I’m sure many of you know that Craig Fuller has purchased Entertrainment Junction and is moving it to Chattanooga, but he is also reviving Garden Railways magazine!
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We will know when Bruce gets a check in the mail that they found all his old article submissions. 
Be interested to see what GR looks like. Is it going to be toy train in a garden, or a focus on scale modeling outdoors?
GR seemed to do a decent job of blending the two sides of the hobby but definitely leaned towards the first. I’d be interested to see what happens.
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I hope they do well. We need more exposure to the RR community, and the general public.
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That’s amazing! Thanks Dan. EJ is a great attraction, and moving is an opportunity for expansion. Awesome news about GR, wow!
I guess for those who still don’t have computers the magazine would be their next choice. OK, just have a little fun here, but just like newspapers, magazines, books, most is all on the internet before it gets to print. I remember the days that I couldn’t wait till my magazines got to my house in the mail, just something else that won’t be around for many more years. I had all the back issues at one time, but finally gave then to the club for others to enjoy.
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The printed word seems to be losing its appeal. Younger generations are reportedly turning to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for search and discovery, often preferring them over traditional search engines like Google.
The Australian news agency industry, in particular, has been facing a significant decline in recent years. The growing demand for online content has far outpaced that of print media, leading to a sharp decrease in the sales of traditional products like newspapers and magazines. This shift has left many news agencies struggling to stay profitable.
Some have managed to adapt by diversifying their offerings—selling high-end gifts and lottery tickets—but even these efforts haven’t stopped the steady disappearance of magazine racks from stores.
Despite the digital shift, there remains something inherently satisfying about flipping through pages by hand. I hope it works.
This is really great news indeed! I subscribed off and on from '97. I always wanted to have my layout featured in the magazine, but never got around to submitting anything. Here’s my second chance lol
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I also had all the back issues but then in 2018 I purchased the DVD’s and sold/gave them away.
BTW: for anyone interested, They are still available.
Garden Railways The Complete Collection 1984-2015 DVD-ROM
Vic Smith and I had this story several months ago, that the new owners were wanting to revive the GR along with other magazines
Yes, and up until this interview, There has not been any timeline or specific mention that it would actually happen. Now you are getting it straight from the horse’s mouth! 
This is great news! I do think the hobby needs a “journal.” It is good exposure, and it is a good way to share the hobby with others. I also found that the articles had a good spread of difficulties. I get Model Railroader, and, while I enjoy it, I have not been able to apply it as readily to our projects out here.
Oh…to brag…the Triple O graced the table of contents page and the “Reader’s Gallery” of the last issue of GR!
Eric
Eric
On a related topic, I just became aware today of this magazine, Cowcatcher, which is a blend of prototype and model train coverage.
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Thanks Cliff! I just Subscribed. 
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Railpace is another good one for those of us in the north-eastern part of the country.
One of the biggest things I looked forward to was the ads by all the large hobby shops, Watts, Train World, and others. I purchased a lot of LGB and Pola back in the days, plus I did buy a lot of Lionel from Madison Hardware and others. Today there are not many shops left to buy from and at discount prices that were a thing back in those days are not really present today. Today I mainly buy from eBay, but my buying is very little as I don’t need any more for sure. And yes, I did sell all my Lionel and LGB collector items some 20 plus years ago when the prices were still up, today not much value in them.
I too like many would love to see GR back in print. I miss the variety of what they published. A cool concept to bring back would be the VERY basic car plans they had (I have most). For beginners they were great.
My thoughts on what will make the return of GR a success.
First is the toughest - publish what Garden Railroaders WANT to see. I know, that varies across a large spectrum. There are many subjects that fit that bill, but here are a few I think will catch the attention of the majority.
Build articles - they don’t have to be MMR super detailed builds, although they can be. I think the most successful ones will be the simple to moderate builds. All the super detailing can be added later. A mix of construction materials would be a benefit (not necessarily is the same build).
Bash articles - these would be as much a ‘how-to tutorials’ as a build, with emphasis on the art and thought process of making something new out of something old.
Gardening articles - I have a box full of back issues that I saved specifically for some of Nancy’s articles on the garden and what to plant. Jim Rowson’s layout is a testament to her handywork.
Electronics articles - This can range from simple component builds to complicated RC installs. So long as they are clear and concise most folks will be able to follow them, and accomplish the task.
I think you all get the idea, we all have our preferences. Next is advertising. This is a must, the cover price will no likely pay the bills. I welcome advertising, so long as it does not become the primary content of the magazine. It is nice to keep a finger on the pulse of costs.
Magazine quality - Must be a good quality magazine. I subscribed to Railroad Model Craftsman until Hal Carstens started publishing the magazine on Newspaper stock. I stopped subscribing to Model Railroader when their content was all advertising and electronics articles. And on the quality topic, I tried the new Railroad Model Craftsman by White River. Good quality of the publication (paper and such) but I can’t get past drawings published in some bastard scale that folks can’t buy. I called them out on the scale and was told ‘if it doesn’t fit on two pages …’ I haven’t gone back.
Advertising - keep it to hobby content. If the publisher is a hobbyist himself he will know that an ad for Tap Plastics will fall into the ‘hobby’ family.
Out door layouts - would love to see them. Unfortunately we all hear of far more of the older great layouts being dismantled and not replaced with new folks.
Indoor layouts - Would like to see some of these as well. Our own Norm Anderson is currently building up another indoor layout that will be real neat when complete. Maybe a seed?
Maybe some other folks can add to this what they would like to see.
Cool. I was intrigued by reading about a garden railroad on one page, then turning to an article on why the FRA should finally agree to something critical to the RR union. Like, it’s all connected. Very interesting, even though my head is generally stuck in a late 1800’s groove.
Bob,
This is a MUST. The hobby has gotten really, really expensive. I got my first trains in the '80s, and by mowing yards, washing cars, etc. could earn enough in time to buy LGB’s basic 2-axle cars. Good luck with that now! Articles that show how to transform a set of trucks or couple wheelsets and some stock “timber” from a craft, hobby, or hardware store would go a long way, I think!
To your own suggestions I would add small indoor / lanai / balcony layouts. My trains went cold iron while I sailed about on the Grey Funnel Line. In part, that was because of other distractions, like getting qualified, hanging out with messmates, etc. In large part, though, it was because I assumed that you needed a large basement or yard to even consider being in the hobby!
All told, challenging, budget conscious, space saving projects would be a great way to keep folks involved while they are in college, doing their time in the military, starting families, beginning careers, and generally less geographically rooted and more economically constrained. Then, when, like me, they “go ashore” for the last time, they would be better set to finally build that dream empire.
I would close by noting getting the 20-30 crowd involved seems to be challenge across hobbies. I am involved in two others, SCUBA and reenacting, that face the same challenges as garden railroading…aging participants, waning general interest / awareness, rising costs, geographic / climatic issues. The garden / large scale railroading hobby is unique, in that it is possible to participate regardless of where you reside and has a potentially much lower financial bar to overcome to participate at a satisfying level.
Eric
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Good thoughts by everyone. I would hope that Firecrown is open to all of these ideas and more when they get started . Hopefully they get general hobby people to run it so it doesn’t get turned to a specific speciality ( live steam, or logging , etc) and that not just the super detailed layouts are featured. A wide mix of articles and honest reviews of new products , with more than just a supplied photograph.