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The official e-newsletter of Big Indoor Trains<sup><small>TM</small></sup> and Big Christmas Trains<sup><small>TM</small></sup>. My friend Lloyd Day has used On30 Porters and other small pieces to build a complete railroad in a 13-inch x 48-inch rectangle. Return to Big Indoor Trains<sup><small>TM</small></sup> primer pageOn30 Display Trains
O Scale Accessories
O Gauge Christmas TrainsOn30 Christmas Trains

Click to see exclusive, licensed train collections in your favorite team colors!
Written by Paul D. Race for Big Indoor TrainsTM and Big Christmas TrainsTM



Click to sign up for the 'Trains-N-Towns<sup><small>TM</small></sup>' newsletter, with articles about display villages, indoor railroading, and much more




























































































Click to see new and reissued Lionel trains to celebrate a century-old tradition.




















Trains-N-TownsTM, the Official Newsletter of BIGIndoorTrains.com and BIGChristmasTrains.com

This newsletter is for people who like O scale trains and Christmas trains, especially people who combine On30 or O gauge trains with collectible villages. It is produced in conjunction with the Big Indoor TrainsTM and Big Christmas Trains web sites.
  • If you did not get this Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter through your own e-mail, and you would like to get the newsletters in the future, please join our Trains-N-TownsTM Mailing List

  • On the other hand, if you don't want to receive our e-mail updates, please e-mail me with a "Please Unsubscribe" message (worded any way you wish), and we will graciously remove you from our list.

  • Also, if you would like to subscribe to our free newsletter for garden railroaders (people running big trains outside), please join the Family Garden Trains Mailing List. By the way, you can subscribe to either, both, or neither, and we will just be glad to be of service, no matter what you decide.

New This Month

This month, we have two new articles to promote, one that's all about the real world, and one that's all about holiday fun:

Note: We have several more articles in the works, so check our site often.

Click to go to articleNew Article: 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, and other manufacturers made some amazing developments in their efforts to maximize power on minimum rail gauge and weight. The article also gives suggestions for modeling 30" railroads in On30 scale.

Click on the following link to learn more.

Click to see pattern and instructions.New Feature: Spook HillTMStation

This month we feature yet another 100% original, 100% unique project from Howard Lamey - the first Halloween train station either of us has ever seen in any format, posted early so you can get started on a collectible Halloween village in plenty of time. This station uses patterns from our Building Textures page to create a unique Halloween collectible patterned after the cardboard Christmas houses you grew up with. By doubling the size of the patterns, you can make it work great for Large Scale. Or with a little adjustment, this could serve any holiday or even a more "realistic" model railroad as well.

Click on the following link to learn more.

Father's Day Hints, Hint, Hint

There is still plenty of time to get Dad or Grandpa something very nice for Father's Day. Here are some popular pages in our buyer's guides that may give you some ideas.

  • On30 Starter Sets:</a> Begin with a train you'll be proud to runOn30 Starter Sets - A quality Bachmann On30 train set will help get an indoor narrow gauge railroad off to a great start. These trains are the same scale as the Hawthorne Village train collections. They go very well with holiday villages and with accessories made to go with Lionel trains (except for track). And they have a lifetime limited warranty from one of the largest model railroad manufacturers in the world. Click the following link for more information:

  • Click to see collectible trains with your favorite teams' logos.Sports Train Collections These HO scale (indoor) train collections commemorate Dad's favorite team. They are subscription trains, meaning you buy one part at a time, but they are very finely painted, and have a limited lifetime warranty from Bachmann trains. If you don't live near me, consider starting your collection now while your favorite baseball team still has a chance of not finishing in the basement. :-) If you live near me, get started anyhow; there's always next year. Click the following link for more information.
  • Books, Magazines, and Videos - A great way to get ideas and motivation for your indoor railroad or holiday village projects. Click the following link for more information.

    Keep in Touch

    We are continually getting more interest in this newsletter, in the site, and in the trains we discuss. We welcome your questions as indicators of what we should be working on next (also, we always try to answer reader questions quickly). In addition, if you have any photos, tips, or articles you'd like to share with your fellow hobbyists, please let us know. The hobby grows best when we all learn together.

    In the meantime, have a great spring!

    Paul Race

    BigIndoorTrains.com
    BigChristmasTrains.com
    FamilyGardenTrains.com

    To view the Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter for May, 2008, click on the following link:

    http://bigindoortrains.com/trains_n_towns/08_05_newsletter_indoor.htm

    To read more, or to look at recommended Garden Railroading and Display Railroad products, you may click on the index pages below.

Visit our BIG Train Store<sup><small>TM</small></sup> Buyer's Guide Pages



















































Click to see village and train collections for July Fourth, Halloween, and more!















Home Pages
Reading Index Pages
Buyer's Guide Pages
Return to Big Indoor Trains Home page Return to Family Garden Trains Home page Big Indoor Trains Primer Articles: All about setting up and displaying indoor display trains and towns. Garden Railroading Primer Articles: All about getting a Garden Railroad up and running well Garden Train Store: Index to train, track, and other products for Garden RailroadingBig Christmas Trains: Directory of Large Scale and O Scale trains with holiday themes
On30 and O Gauge trains to go with indoor display villages and railroads

Note: Spook HillTM is a trademark of Howard Lamey, North Jacksonville, Florida. Big Indoor TrainsTM, Big Train StoreTM Family Garden TrainsTM, Big Christmas TrainsTM, and Garden Train StoreTM are trademarks of Breakthrough CommunicationsTM (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 by Paul D. Race. Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically forbidden.
Big Indoor Trains(tm) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

For more information, contact us.

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Father's Day Gifts