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Buildings for Garden Railroads Garden Railroading Primer Articles: All about getting a Garden Railroad up and running wellGarden Train Store: Index to train, track, and other products for Garden Railroading
Large Scale Starter Sets: Begin with a train you'll be proud to runBachmann Garden Trains: Narrow Gauge models designed to run well in your Garden Railroad
Large Scale Track order FormClick to see a short list of things you should consider buying when you're first starting out.
Large Scale Christmas Trains: Trains with a holiday theme for garden or professional display railroads.Free Large Scale Signs and Graphics: Bring your railroad to life with street signs, business signs, and railroad signs
Garden Railroading Books, Magazines, and Videos: Where to go to learn even more
Collectible Trains and Villages: On30 Trains and accessories designed by Thomas Kinkade and others

Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm) and Garden Train Store (tm)
AristoCraft Built-Up Passenger Station - This station is one of the best values in Large Scale. It represents thousands of small country stations that once served communities all over North America. I repainted mine in a more conservative color scheme, but I have seen at least one real Ohio train station that was the same yellow. This station is about 1:24; it is proportioned to fit well with any large scale train set. Althought it may not have exactly the same level of detail as some of the expensive kits, it is extremely sturdy, and the fact that it comes on its own platform (unlike most kit stations) makes it easy to add accessories such as benches and streetlights to give it more character. So, if your Large Scale train needs a reason to get from point A to point B, you know what to do.







My 7200 station, painted red and white and caught in an early snowfall.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Freight Depot - Although this structure was designed to handle freight near the Built-Up Passenger Station above, there's no reason you can't use it as another general-purpose station somewhere else on your railroad, at least until you get around to building something fancier. Like the Built-Up Passenger Station above, this building offers excellent value. It is also sturdy, and the platform gives you many detailing options.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Farmhouse - Another cost-effective prebuilt structure is this farmhouse, designed and finished like many in the Heartland. Again, the detail may not be as great as on some expensive kits, but this building has a very nice paint job and is very sturdy. You can always go back later and add details such as glazing, curtains, and a dog asleep on the porch. Note: For years, hobbyists who liked the look of this building have been buying more than one and making them look different by repainting them in different colors and adding different details, like flags, or weathervanes. Interestingly, many builders in the "Heartland" would build three or four nearly identical houses in a row to save cost, so having a few of these, even close to each other, is a good way to build a neighborhood. The best part is that AristoCraft recognized that, and this house is now available prepainted in several other colors! Please check the list below for details.
AristoCraft Prebuilt Church - This weatherproof structure adds heartland charm to your towns without taking up too much space.
Water Tower - Give your thirsty steamers a drink, and set the period of your railroad at the same time. I'm told that this will actually hold and dispense liquids, although I haven't tried it.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Crossing Shanty - Keep your busy railroad crossing safe with this set that includes a crossing guard, a shanty for the guard to take shelter in, and two "crossbuck" Railroad Crossing signs to warn motorists. To purchase, or to check on price and availability, please click on the button.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Victorian Station - This station represents many passenger stations that were first built in the mid-to-late 1800s. You may have seen these on garden railroads, since AristoCraft has made this station available in kit form for decades. That said, they were not as easy to put together as they could be - I should know because I have one. So rather than frustrate customers, Aristo is now having these painted and assembled so you can get them new in the box and set them out on your railroad the same day. And the cost is actually lower than many similar station kits from other manufacturers. To purchase, or to check on price and availability, please click on the button.
AristoCraft Waiting Platform - This structure can be used as an extension to the Victorian Station above or by itself as an additional stopping place. To purchase, or to check on price and availability, please click on the button. Click for a bigger photo.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Covered Bridge - This bridge represents thousands of bridges that were built a century and a half ago - the covers protected the bridges' structure and roadbed from the elements, which is one reason so many of them lasted as long as they did. This bridge is solid and weatherproof enough to give your trains a generation of safe passage over your rivers. Also, it is long enough that if you want to park a streetcar or some such inside to keep it out of the "elements" between running sessions, you can certainly do son. Like the Victorian Station above, AristoCraft has made this station available in kit form for decades, but it's actually become more popular since they offered it "pre-built." And the cost is still lower than many similar kits from other manufacturers. To purchase, or to check on price and availability, please click on a "check stock" button. Click for bigger picture.
Watch Tower with Operating Light and Smoke - Keep an eye on your crowded terminals and busy crossings with this watch tower. Another way to make your railroad much more interesting in a very small space.
AristoCraft Pre-Built Tract House - This building represents many houses built between WWI and WWII in neighborhoods all over the United States and Canada. Many were built by "developers," but many were also built by and folks who bought "Arts and Crafts" plans and learned building and finish carpentry techniques as they worked. Today many city neighborhoods still feature blocks of similar structures. Details such as a clothesline out back, a dog asleep on the stairs, or a television antenna attached to the chimney will let you customize this structure for nearly any place and time in the last century. Click for bigger picture.

AristoCraft Pre-Built Gingerbread House - This building represents many houses built between 1860 and 1930 in neighborhoods all over the United States and Canada. Most of them are still standing today, so this will look like it belongs on any garden railroad, especially if you add a few details to "personalize" it. Like the tract house above, this is sturdy and weather-resistant. It is also a fairly new product, so only a few vendors have it now, but that will change as more carry the product. I'll try to add a bigger picture later.

Signal Bridge with Lights - This structure adds a lot of interest in a very small space. It's based on scaffolding that puts signal lights where they can be seen a long way off to protect trains and workers.