We’re in tough financial times, there’s no getting around it. It’s rough out there.  REALLY tough! However I ran across an idea the other day that just could help your small business. It was a recollection from living in the big city.  This was in New York City. The cold would force us into a department store during the holiday.  I think it was Macy’s, I’m not sure.  But anyway there would be these great train setups there. The store would always be crowded with kids and their parents no matter what time it was.  Golly was it a gigantic track! Bigger than the apartment we lived in!  It was a complete dimension onto itself.

And here’s the point, even though my mom didn’t have a lot cash and always came in with the determination of never parting with a dime, by the end of the day it seemed like we without fail ended up leaving with some little toy, even if it was just a soda from one the street venders.  So here’s the thought I had:

Try g size toy railroad designs in the display window of the store:

Toy retailers have known this for a long time and hardware stores have found this a natural combination since people can buy the accessories and tools for model railroading all right there. But you don’t have to be a toy retailer or hardware store to capitalize on model train displays. If you’re part of a line of stores or by a entertainment center this could be perfect for your establishment.  It wouldn’t even have to be a store associated with model trains. A family physician’s practice might just have a locomotive display to keep the kids busy while they waited for their appointments or for prescriptions. The display would give the business a considerable leg up over its competition. The locomotive babysitter would allow the grateful parents to see to their own goals. The augmented business would be well worth the drawbacks in terms of space, start up costs and maintenance.  Really, anywhere parents and children are forced to cool their heels would benefit from such an addition.  Grateful parents would create loyal business.

G-Scale Model Railroad Designs could also make for unique businesses in the hospitality industry:

You know how you’ve been planning on making your old Victorian into a B & B now that your children have all flown the coop. Want to have a special feel for your cool barbecue but can’t think of what to do?  You could advertise your Bed-and-Breakfast as a locomotive Bed-and-Breakfast and you could have a locomotive motif.  If you have a swimming pool in the back or a patio where customers eat you could have a train that winds around by the tables and rig it so that the train actually brings out the drinks to people. The quirkiness would be sure to draw parents with their children and you could make a little bit of extra money by selling toys.  If you have a local tourist site that is locomotive related you could create a tie-in to this site.  If you are in the American west this shouldn’t be difficult since most of its tourist sites are related to the rise of locomotives.

 It’s a tough world out there these days. Now’s the time to act aggressively and imaginatively to maximize your business not sit back and be tossed by the waves of change. A distinctive business theme is sure to help you succeed in these rough financial conditions.  I’ve only touched the surface. Imagine a miniature golf park where a model train winds through the entire course, going over ponds and across runways and where the players alter the train’s track by sinking holes…

Here is more information on G Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

Finally uncovered a way you can combine your wife’s love of back yard sun bathing and your love of toy locomotives, huh?  These g gauge toy locomotives are definitely the trains for your family! You get to have fun in the sun while planning your own personal toy locomotive empire. But how to begin? Your outdoor space will have a huge say in the kind of design you choose.  That said, there are some basic considerations when you are creating your g gauge train configuration.

Use the topography of your yard to frame the decisions you make in terms of train choice:  Weather and topography should play into the choices you make about your g scale track design. If you live in a wet, cold climate and have snow and rain as a fairly constant cover for your yard, consider having a covered track.  But if you live in the hills of Berkeley or San Francisco and your back yard is somewhat inclined  you will want to take this into consideration as well. Climate and terrain are just as important as spatial considerations for g gauge locomotives.  These topographical features, however, can also greatly aid the realism and the complexity of our railroad designs.

Play peek-a-boo with your track plan:  One of the best ways of maximizing interest to our g scale model railroad layouts is to use the flora of our back yards to enhance the visual excitement of our track plan.

Play peek-a-boo with the viewer by curling the train into the natural features of the yard. The lazy way is to run your track through a bush, but if you’re really ambitious you might create a mountain pass or sharp  gorge right in your back yard. Nothing compares to seeing your g gauge train appear and disappear, appear and disappear—peek-a-boo…peek-a-boo….

Work with the major landmarks of your yard:  If you have a completely empty yard then this is not a consideration, but since most of us have things other than trains and grass in your back yards, your best bet is to take these backyard landmarks and work with them.  Waterworks can really add a contemplative element to your garden railroad. A train track looped around a trickling stone fountain or past a spitting stone cherub can make for a particularly eye catching feature.

Don’t forget landscape accessories; they’re not just for the little trains anymore:  Finally, to really enhance the full reality of our g scale model railroad layouts we are well served by incorporating features like whistle stops and trestle bridges to make our model train worlds as realistic and detailed as possible.  The planning, building and detailing and weathering of these structures and features can be one of the most fun and fulfilling aspects of a model railroad.  It is much more rewarding to spend in rainy Sunday afternoon detailing and coloring a model train whistle stop than watching reruns of I Love Lucy.

G scale model trains are so popular right now, you shouldn’t be surprised if you neighbors are willing to shell out cold hard cash to come over and see your setup.  But the best reason to take part in this rewarding activity is that it is just good old fashioned fun!

Here is more information on G Scale Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.