Peter Jones built his first crude 16mm scale garden railway in 1949, the first manifestation of what was to become his famous Compton Down Railway. He wrote extensively about his hobby, including the world's longest running garden railway column in Garden Railways magazine, and was highly sought-after as a speaker and competition judge. He was also a conservation technician for museums and helped with the rescue of engineering items. He wrote two previous books for Crowood, Practical Garden Railways and Building Small Steam Locomotives. He sadly died before finishing this book, which has been completed by his daughter Kes Jones with the help of many of Peter's friends.
