Anonymous]

I work for a company that is based in Fresno and have friends there. The extremes of heat and cold will help make kinks in your track. You probably cannot leave large enough gaps to avoid kinks so be sure not to make long straight runs, but break them up with s curves.

A small scale layout will need to be up much closer to eye level to appreciate the detail and running gear. I'd use a larger scale. Maybe you could go to narrow gauge on HO track, does that make it On3? I have visited John Sigurdson's famous outdoor O scale layout and it is reasonable viewing/appearance with track on the ground.

I would not go smaller than O on the ground. If you run the track around the fence at 5 foot, that would work well. Saw an article years ago in MR where that is what someone did, and he made inexpensive covers of wood frames and canvas that flipped up over the outer edge of the "shelf" on the fence to cover the track when not in use. Cuts down on cleaning, damage, wear from the elements.

Regards, Greg