6. Power your trains - Electricity
If there were a "best" way to power large scale trains? - Conventional Track Power Operation- Battery Power Operation - Digital Command Control - each method has both significant advantages and serious disadvantages. The choice is therefore a trade-off and the factors that influence that trade-off vary sharply depending on many conditions such as environment, operating practice and personal preference. Conventional track power is the choice of the majority of large scale train operators
Electricity in the garden is not a problem. Trains generally run on 12V-18V DC, which is quite safe, even in the rain. However, you'll need to keep your power pack dry and safe from the weather. And a ground-fault circuit interrupt is always a good thing to use between your power pack and the house current. Talk to the folks at your local hardware store about them. Perhaps the biggest problem in running electricity through the rails is maintaining continuity across the joints as the rails expand and contract. One way of doing this is to solder jumper wires across the joints. There are clamp-on rail joiners that aid in continuity, too. Electrically conductive grease -- available at electronics-supply stores -- can also be used in the joints. Trains run on the same voltage that garden lighting uses. The two systems can be successfully integrated, creating wonderful nights capes. You can either use traditional analog systems use variable DC to power the trains or a digital Multi-Train System Alternatives If you finding running electricity through the rails to be a big hassle, there are other ways to go. - Battery-powered , radio-controlled trains are becoming very popular today, and several companies offer systems that can be fitted to existing track-powered trains. Another popular alternative is live steam -- real steam locomotives to pull your trains. These burn Butane Gas, Coal or or spirit (meths or alcohol). If chosing live steam - Which Fuel to use?