You'll notice that at no time during the first five years of our railroad's existence did we use magic or rocket science. We learned about plants and roadbed and design and everything else through observation and through trial and error - mostly error. As the railroad grew, we changed scales, track plans, construction techniques, and just about everything else. Moreover, if we were starting over tomorrow, we'd probably everything differently yet again.
In spite of all that, and a couple of huge setbacks, we established a functioning, attractive garden railroad that seldom fails to intrigue visitors or to entertain us when we have the time to operate it.
Update for 2007 - The railroad was on display again in June, 2007, when we had an open house for two of my daughters who graduated college that year (one with her master's, one with her bachelors). By then I had several large locomotives that I have run on other people's railroads successfully, but I couldn't run them on my own trackage because the track has become so uneven. In addition, several of my "trashbashed" buildings are in need of serious repair - the few wood and pressed-wood pieces that remained after I converted them for use on my garden railroad are swollen or getting other problems. So my famous "New Boston" settlement is now down to a handful of buildings.
In July and August, 2007, our attention was focused on elsewhere, as we did two big garden railroading clinics near Cleveland. While we did collect a few more pieces that will help our railroad in the long run, we didn't do the maintenance 
that we really should have, so there are parts of the railroad that really need help now before we can go back to running the big locomotives and long trains.
We DID take time to experiment with solar lighting on our railroad.
In late, 2007, I built a couple more buildings, but also had two more damaged by wind and weather so we're still down a little on buildings.
Update for 2008 - The bigger problem was the first section I built, on a gravel-only roadbed. After nine years of trying to "kid it a long" and keep up with the ever-increasing maintenance, I finally gave up. In August and September, 2008, I dug up the whole section, poured concrete underneath it, and reinstalled it. So far so good. The story of that operation is in the article "Refurbishing Garden Railroad Roadbed".
In early October, 2008, we also experimented with Low Voltage Lighting, in part to get my buildings lit before an evening open house I hoped to hold in November. If I get the New Boston buildings rehabilitated, I may move part of New Boston as well - where it used to sit has been taking over by a fir tree that used to be little.
The short version is that many things have been added over the years, a few have been lost, and many things have changed. But a garden is a living thing, even if you put trains in it, so you will interact with it whether that is your plan or not.
What does the future hold? Hopefully a couple more open houses and a bunch more experiments I can turn into articles. Stay tuned.
Our greatest hope for this series of articles is that it will encourage you to get out and make some mistakes of your own.
When you're ready to start, the Family Garden Railroad Primer Articles will help you get started in the right direction.
Best of luck,
Paul D. Race
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