::trixxie17

gallery

The Chicago Botanic Garden has a railroad in the garden exhibit every summer. It features various well known American landmarks and scenes. All structures are intricately handcrafted with natural materials, including twigs, bark, leaves, acorns, and pebbles. More than 5,000 tiny trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and flowering plants of close to 300 varieties re-create the topographical landscape of America. Vignettes of tiny people and animals give the exhibit a storybook feel. The garden-scale trains are 1/29th the size of life-size trains. There are 18 model G-scale (garden-scale) trains running on 17 tracks (one track runs two trains) • The longest track usually runs the Santa Fe Super Chief • The shortest track runs the ladybug and caterpillar cars • There are close to 50 miniature American landmarks • There are 26 bridges throughout the Railroad Garden • 5,000 plants (including annuals) in more than 300 different varieties are in this garden • The trains travel more than 22,000 miles each season. I will post a few shots from this garden starting with this one which is just a few people awaiting a passenger train at the Farmington Station. (Information from the Botanic Garden website and literature.)