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The first three cars of a model train.

Garden Railway: Chugging Along Since 1998

The Garden Railway is celebrating 25 years at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens 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. 

A miniature railroad track set in a public garden.
The extension of the Garden Railway in progress. Courtesy of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens.
Two men work on a miniature railroad track in a public garden.
Josh Faia and Bruce Morrell work on installing the new Garden Railway track. (Image: Eric Sucar)

Learn more about the Garden Railway extension in the press:

 

A large fabricated flamingo set against a blue sky with green trees.
Courtesy of Applied Imagination

Garden Railway:
Public Gardens 

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.

 

Garden Railway: Throughout the Years

In 1998, Paul Busse, landscape architect and founder of Applied Imagination, came to the Morris to create our beloved Garden Railway. Each year, the team at Applied Imagination along with our horticulturists and train masters work together to design an ever-changing theme and update the Garden Railway. Shown below are photos of the Garden Railway from throughout the years.

  • A young man and an older man wearing hats and thick suspenders stand outdoors within a model train display.
    Train Masters Bruce Morrell and Josh Faia, 2023. Credit: Eric Sucar.
  • A an older and two young boys look at an outdoor model train display.
     Bruce Morrell, back when he was a Garden Railway volunteer, with his grandchildren Josh and Caleb Faia, 2006.
  • A replica of the Morris Fernery, used in the Garden Railway: Storytime display, 2011.
    A miniature replica of the Morris Fernery in Garden Railway: Storytime, 2011.
  • Miniature painted ladies in a model train display.
    Garden Railway: Painted Ladies, 2011.
  • A man wearing suspenders hold a miniature train in an outdoor model train display.
    Paul Busse, founder of Applied Imagination and landscape architect, 2005. 
  • A miniature replica of Humpty Dumpty in a model train display.
    Humpty Dumpty in Garden Railway: Storytime, 2012.
  • A woman and a young girl smile at a miniature train display in a public garden.
    Garden Railway: Art & Architecture, 2015.
  • A miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower in a miniature train display in a public garden.
    Garden Railway: Architectural Wonders, 2008. 
  • A small, fabricated grandfather clock with a human-like face surrounded by flowers and foliage.
    Garden Railway: Time in the Garden, 2018.
  • A miniature fabricated lighthouse set in a model train display surrounded by plants.
    Garden Railway: Lighthouses, 2009.
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