Model Train Resource: Online Videos of Great G-Scale (Garden) Track Plans

© 2011 by Aurelio Locsin

G scale, often called garden scale, generally refers to proportions ranging from 1:20.3 to 1:32, with sizing varying by country and manufacturer. The common element among these different models is the G-gauge track, which measures 1.772 inches or 45 millimeters wide. The scale is also characterized by its durability and suitability for running outdoors in garden railways. Check out these online videos of layouts in G scale.

Looking very much like a real railroad with its detailed passenger car interiors and appropriately-scaled plants, the Lackawanna Railroad includes vistas from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania including a working drive-in, arched bridges, lighted suburban homes and the terminal in Hoboken. The musical accompaniment from Tchaikovsky adds a touch of class.

Of course you can run a garden railroad in the winter, but only if you have a working plow train to clear the tracks after every snowfall. That just happens to be the case with this layout, where four diesels are needed to push the plow through its paces. The reason for the effort appears in part 2 with the westbound California Zephyr passenger run. Part 3 shows the trip from the engineer’s point of view while part 4 mounts the camera behind the snow plow engine.

Despite its large size, G scale layouts can fit even in small courtyards with a little planning. This charming example features a freight consist, a passenger line and a tram on two loops. Though the fountain, railroad lantern, wigwam village and flowers are a bit out-of-scale, the effort delights and relaxes, especially for admirers who sit trackside with a cup of tea.

You can expand this high-definition video to full-screen to enjoy a sprawling layout by a member of the Greater Vancouver Garden Railway Club. With the theme song from “Dallas” in the background, you’ll discover hordes of scale figures, mountain cabins, a station, an oil facility and a steel bridge. The 0-6-0 uses live steam.

You can decide for yourself if the Dynamite Rio Verde and Eastern is indeed the world’s largest garden railroad. But only if you ride along one of its engines for 20 minutes in part 1 and part 2 of this video. Its 1,252-foot, double-tracked main line sprawls over 3 acres of desert landscape in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the train barn alone measures 10-by-20 feet. Look out for several bridges including what looks to be a large, hand-built trestle.