Althardt's Garden Railroad

This is a 2 -day event, on a Sunday and Monday. Contact the Althardt's for their location for this event.

BACKYARD IS NOT HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE FOR WHEEL CHAIRS, WALKERS, ETC. THE WALKING PATHS ARE UNEVEN AND IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO WALK AND MANEUVER.

2. CHILDREN MUST BE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES!!!

We welcome you to our home and Garden Railroad. As you enter the "G & R Railroad", you will be greeted by "Smokey" our carved black bear from Colorado. Just to Smokey's right, you encounter our whimsical Disney and Circus village, outfitted with many of our friends and features from Disney World as well a Ferris wheel and Circus Tent. Mickey would be proud! As you continue through the layout you will see several different villages and period settings surrounded by ponds and waterfalls. The railroad was started in 1999 as a small loop around the choke cherry tree (Now the Crow's Nest). Back then we had the pleasure of meeting Bill Valkner and needless to say, our Garden Railroad expanded!

Unfortunately, Bill passed away in 2010, but thanks to his inspiration, creativity, expertise and deep friendship, our yard was transformed into a Garden Railroaders dream come true. The yard and water features (6 ponds, a geyser and a rock fountain) were constructed using approximately 180 tons of rock and moves over 40,000 gallons of water per hour. These water features provide an interesting backdrop to the settings throughout the yard. You'll also note that there are over 1000 annuals with a vast array of perennials that create this colorful garden. Our railroad operates with ten (10) miles of scale track, twelve (12) running G-Scale model trains. The Santa Fe Chief Passenger train (a special section of the Santa Fe Super Chief) circles the perimeter of the back yard, while a long freight train makes its way over bridges crossing the large waterfall moving towards a massive boulder fountain. As the train continues its trek, it moves through a tunnel directly behind the fairy garden. Some of the other areas include farm houses, barns, and even a saw mill, just to name a few.

Our most recent addition to the layout is the “Big Boy” loop with the Coal Tower and the “Hudson” pulling the "20th Century Ltd." There is the Cheyenne Round House, the Grand Canyon Railroad Station, a coal mine, and diamond mine (for Gayle). As you stroll through the layout, don't forget to look for all of the different animals we have tucked away. They include a moose, raccoons, and bears.

We hope you will enjoy our Garden Railroad as much as we do. Ron & Gayle

To see a video of our layout, go to YouTube: G & R Railroad 2018!