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Garden Railway

The first three cars of a model train.

Garden Railway: Public Gardens

A miniature treehouse made out of natural materials.
Courtesy of Applied Imagination.
Open now through October 9!

In honor of our 90th anniversary, we're celebrating the joy and importance of public gardens at the Garden Railway! See miniature replicas of iconic structures at some of America's most famous public gardens including the Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden, Torii Gate and Pavilion at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Science Pyramid at Denver Botanic Gardens, and so much more.

Celebrating 25 Years of the Garden Railway

The Garden Railway is celebrating 25 years with a new addition—300 feet of track! This is the largest expansion of the Garden Railway since it was installed in 1998. The new looping section of track extends the total model rail trackage to a third of a mile, making it one of the largest outdoor model train displays in the country. 

 

About the Garden Railway

Visitors of all ages will be wowed by a third of a mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under!), and bustling model trains, all set in the lovely garden of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers. Each building, while an exact replica of the original, is unique in its design. Philadelphia-area landmarks such as a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall are made using pine cone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials and twigs as downspouts.

The Garden Railway is supported, in part, through the generosity of Gwen and Ed Asplundh and by a gift given in memory of Joe Shuttleworth.

“Gwen and I are very pleased to support the wonderful Garden Railway. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved trains large and small. For years, I had a large train layout in my basement. There is something very special about an outdoor railway, especially the very unusual and beautifully done railway at the Morris. I enjoy watching the trains myself, but most of all, I enjoy watching the looks of delight on the faces of the other ‘kids’ young and old.” 

–Ed Asplundh

  • A family watched a model train on an outdoor track surrounded by plants and miniature buildings.
  • A model trolley train rides through a miniature covered bridge.
    Credit: Judy Miller
  • A family watches miniature model trains on an outdoor track.
  • A miniature train runs through a miniature covered bridge.
    Credit: Judy Miller
  • Two children watch a model train ride through a miniature track.
  • A miniature circus train rides on an outdoor track.
    Credit: Rob Cardillo
  • A young boy sits on top of a man's shoulders and watched a model train ride through an miniature elevated bridge.
    Credit: Paul Meyer
  • A black miniature trains rides through a bridge made out of twigs.
    Credit: Dave Tavani
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