Smoke billows from a smokestack. Train tracks vibrate. A beam of light comes into view as a train, cars and all, rounds the corner. As it’s coming straight towards you, a bellowing shriek expels from the whistle, and the brass bell clangs. But then, it takes a sharp turn and disappears around a baby barrel cactus which looms over the passing cars like a towering saguaro. The train is as long as your arm and you could probably pick the steam engine up right off the tracks. This train and other miniature wonders are the newest exhibits at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. While observing the trains, I met John, the “lead train conductor” and Bob, a volunteer at the Gardens. With
their help, I was able to go behind the scenes and learn how the trains are controlled, as well as other exclusive information about the Lilliputian oasis just inside the Gardens fence.
Part of the exhibit is visible from the parking lot, and you can see the trains running from there. Inside the Botanical Gardens, the trains are located just off the gift shop, accessible by a dirt road. The official website for the Botanical Gardens boasts: “With an eight-foot waterfall cascading into a meandering stream, six G scale model trains wind their way through an Arizona, high elevation inspired landscape.” The tracks wind their way under the shade of native trees, through tunnels carved from rocks, and vines adorn some of the rails. The trains are Garden or G scale, as known in the model railroading community. Yes, that is a thing. There are even whole websites devoted to G scale. One train is about $1,000: about the same price as a gaming laptop.
Walking around the exhibit, I met an employee named John, whose name tag proclaimed him the “lead train conductor.” He told me about the Gardens’s newest permanent exhibit. Working in an area full of trains, liking them is probably part of the job. And John does. As a kid, he got a train set and kept it into his adult years, building with his kids. And at 77 years old, John still has his train set, even though his kids are long grown, now in their 40s. The trains at the Botanical Gardens just opened in May and took three months to build. “It’s not just setting up the trains, it’s adding plants, too,” John added. Along different parts of the track, you can spot different landmarks in
miniature, such as the San Xavier Del Bac Mission. These mini buildings were custom-built by a company that does similar things with other gardens and museums. The company is called Applied Imagination.
But how are these trains powered? Wires run from the train tracks. The wires lead to a large, boxy machine. It’s fairly simple: there are two switches. One says ON/OFF and the other says FORWARD/REVERSE. There’s also a knob which controls the speed from 0 to 100. There are six of these machines, one for each train. They all hum,
transmitting electricity to the tracks, which make the trains move. It was amazing, to go behind the scenes and to the source of all of the wonder and electricity.
The Great Garden Express is an excellent and enchanting exhibit that draws you in. Become lost amongst the shade trees, in a world of steam locomotives and miniature landmarks. And there’s no rush for the exhibit: the tinny whistle of a train toting boxcars will always sound off the beaten path. For information about visiting Tucson Botanical Gardens including hours, admission fees and other exhibits, go to www.tucsonbotanical.org.
PHOTO: https://tucsonbotanical.org/
