Recently, (yesterday) I saw a OO gauge model railroad operating outdoors. OO is just a bit larger than HO, but operating on the same gauge track. I'm wondering if operating outdoors in any gauge is something that could become more commonplace. It is pretty common with G scale trains, but not so in the smaller gauges. Operating outdoors would open up available space for a really large layout. Part of it could start and end indoors, but the majority of operation would be outdoors. What would be the cons to operating outdoors? Right now, my layout is confined to an 11' x 10' room, while I have 8 acres of land around me not being used. I understand there would be operating obstacles, such as grass height, rain and other environmental issues. My first thought would be to have the track elevated for easy viewing and construction. By keeping the elevation low, you could incorporate outdoor features like grass, plants, water. Does this sound too much of a problem? Your views would be much appreciated. I started a garden railway a while back, but the equipment was prohibitively too expensive, so I dropped it. But now that I am back in HO, I'm thinking again about outdoor operation. Would Marklin track hold up outdoors or other 2-rail track systems? Brass and steel rail appears to be out due to corrosion. Would nickel silver track hold up outdoors? I'm posting this to get your opinions on the feasibility of such a scheme. It works in G scale; why not in the smaller scales?

Weather obviously has a lot to do with it, but some areas of the country might be more conducive to outdoor operation than others. A more moderate climate may be best over a harsh climate for outdoor operation. The area I live in (South Mississippi) is pretty moderate and that is why I bring this up.

The OO gauge railway I mentioned was a long loop operating in the UK with no turnouts . Maybe turnout operation would be subject to the environment being outdoors. It sure looked good running on a long straight-a-way, pulling a long string of cars and crossing a bridge over a real water obstacle. I'm sure it would take a lot of maintenance to keep running.

In the past I have had 12v DC trains running outdoors on Peco (?) flexible track (which from memory does not rust). The layout lasted from one year to next but did need cleaning.

I would love to do the same with Märklin but can see no way of making long rustproof sections of track (I have M track!).

It is great to see long gentle curves and long trains.

Maybe Peco flex track with their stud contacts system will do... (just an idea, no experience on that)

The rails of C-track doesn't rust; but the pukos rust very fast

I would go for a 2-rail system ( Running and hiding now )

Since it works with Peco tracks for 1-gauge and LGB, I see no reason why it shouldn't work on H0 also........

Per.

It is just impossible for Märklin because the track systems are not made for outdoor use at all. After one night outside in the garden the rust will come up.

I wonder how well HO track of any type will hold up against UV radiation. LGB track has UV inhibitors in the plastic ties to protect it from sunlight. I wouldn't think that HO track manufacturers would bother the inhibitors to their products.

Roger

For outdoors I think I would rather use either Peco or K track.

With Peco I would use Weichen-Walter pukos.

Thank you all for your response. The idea of running HO outdoors obviously depends on the area of the world that has a moderate and stable climate. I can think of parts of Florida and California where it would be feasible. Track appears to be the big problem. No one has an HO track designed for outdoor use. Due to the limited places where outdoor HO would work, I don't think any manufacturers would be willing to develop a suitable track system for outdoor use. There appears to be too many negative aspects for an HO outdoor system to gain much interest. For those who have operated successfully outdoors, must live in a place where the conditions are perfect. I guess it's just 1 gauge or nothing.

As far as I understand there are a number of 0 gauge outdoor layouts in the US. I set up an oval with Gargraves 3-rail tracks just for the summer. It doesn't look nice, but it is made for outdoor use.

G gauge is IIm gauge. Same rail spacing as I gauge, but different scale and different rail dimensions. There are nice G gauge models from narrow-gauge prototypes. Some G gauge "models" for standard-gauge prototypes are somewhat condensed and not all proportions are correct.
AIUI models for I gauge can usually run on G gauge track, but the opposite is more likely to fail.

Märklin Minex is Oe gauge, usually running on Märklin H0 track. But real Oe track is much different from H0 track with respect to sleepers and many other aspects.