January, 2013 Update from Family Garden Trains<sup><small>TM</small></sup>


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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains^TM

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January, 2013 Update from Family Garden Trains^TM

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In this Issue

Just because it's cold outside, that doesn't mean our hobbies have to stand still. In the last several weeks, I've been working on stuctures, adding graphic features, and updating articles that I hope will encourage you to continue to think "outside of the house."

In the meantime, detailed planning for June's National Garden Railway convention in Cincinnati is underway. I'm looking forward to it, since it's only within driving distance every ten years or so. And I don't usually have the option of flying out to the coast or wherever. I'm especially hoping to see a lot of old friends.

For more information about the convention, click the following link:

http://ngrc2013.com/

Of course, the possibility that I'll be showing our garden railroad to visitors also means that I'll be playing catch-up on a number of projects, as always. And a number of them are structure projects, as always.

While I've been planning the work, it occurred to me that a lot of features have come and gone on the New Boston and Donnels Creek since we were open for the 2003 convention. But if you came then and you come this year, you might not see that many differences. Why is that? Because some features I've added in the meantime didn't work out or hold up a well as I'd hoped. Because certain features I set up for one article or another have gotten cleared away to make room for other article projects. Others have been left at clinic sites because we didn't have room on the return trip. Plus, for the last five years, we've put a lot of emphasis on our cold-weather open houses. And, frankly that requires a different kind of preparation than warm-weather running.

At any rate, I guess that means that you can have a lot of fun with a garden railroad, without necessarily adding very many mind-blowing features in the long run. And I've written an article about that, of course.

As always, we have several more projects in the works which weren't quite done in time for this newsletter, so stay tuned.

Finally, please accept our wishes for a great 2013. And please enjoy any time you can spend with your family in the coming months.

Topics discussed in this update include:

New Blog-Like Article: Economics of Garden Railroad Buildings - If you think garden railroad buildings cost too much, you're not alone.
Inexpensive Structures and Building Materials - A response to the issue addressed in the article above.
Large Scale Sticker Sheets - Preformatted free, downloadable sheets of business, station, and advertising signs.
2003-2013: The More Things Change - Musings ten years after our railroad's first National Convention.
Updated for 2013 - Temporary Building Fronts from Recycled Plastic - updated with many more building graphics.
Garden Railroading in Late Winter
New Boston Marketplace - We're sorting out our private collection and listing stuff we no longer have use for.
Groundhogs and Candles and Midwinter Feasts - A musing about Groundhogs Day.

New Bloglike Article! A Lesson in the Economics of Garden Railroad Buildings

An recent attempt to find good homes for several "project" buildings reminded me of just how much so-called weatherproof plastic buildings are costing these days, as well as why it's important to keep trying to find ways to bring those costs down for most families.

http://familygardentrains.com/blog_like_content/13_01_blogs/building_economics.htm

Inexpensive Structures and Building Materials

My experiences described in the blog above reminded me why we keep working so hard to help folks find buildings and accessories that won't cost a mint. We are working up some more articles to address this, but this page links to the most popular articles and resources we have put together or tracked down so far.

To see the resources and recommendations we have so far, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/primer/structures/inexpensive.htm

Large Scale Sticker Sheets

Remember when you used to buy sticker sheets for your kids to play with? Well they're not just for kids any more. Or do you remember, as a new garden railroader, when you bought three building kits to make a downtown district, only to discover that all three kits had the same signage? (Or the signage was okay, but it faded in the sun after a few weeks?) Family Garden Trains' Resource page to the rescue with several downloadable pages full of business, station, and advertising signs, as well as recommendations for weatherproof labels to print them on. Don't let your businesses go 'round naked!

To see the sticker sheets we have so far, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/resource/sticker_sheets/sticker_sheets.htm

2003-2013: The More Things Change

A sort of memorandum about why one of the most experimented-on garden railroads in the country doesn't really change that much from year to year. And why it's still a good example of a garden railroad most "normal" families can imitate.

To see the article, please click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/newbost/13_jan/2003_2_2013.htm

Updated for 2013 Temporary Building Fronts from Recycled Plastic

While we were working on the "sticker sheet" article above, we decided to go back and add some more building fronts to our article about printing building-sized storefront stickers to go on recycled plastic signs. We also added thumbnails of the buildings to make it easier to chose which to download.

To see the updated article, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/primer/structures/road_spam_2/tmp_bldg_fronts_from_road_spam.htm

Garden Railroading in Late Winter

If you haven't actually started construction yet, this is a good time to review our planning and construction articles. Otherwise, this is a good time to review finish up our winter projects, including any buildings you want to set outside this spring.

If you have any conifers that are "out of control," and you get an unseasonably warm Saturday, you can still trim them now without danger to the trees. Once the new growth starts, though, you'd better leave it until next autumn.

This is also is a good time to remind you that we have short, printable versions of four of our most popular construction and gardening articles. These were developed in part because folks requested a version that they could print out and take to the back yard. We also use them in clinics. The URL for these "fact sheets" is published only to our newsletter subscribers, so enjoy. A list of the available fact sheets is located at the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/fact_sheets/index.htm

New Boston Marketplace

Technically we don't sell stuff on any of our pages - we're supported by advertising and private "donations" from Paul's other businesses. But long before we started our web pages, we started accumulating stuff for garden or model railroading projects that we were going to get around to sooner or later. Over two decades later, a lot of that stuff is still right where we left it, and, frankly, a bunch of it is just in the way. So we put this page up to list things we come across that we'll never get around to using. Some of the things we post here are essentially new, some are used, and some are basket cases, but you might just find the thing(s) you're looking for.

Right now the page seems pretty empty, but a few days ago it was quite full. And we're not even down to the Precambrian level yet. So check back. :-)

To our current listings, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/newbost/marketplace/marketplace.htm

Groundhogs and Candles and Midwinter Feasts

Just for the fun of it - here's the story of Groundhog Day (the holiday AND the movie) from FamilyChristmasOnline.com(tm). Did you know it started in western European cultures with bears, and badgers, and a festival called Candlemas?

To see the article, click on the following link:

http://familychristmasonline.com/other_holidays/groundhog_day/groundhog_day.htm

Keep in Touch

As always, we have more articles in the works, and we are constantly updating our existing articles, so please check back often. Also, we are sharing some ideas and announcements on Facebook under the Family Garden Trains name.

Finally, please let us know about your ongoing projects. Ask questions, send corrections, suggest article ideas, send photos, whatever you think will help you or your fellow railroaders. In the meantime, enjoy your trains, and especially enjoy any time you have with your family in the coming weeks,

Paul Race

FamilyGardenTrains.com

To view the newsletter for December, 2012, click on the following link:

http://familygardentrains.com/fgt_newsletter/12_12_newsletter_gr.htm

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January, 2013 Update from Family Garden TrainsTM