By	Author  Bio I've had an interest in trains most of my 59 years.

I've had an interest in trains most of my 59 years. I grew up in the mid-west during the twilight of steam, so had an opportunity to see these mighty machines in action. First serious railroad modeling was N scale. I became interested in large scale outdoor railroading about twelve years ago at an N scale convention, of all places. On one of the layout tours, someone had a circle of track in their driveway running a Bachmann Big Hauler. When I learned that Toys-R-Us had complete sets for $50.00, just had to get one.

An actual outdoor RR did not come until a few years later. I envisioned a complex configuration in a perennial garden. My wife brought me back to reality as she sketched out a simple plan on the back of a napkin as we dined out one evening. It had to fit in our available 25' x 25' space. The layout is shaped like a set of ear phones, as she likes to tell people. The track is mostly handlaid. Having hand laid an extensive N layout in Code 40, this was a cinch.

Coming from N scale with its very clean track requirements, we started with battery power and R/C and never regretted that decision. The motive power now includes live steam and a critter but no stinkin' diesels! The RR has always remained a perennial garden with a train running through it. Besides running trains, the other interests are building things and gardening, so it all fits together. There are lots of scratch and bashed locos and rolling stock. More structures are coming along to generate mini RR scenes amongst the flowers and vegetation. The scale quickly evolved to 1:20.3 as I love the character of the backwoods eastern US logging and mining RR's.

Four of our six grandchildren are RR enthusiasts. It must be in their genes. They are already quite skilled at being engineers / brakemen. The future of the hobby will be insured with little ones like them.

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