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Coming Sept 10, 2023
The Columbus Garden Railway Society
2023 Fall Garden Tour
is going to happen, come:
Rain (bring an umbrella), Shine (bring a visor),
Coronavirus (bring a mask & space 6 ft apart)
Scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023
Hours: 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Scroll down the page to view our 2022 Railroads
2023 Tour will not be final “final” until the first week of September
Your 2022 tour document - will open in a new window!
1 The Puckerville RR – Owner: Paul & Camille Petersen **back for 2023!**
Puckerville is a 1960s small town community. The layout has two levels. Upper level has 80′ of track with bridges, tunnel, ponds, and a stream. Lower level is a coal mining line. There are many scratch-built buildings and 75 handmade people. Many herbs, ground covers, and dwarf plantings are used in the layout.
2 The C,S,T & J Railroad – Owner: Craig & Audrey Bigrigg
(V 1.0 started 27 years ago, V 2.0 in 2005)
The C,S,T & J is a large railroad with four tracks. Two mainline loops featuring modern freight trains with an occasional Streamliner traversing the sweeping curves, trestles and tunnels. Two smaller loops showcase steam engines ,with Thomas the Tank making the rounds.
Shaded viewing areas, a gazebo, and two porches to enjoy while watching the action. 1,100+ feet of track, 10 feet of elevation changes to see everything. Partial wheel chair accessible. Lots of off street parking.
3 The Back in Time Railroad – Owner: Pat Waddell
The Back in Time Railroad consists of two trains running in two gardens. The first garden, where gnomes and fairies live and a second garden with scenes meant to transport you back to simpler time.
4 The Sweet Hollow RR – Owner: Don & Deb Sweet **back for 2023!**
The layout has 300 feet of track, running three loops with battery power. It has many dwarf conifers and miniature perennials surrounding farm buildings, a campground and a replica Gettysburg train station.
5 The Hacker Express RR – Owner: Jed & Michelle Hacker **back for 2023!**
The Hacker Express Garden Railroad is a European themed RR making it’s sixth appearance on the tour. Many miniature plants accent this garden along with a picturesque new viaduct. Since it’s Fall that means Oktoberfest! Come hear the polka band and enjoy the trains either moving beer from the brewery to Oktoberfest on the mainline, or passengers taking a ride on the scenic cog railroad up Der Korkenzieherberg. Parking in the curb lane either side of Schrock Rd is permitted.
6 The Acorn & Oak Railroad – Owner: Stew and Marcia Flaherty **back for 2023!**
The Railroad travels varied areas – a small town, a logging camp, a fishing camp, and a manufacturing plant/freight plant. Steam engines from the past combine with diesels of the present. The railroad circles a huge oak tree – hence the railroads name.
7 The Forest Park Garden RR **New in 2020** – Owner: Tim & Lisa Dove
Started in 2018, our garden railroad was named for the neighborhood where we have lived since 1984. Tim has been a model railroader in N, HO and O scales since a young boy. Lisa is a master gardener through the OSU Extension and responsible for the garden designs. We both enjoy our hobbies and decided to merge the two. The back yard now includes; the original dog bone loop of last year of 200 plus feet, a new crossover loop of 230 feet through the side yard and a fence line point to point of 90 feet. Come and see our work on the gardens, the waterfall/ koi pond and train routes.
8 The Ohio River & Western Railway – Owner: Bill & Karen Logan
Come celebrate this 30 year young Garden Railway. The Logan Garden Railway represents the original narrow gauge Ohio River and Western Railway as it meandered through the forested hills of Southeastern Ohio from 1879 through 1931. This 250 foot railway is centered around a rock lined pond. Details abound with structures, horse drawn wagons, early antique autos, , bridges and a curved tunnel. A two story railroad storage building, walkway, and patio border the dense miniature garden.
9 The Crawford Valley RR – Owner: Alvin & Beverly Mann **back for 2023!**
Since 2005 the Crawford Valley Railroad has served the towns of Crawford and Lily Pad Junction. The train winds its way past the Elk River’s upper and lower falls as it feeds into Lily Pad Lake. The river feeds the Millstream to run the waterwheel at James Frame Mill. The Elk River sawmill is supplied with timber from the surrounding mountains and delivered by the Shay engines designed for the job. The town of Lily Pad Junction boasts diverse industry from farming to wood working and textiles of all sorts. The 1880’s community knows how to work hard and enjoy their leisure as well. Don’t forget to stop by town gazebo and listen to the local jug band. In the town of Crawford, time has moved on to the 1920’s. Motorized vehicles are every where and the newest fascination is the moving pictures house. As you look across the way you will see the community where Thomas and Percy live. The people and children here depend on them to make deliveries and get them from home to work, the park and the country. Come join us for a relaxing afternoon when life was lived at a slower pace and the sound of the steam engine’s whistle sent a thrill through your spirit.
