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Written by Paul D. Race for Big Indoor Trains™

Big Indoor Trains™

Big Indoor Trains™ (a division of Family Garden Trains™) answers questions about creating displays with collectible villages and appropriate model trains. Setting up "trains and towns" at Christmas (and sometimes at other times) is a tradition that goes back at least a century. Within the last thirty years, new collectible villages from Dept. 56® and Hawthorne Village® and new trains from Bachmann and Lionel have brought renewed interest. Still, folks who try to use these trains and towns together often have questions that neither the collectible village suppliers nor the hobby shops can answer. The Big Indoor Trains™ site was begun created specifically to "fill the gap."

We will try to answer questions about:

• Using village collections from Dept. 56® and Hawthorne Village® with model trains.
• Using model trains with collectible village structures and accessories. These include:
  • On30 trains from and Bachmann and Hawthorne Village®
  • O-gauge trains from Lionel®
• Other collectible villages and the trains that go well with them
• Using other big trains, including Large Scale, indoors.

In short, this site has been started to help you sort through the choices you face when you start planning some sort of indoor display railroad and village, whether it will only be set out during the holidays, or whether you want to have it available all year long. It is meant to help you borrow ideas from both the collectible village and the model railroad hobbies to create something that meets your specific needs.

Resources we provide include:

Primer Articles that get you started and answer common questions. At the moment, these include: Combining Trains and Towns - Why combining collectible village pieces and model trains is a growing and rewarding hobby. Sizes and Scales of Big IndoorTrains - Explains which trains are best for using around a collectible village or other display. Scenery Project Ideas - Ideas for "sprucing up" your indoor model railroad or display village, such as: Portable (Foam-Based) Indoor Displays Easy Indoor Lakes and Rivers Easy Homemade Trees Building Project Ideas - Original articles about creating inexpensive building projects to add depth and interest to your town or railroad. Projects include free downloadable plans and patterns, photos, and detailed instructions. Easy Street Scene Build a Vintage-Style Cardboard Stone Cottage Build a Vintage-Style Barn and Silo Log Cabin Building Flat Real Trains We Model - A new section to provide some historical background for your hobby, including: 30" Railroads - On30 is a fast-growing hobby and the trains are sure "cute." But do you know there is a century of fascinating history behind those "teakettles" and the thirty-inch-wide tracks they ran on? New, April, 2008! Small but Mighty - 30" Power - This article reviews the "real-world" steam locomotives that pulled 30" trains in North America (and elsewhere, to some extent). Baldwin, Shay, Porter, and other manufacturers made some amazing developments in their efforts to maximize power on minimum rail gauge and weight. New, May, 2008! Special Features - Other articles of interest to people who run holiday, collectible, or other indoor trains, including: What is a Glitterhouse? - Collecting and building authentic, vintage-style pasteboard houses. Includes many free downloadable plans, photos, and detailed instructions. Winter Trees from Floral Picks Welcome to Spook Hill™ - Howard has designed a whole, family-friendly, Halloween community built in the vintage "putz-house" style. Includes many free downloadable plans, photos, and detailed instructions. Welcome to Sandy Shores™ - New for 2009! For those who like summer, or looking forward to summer, Howard has designed a series of seaside projects that are so much fun, you can almost smell the salt water. Includes many free downloadable plans, photos, and detailed instructions.

BIG Train Store™ - A collection of buyers' guides to help you make the best decisions when starting or expanding your communities and railroads.

Trains-N-Towns™ - A newsletter for people who Run big model trains during the holiday season, Use model trains with collectible villages, Own collectible trains by Hawthorne Village(r) Are starting a model railroad using On30, O gauge, or larger trains.

Resources for Big Indoor Trains™ - These pages provide downloadable building front, brick patterns, business signs and more, to help you inexpensively add interest, depth, and character to your railroad and communities.

Books, Magazines, and Videos for Big Indoor Trains™ - To help you get started, and to provide a huge supply of fresh ideas for growing in the hobby.

Watch this page: more articles and resources are in the works.

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Note: Family Garden Trains™, Big Christmas Trains™, Big Indoor Trains™, Big Train Store™, and Trains-N-Towns™ are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications™ (www.btcomm.com). All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 by Paul D. Race. Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically forbidden.

For more information, contact us.