By Joe Fotschky

Author  Bio Like most garden railroaders I started out at a young age in a different scale. I had N and HO trains while I was a kid growing up in Illinois.

Like most garden railroaders I started out at a young age in a different scale. I had N and HO trains while I was a kid growing up in Illinois. When I moved to Georgia in my late teens the trains were given to my older brother who was also into model railroading.

I met up with a couple of guys who were into HO trains and starting hanging out with them. We would spend the weekends going to the different hobby stores around the area and on occasion we would chase the steam excursion trains that use to run thru Atlanta. One day while I was at one of the hobby stores I saw an LGB starter set and I just liked its big size. It was just what I was looking for to put under the Christmas tree.

Now this time period was about the mid 80's and American type trains in this scale were about non-existent. It is what I refer to as the dark days of garden railroading. I was not sure if there was going to be a bright future for this gauge they call "G". I ended up bumping in to a couple that was trying to put together a G scale club in the Atlanta area at a local train show. I was amazed to see the layout they had in their back yard, now I was really hooked. I became a member of the club back in the 80's and I am still a member to this day.

I am happy with the way things have turned out in this great hobby. I just wish everyone could have experienced the dark days of garden railroading I really think we would have a lot less fussing and fighting.

Today my wife Debbie and I have a nice garden railroad in the back yard that we like working on. We have attended many Conventions and shows like the National Garden Railways Convention, The Diamondhead International Small Scale Steam Up, and the ECLSTS just to name a few.

We enjoy the time we get to spend with the hobby as well as all the great people we meet and friends we make along the way. We have fun in this hobby while trying to spread the word and I hope you do too.

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