5 inch gauge equipment suppliers and clubs
  • Maxitrak manufactures kit and ready to run battery and steam locomotives, rolling stock, track and accessories. Also has a selection of second hand locomotives
  • Maxitrak Owners Club is aimed at anyone with a 5 inch gauge railway and provides a regular magazine and meetings on club tracks. Its a great way to contact people who have probably solved whatever problem you are about to have with your railway!
  • Maidstone Engineering Supplies is owned by Maxitrak and has a huge range of materials, castings and other supplies
  • Ride on Railways manufactures a battery locomotive kit, rolling stock, track and accessories. This is a very informative website with lots of background information on related areas such as track laying and descriptions of various 5 inch gauge railways
  • Compass House manufactures kit and ready to run battery locomotives and rolling stock. Also has a selection of second hand locomotives
  • Polly Model Engineering manufactures the attractive Polly steam locomotives kits
  • Cromar White Miniature Railways are suppliers of passenger carrying miniature railway and railroad equipment for parks and gardens. Their aluminium rail is keenly priced
  • Blackgates Engineering for all those essential accessories such as steam blowers, boiler pipe cleaners, rail and even miniature coal. Their catalogue is well worth getting
  • 4QD Speed Controllers manufactures speed controllers for battery operated electric motors. Another very informative website with all the information you are ever likely to need if you want to design your own battery locomotive
  • The Engineers Emporium has a large selection of second hand locomotives and workshop equipment

5 inch gauge garden railways
  • Salfords Light Railway is a 5 inch narrow gauge railway belonging to John Oxlade. The site also has construction tips for the Ride on Railways Trojan
  • Lyngford Light Railway is a 5 inch narrow gauge railway owned by Terry Bowden. Home to another Ride on Railways Trojan . Home to a new style Maxitrak Ruston
  • Compton Ridge Miniature Railway is a 5 inch narrow gauge railway based on prototypical Manx steam railways
  • West Wickham Railway is a 5 inch narrow gauge railway owned by Mike Keyte. Contains construction tips on a Maxitrak Ruby and other useful advice

Other related web sites
  • Machine Mart has a large selection of tools, workshop equipment and trolleys
  • Maplin Electronics for all the electronic components you are ever likely to need
  • Valve Gear Simulation is a great freeware downloadble program to simulate most types of valve gear. Very useful when you are trying to figure out how your locomotive valve timing should work
  • TurboCAD is a very easy to use drawing program. The latest version can be downloaded from the web site. It is also available in the UK as a boxed version with a very comprehensive printed manual at around the same price (or less) from Amazon.co.uk.
  • RailroadData.Com is a very comprehensive list of railway links to the real thing as well to manufacturers, clubs and examples of miniature railways
  • Lister Autotruck web site with lots of information on both the road and rail versions

Discussion groups
  • The 5 Inch Gauge The aim of this group is to discuss and promote the activities of 5 inch gauge railways of any scale in UK and Europe
  • Passenger Carrying Garden Railways A group for all interested in passenger carrying garden railways. Only railways capable of pulling adult and children passengers can be here and must be in a garden or estate