Celebrate the 20+ year tradition of our whimsical, wonderful Garden Railway.
On view through our Autumn’s Colors and A Longwood Christmas seasons, a perfectly fanciful blend of horticulture, engineering, and lighthearted fun awaits guests of all ages with this very special display located outdoors near the Terrace Restaurant.
Each fall, members of our Horticulture, Facilities, and Guest Services departments team up to achieve the not-so-small feat of creating this multi-level world in miniature—complete with a beautiful seasonally changing plant palette. We proudly showcase our collection of dozens of locomotives, steam engines, diesel engines, and specialty engines—as well as the ever-popular Thomas the Tank Engine and many of his friends—as they rumble along nearly 500 feet of track amid textural foliage, flowering plants, and woody plants. Read our blog post to learn more.
Our carpenters and electricians run the necessary wiring and elevate all four tracks, supporting them with trusses and wood planks staked into the ground.
Planting the Railway
Our Horticulture team adorns the display with a seasonal variety of foliage, flowering plants, and woody plants.
Our Railway Engineers
Our six railway engineers place the track, complete with tresses and bridges crafted in-house. They make needed repairs and clean and lubricate all of the locomotives and cars to get them ready for the season.
The Railway Landscape
The nearly 500 feet of track courses through a seasonal plant palette that includes Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst' (purple beautyberry), Chrysanthemum, and Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Britzensis’ (coral-bark willow).
The Blue Comet
Our collection of 31 locomotives includes the beautiful Blue Comet.
Kansas City Southern
Our Kansas City Southern explores the Garden Railway amid Nipponanthemum nipponicum (Nippon daisy) and Calamagrostis brachytricha (feather reed grass).
