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Groundbreaking in 2025 for New Garden Railway Train Shed
The Garden Railway will have a new look in spring 2025—the nearby train shed “tent” will be replaced with a structure featuring a playful design inspired by the landmark Chestnut Hill West Station newsstand on Germantown Avenue, complete with crooked fascia.
The new train shed will provide more space, storage, and better shelter to trainmasters Bruce Morrell and his grandson, Josh Faia, and the staff and volunteers who help keep the trains running. Executive Director Bill Cullina says it will enhance the guest experience, increase accessibility, and celebrate the past while embracing the future.
“It’s a really cool project because it solves a functional need of replacing the old canvas tent that’s there now,” said Cullina. “It’s also a celebration of the history of trains and Chestnut Hill, and how trains were so formative to the development of Chestnut Hill and the community.”
Cullina said while it’s not a scale replica of the newsstand, it will have the same Victorian details—the green, tan, and red paint scheme, and the iconic and charming crooked roofline. There will be an enclosed space outfitted with benchtops, lighting, and shelving to store the extra trains and equipment. An L-shaped 8-foot-deep porch with seating will provide visitors with shelter from the weather and a great spot to watch the goings-on in the garden.
The new structure comes by way of a $300,000 commitment by longtime Morris members Radclyffe “Mike” Thompson and his wife, Maria Thompson, who has been newly elected to the Advisory Board. Their gift will also establish an endowment to ensure ongoing upkeep and maintenance for the new structure.