Starting the Miniature Garden Railway Journey
In May, I embarked on an exciting new project—building my own garden railway. With a rough plan in place, I carefully measured out the layout and began sourcing materials. For the track, I turned to PNP Railways, whose team was incredibly helpful in guiding me through the process and arranging delivery to my rural location in France. When the packages arrived safely, the real fun began!
Laying the 5 inch Gauge Track
With track in hand, I set to work preparing the ground, levelling, and digging where necessary to create a stable base. The clip-fit track system from PNP made assembly straightforward and efficient. To tackle the numerous curves in my design, I also invested in a rail bender from PNP—an absolute game-changer that made shaping the track much easier.
Before long, I had 120 metres of track running smoothly around the garden. The results? A great-looking railway with excellent running conditions!
First Trains on the Line
In August, my much-anticipated rolling stock arrived—a Class 67 loco from AME along with two trucks. The moment of truth had come, and I was thrilled to see my trains gliding effortlessly along the new 5 inch gauge track. It has since become a source of enjoyment for me, my family, and friends, bringing people together to experience the joy of live steam and miniature railway operations.
Looking Ahead
The railway is off to a fantastic start, and I’m already thinking about future expansions. This is just the beginning of what I hope will be an even larger and more exciting setup in the years to come.
A huge thank you to PNP Railways and AME for their support and great products—I couldn’t have done it without them!
"Thank you to Ian Stevens for providing this great background story of his garden railway adventures. If you have a unique railway project or experiences with PNP track, we’d love to hear from you! Share your story with us, and you might be featured in a future blog post
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