Is there truly anything more captivating, charming and entertaining than an outdoor garden train running all throughout a maze of flowerbeds? Especially one that can include a few waterfalls, bridges and tunnels?
I still remember the first time Mary and I saw an outdoor garden train in action. It was the summer of 2016 at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens – and as we often do when we travel, we decided to check out a few of the area’s gardens for inspiration. And with one look at the outdoor train – I was hooked beyond belief!
The outdoor setup was nothing short of magical. The large G-Scale garden trains were a sight to behold. Especially when you could watch them run through and around all kinds of beautiful plants, trees, bushes and water features.
It was pretty much then and there we knew that someday we just had to build one. And when we purchased the land for our new farm in 2020, it finally gave us the space to do just that!
Today’s article will walk you through all of the plans and features for the completed project, along with some photos and a video of the first phase of construction that began in mid-July. We hope to have the entire project completed by the end of September – and yes, we will definitely do a follow up article and video once the train is running!
The Outdoor Garden Train Project – The Dream Takes Shape!
The Location
We initially thought about laying out the train in our main garden. But as we worked through the plan, it became pretty obvious that is just wouldn’t really fit the space.
The must haves for the train layout included some elevation, tunnels, a bridge and a water feature. In addition, we wanted to create a fairly large sitting area that the train could run around. One thing was for sure, the garden space just didn’t have the room or slope we needed to accomplish all of those goals.
That is exactly when we decided to settle on the main area in front of what for now is our home. We hope within a few years to turn the original house into a small winery, coffee and brew house. And as we thought the plan through, we decided – why not include this as a special feature and sitting area for the space!
We already have a fair number of visitors, Harvest Host campers and Airbnb guests that stay at the farm – and we really do love trying to create all kinds of unique spaces for them to enjoy. We hope the train garden is just one more place they can sit, relax – and enjoy the farm.
The Plan – The Outdoor Garden Train Project
The front space really is perfect for the train project. There is already a large main patio at the entrance to the house that sits about 20 feet above a larger lower pad. In between is a landscaped slope filled with plants.
Up until a few weeks ago, the slope had a small self contained waterfall. With the new train garden, we are expanding that waterfall to allow it to cascade all the way down to a large 1500+ gallon Koi pond that will be in the middle of the patio. We will install a water pump and filter in the pond to then pump water back up the hill to feed the waterfall.
As for the outdoor garden train – it will run all around the flowerbeds in the lower patio and pond area. It will include a tunnel behind and a bridge over the waterfall and pond area.
Check out our video below on the progress of the garden train so far!
Last but not least, we will then bring in flowerbed spaces all around the patio and surrounding area to bring life to the train garden. That is actually harder than it sounds with all of our deer in the area. Once again – will will have to select our plants carefully! See our article: The Best Deer Resistant Perennials To Plant – 6 Perennial Plants Deer Usually Leave Alone!
Phase 1 Of Construction – The Outdoor Garden Train Project
Phase one began in mid-July. It started with taking out the smaller waterfall and then digging out a few shelves into the hillside to eventually create three separate falls for the water. At the bottom, we then dug out a 20 x 25′ x 4′ deep hole for the Koi pond.
Around the pond hole, we used crushed limestone to create the pad for the patio area. When pouring concrete pads, the finished project in only as good as the foundation – so we packed and packed and packed it in some more!
Once the base was ready, in went the forms for the concrete pad. It will be poured and stamped this coming week – and once it cures, it will make way for phase 2!
Phase 2 – The Outdoor Garden Train Project
Next up will be pouring the patio and edging out the pond. After that we will install the liner, river rock and stone. Then comes the fun part – laying out the train tracks and bridges!
Because it will be outdoors, we will be using G-scale stainless steel track. From all of our research, there are just too many issues with brass or aluminum tracks in the long run. For the base for the tracks, we will be using a 6 inch deep layer of crushed limestone pack.
This will give good support for the tracks and allow the trains to run smoothly without worry. We will be building a trestle bridge over the pond. For that we will use rough-sawn ceder for both looks and longevity.
We hope it won’t too long until we hear the gentle sounds of a train rolling around the patio! Here’s to chasing your dreams – and to always being happy in the garden! Jim and Mary
Old World Garden
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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