Garden railroading: the golden spike that can bring people to your park

Parks & Recreation, April, 2003 by Susan McCoy

Busse's exhibit at the Chicago Botanical Gardens is the first one to charge a specific admission to see the garden railroad. "It's about 6,000 to 8,000 square feet," he says. "You walk under two trestled bridges, through two tunnels and view a total of 12 trains. We began in 1998 with 25 buildings, which have increased to over 60 today."

Busse constructs everything from scratch, using native materials for all buildings and structures. Twigs, bark, leaves, pine cones, various pods and lichen wind up looking exactly like stone, cedar shake or window panes, as Busse turns nature's scraps into authentic replicas of local historical or noteworthy buildings.

In New York, Busse built a rendering of the Guggenheim Museum. In Chicago, he replicated the skyline, including the Sears Tower. At the Morris Arboretum outside Philadelphia, he constructed many Independence-era colonial buildings, including the Betsy Ross House and Congress Hall. Busse is in the proposal stages for a garden train for the Hamilton County Parks System, which surrounds the Cincinnati area.

Uppermost on his mind, especially in light of the Campbell County incident, will be security. "The buildings will be at risk for theft unless secured," Busse realizes. "The more attractive and detailed, the more secure it should be. Intimacy between exhibit and visitor is an important component of design, though," he adds, emphasizing that security should not be overdone.

This year, perhaps, the clackety-clack of the rails and that lonesome train whistle may be just the ticket to get your public parks back on track.

THE LITTLE ENGINES THAT CAN

Since the end of the 1960s, the American model train market has been served by a number of world-wide and world-renowned manufacturers. A select listing includes:

Aristo-Craft Trains, Irvington, N.J. 973-351-9800 or www.aristocraft.com

Bachmann Trains US, Philadelphia, Pa. 215-533-1600 or www.bachmann trains.com

Hartland Locomotive Works (HLW), Laporte, Ind. 219-362-8411 or www.h-l-w.com

LGB America, San Diego, Calif. 858-535-9387 or www.lgb.com

Marklin, Inc., New Berlin, Wis. 262-784-8854 or www.marklin.com

MTH Electric Trains, Columbia Md. 410-381-2580 or www.mth-railking.com

READING FOR THE TRAIN

Garden Railways magazine began publication in 1984. It now has a circulation of around 35,000 worldwide. While covering the entire field of garden railroading, the publication stresses the importance of integrating the railway with a garden to achieve a railway-like atmosphere. It's the only model-train magazine that has regular gardening articles and its own garden editor. For more information, see www.garden railways.com.

For information about the Garden Train Association, see www.gardentrains.com.

BUILD IT YOURSELF?

Marc Horovitz, editor of Garden Railways magazine, offers a video that takes you through the process of constructing a garden railroad. Some key points to consider:

* Clear the site and create an accurate site drawing. Include dimensions slope and other physical features.