10 The Mad Apple Express **Rebuilt (again) for 2022** – Owner: David & Sherry Bush **back for 2023!**
The Mad Apple Garden Railway is on the tour for it’s 3rd year and once again for the 3rd straight year has been completely renovated. The former layout was completely demolished as a 10 x 14 pond was added along with a double spill waterfall. The new layout includes a western town, a Native American village and 2 trains which pass over different levels of the waterfall. Come sit by the pond, relax and enjoy some trains.
11 Easterday RR **BACK for 2022** – Owner: Cecil Easterday
The Shelby and Sparta railroad was open to the public for the first time in 1998. Shelby, Ohio was my late husband’s home town and Sparta, Kentucky is my home town. Trains travel over 800 feet of track that goes through cities, suburbs and country. One of the buildings is a replica of the house that my Grandfather built and the one I grew up in. Other replicas include the Point Betsie Lighthouse on Lake Michigan where my family vacationed. Garden Railroading combines two things I love – trains and gardening.
12 The Xenia, Russellville and Cherry Fork RR – Owner: Jim & Lorinda Shell **back for 2023!**
The Xenia, Russellville and Cherry Fork RR heads southeast out of Xenia, Greene Co., to Russellville, Brown Co., then east to Cherry Fork, Adams Co. Passengers enjoy seeing trestles, bridges, stream, and water falls of southern Ohio.
13 The Marhefka Express – Owner: Ron & Deb Marhefka **back for 2023!**
This layout was originally around a Christmas tree and moved outside in 2018. The track is a simple 14 X 20 ft loop with a sideline by the train station. The buildings represent a small farming community, with a variety of miniature trees, flowers and ground coverings.
14 The B & K Railroad – Owner: Beth & Kent Kloes **back for 2023!**
The Grove City edition of the B & K Railroad was started in 2018 with a single loop in front of the house. It expanded in 2020 to the south side and back of the house, and has acquired a theme of West Virginia logging communities – Hosterman, Durbin, and Cass. The B&K features a Climax engine (the engine used in Hosterman, according to a descendant of that family,) on the front loop, which represents that village. The railroad then winds down the south side of the house through the village of Durbin, and on to Cass in back of the house, which features a Shay engine, the primary geared locomotive used there.
Hosterman continues to grow and now has a point to point track from the train station to the sawmill / general store area.
The village of Cass is in the early stages of development. Cass now includes a station and a “company house”, a sawmill, and a sand station before the big climb to the logging camp on the north end of that section (still in the imagination stage). A point to point line will connect the train station area to the logging area.
15 The Kiousville, Palestine & Warnersville RR – Owner: Briane & Connie Spangler **back for 2023!**
Our railroad is named The KPW Line, the Kiousville-Palestine-Warnersville Railroad which we started in 2006. It is about 1,000 feet, with three main lines that encircle two ponds and a sunken patio and a third loop around a lighthouse that sits over a underground lake (septic tank). There’s also a trolley that runs down the middle of the street where the town will be constructed once the depression is over. We have an inside trains storage yard. We run steam and diesel engines and a railbus. We also have a rock garden and four flower gardens that the trains run through. We use track power for the locomotives – all of which are radio-controlled. PLUS we have a live steam engine.
16 The Mill Valley Northern RR – Owner: Perry & Kim Ratliff **back for 2023!**
Started in the Spring of 2013, this railroad is constantly changing. Although this was a “maintenance year”, typically we add approximately 100 feet of track per year on average and the railroad has grown to around 500 feet. The Main line is all elevated, features many bridges and a trestle, and runs all the way around our house and through the garage! We hope to see you in Marysville!
17 The Inniswood Metro Gardens RR – INNISWOOD METRO GARDENS **back for 2023!**
The Inniswood Metro Garden layout was built in 1998 and was restored in 2021, and features many miniature hostas. Trains run every Saturday and Sunday 11 AM – 4 PM, May thru October by metro park volunteers.
18 Easton Express RR – Owner: Easton Center (in front of Brio Italian Grille)
Easton Town Center, 3951 Easton Square Place East, Columbus, Ohio 43219
Easton Express is a 1100 square foot railroad built in 2005. Trains run 12 hours a day seven days a week.