The Four Questions with Marc Horovitz of Garden Railways
Marc Horovitz founded Garden Railways in 1984 and stayed on as Editor 11 years ago, after having sold the bimonthly to Waukesha, Wisconsin-based Kalmbach Publishing Co. Garden Railways' circulation has risen from just 350 initially to about 36,000 worldwide today. "Our primary target audience is those people who are interested in creating model railways in their backyards," says Denver-based Horovitz.
Although Garden Railways is primarily focused on model trains, he notes, "Each issue includes a large gardening component. We are the only model-train publication with a horticultural editor!"
Sometimes Kalmbach's Model Railroader and Classic Toy Trains and their websites run Garden Railways articles, he adds.
Here, Horovitz talks about brand-name trains, railway gardening, botanical gardens, and bad weather. Q. Is inclement weather the biggest concern for these outdoor model railroaders? What's the best way to shelter their trains and layouts?
A. Generally, the trains come indoors in bad weather. The structures can come in too, or stay outside, depending on requirements. Or they could be covered with boxes or other coverings. The rest of the equipment, like tracks, can withstand the elements.
Q. Baby boomers and retirees fondly recall Lionel and American Flyer electric train sets. For your readers, are there other noteworthy brand names?
A. That's how I started out too. Lionel is not a contender in our field. The biggest names are LGB, a German company, and in the U.S., USA Trains, Aristro-Craft, Accucraft and MTH Trains. Most of their trains are made in China these days, like a lot of other things. There are also dozens of smaller manufacturers.
Q. What's the biggest gardening or landscaping pointer that garden rail hobbyists should bear in mind?
A. We use plants to create plausible miniature worlds. Railway gardening has become almost a sub-hobby. But it all depends on where you live. Every region has its own plant materials that do well there but not necessarily elsewhere.
Q. There seem to be many related tourist attractions around the U.S. and the world—from the German pavilion at Disney World's EPCOT and the Chicago Botanical Garden to the Louisville Zoo and the Camden (NJ) Children's Garden. In your years with the magazine, has the number of these attractions grown much?
A. Vastly. It's amazing how it's caught on. Around the world, such miniature gardens date back into the 1920s -- with Bekenscot in Buckinghamshire, England, probably the oldest. And there are Swissminiatur in Switzerland and others in Holland and Australia. In this country, large botanical gardens are picking up on this idea as a way to boost revenues.
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