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A backyard railroad is a privately owned, outdoor railroad, most often in miniature, but large enough for one or several persons to ride on. The rail gauge can be anything from 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm) to 7+1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) or more. Smaller backyard or outdoor railroads that cannot be ridden are called garden railroads. Some backyard railroads use full-size rolling stock, such as the former 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Grizzly Flats Railroad owned by railfan and Disney animator Ward Kimball.
Hundreds, even thousands of backyard railroads exist, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Walt Disney's 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge ridable miniature Carolwood Pacific Railroad, located at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills, was a notable example. It inspired Disney to surround his planned Disneyland amusement park with the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Disneyland Railroad.