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Coming Sept 8, 2024
The Columbus Garden Railway Society
2024 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. 8, 2024
Hours: 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Scroll down the page to review our 2023 Railroad Tour
2024 Tour will not be final “final” until the first week of September
Your 2023 tour document - will open in a new window!
1 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 multi-track railroad with two mainlines featuring modern diesel-powered freight and passenger trains. There are also two short lines with a wider mix of steam and diesel equipment. With the addition of the second short line and a trolley line this year there is now over 1500 feet of track.
Whether your interests include the Santa Fe Super Chief, modern intermodal trains or Thomas the Tank chugging along we think you find something you like.
Many shaded viewing areas, a Gazebo with comfortable seating, or an enclosed porch with a bird’s eye view of the entire layout. Partial wheelchair accessible. 10 feet of elevation change required to see everything.
2 The Puckerville RR – Owner: Paul & Camille Petersen
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.
3 The Sweet Hollow RR – Owner: Don & Deb Sweet
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.
4 The Hacker Express RR – Owner: Jed & Michelle Hacker
This duel European themed layout depicts typical scenery of Switzerland’s Rhätische Bahn in the canton of Graubünden and passengers riding the scenic rack-railroad up the fictitious Der Korkenzieherberg. On the other side of the alps is Germany’s Bavaria. Since Fall is almost here that means Oktoberfest! Many miniature trees, plants and succulents accent this garden along with a new 100-year-old tunnel. Parking along the curb either side of Schrock Rd is permitted.
5 The Acorn & Oak Railroad – Owner: Stew and Marcia Flaherty
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.
6 The Grand Rapids and Reeds Lake Railroad – Owner: Bob & Jo Collins returning for 2023
The Grand Rapids and Reeds lake railroad has 3 loops and one elevated loop on a raised bed. This is an outdoor layout rather than a garden railroad. The structures on the layout consist of first, an imagined area around Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids, Mich. at the turn of the 19th century and whimsical buildings and groupings. There is an operating catenary loop reminiscent of the trolley line that went from Grand Rapids to the eastern suburb at the same time.
7 Cancelled – unavailable for 2023 tour
8 The Crawford Valley RR – Owner: Alvin & Beverly Mann
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.
9 The Mad Apple Express – Owner: David & Sherry Bush
The Mad Apple Garden Railway is on the tour for its 4th year and for the first year has not been rebuilt from scratch! The former layout was completely demolished in 2022 as a 10 x 14 pond was added along with a double spill waterfall. The 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.
10 The Xenia, Russellville and Cherry Fork RR – Owner: Jim & Lorinda Shell
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.
11 The Marhefka Express – Owner: Ron & Deb Marhefka
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.
12 The B & K Railroad – Owner: Beth & Kent Kloes
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.
13 The Kiousville, Palestine & Warnersville RR – Owner: Briane & Connie Spangler
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.
14 The Mill Valley Northern RR – Owner: Perry & Kim Ratliff
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!
15 The Inniswood Metro Gardens RR – INNISWOOD METRO GARDENS
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.
16 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.