I've been working with HO scale for most of my model railroading life, mainly because there's just so much available for it and it's a reasonable trade off between detail and space required.

But once in a while, I wish I had the space to move to a larger scale. The detail of the equipment can be much better and there's nothing more impressive than a really massive layout.

I visited the Model Trains Museum in Vancouver, BC again today and as usual, their O gauge diorama has me thinking about something larger.

(I shot some video of their layout in action today, so I'll try to get it posted on the website in the next day or two.)

Maybe I need to think about creating a garden railroad. I've got much more space outside than I do inside, but I don't know if an outdoor railway would be ideal, given the rainy weather Vancouver is (in)famous for.

Take a look at the picture in this article from the Gresham Outlook newspaper.

Wouldn't you like to be able to stand in the middle of a massive layout like that in your own backyard?

How about you - what gauge do you prefer, and why do you prefer it? Is it a matter of space, availability or something else?