Garden Railway
Garden Railway: Public Gardens
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.
Garden Railway Special Events
Harvest Trains
September 2 – October 9
From refrigerated boxcars that carry bounties of fruit and other perishables, to grain cars that transport corn and wheat, come see the model harvest trains in our Garden Railway.
Magic Railway Weekends
September 16 & 17
Everyone's beloved cartoon train can always be found chugging along in his own section of our Garden Railway, but a few weekends a year he and his friends run free on all the tracks. Join us this weekend to experience the magic!
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
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Credit: Judy Miller -
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Credit: Judy Miller -
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Credit: Rob Cardillo -
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Credit: Paul Meyer -
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Credit: Dave Tavani
