Now entering its 27th year, Morris Arboretum’s Garden Railway will unveil a new Chestnut Hill-inspired train station and pollinator-focused exhibition for the upcoming season. 

Opening in 1998 and expanding ever since, the model train track stretches over one-third of a mile, running through tunnels, across bridges, at attendees' feet, and above their heads. According to arboretum staff, the rail line is one of the largest outdoor model train displays in the country, and the largest east of the Mississippi River. 

Vince Marrocco, director of horticulture for Morris, told the Local, “One of the cool things about our garden railway is that a lot of garden railways are usually flat because the trains want to run on a level grade. Our garden railways are in an area that slopes. So, when you come in, the trains are at your feet, but as you walk downhill, you get this changing topography.”

He added, “We have tunnels that the trains disappear into. We have the loop overhead, so you can actually walk under the trains, and it gives you a lot of different perspectives.”

Marrocco said the railway “contributes dramatically” to the average 170,000 visitors the arboretum receives each year.

Displays of artwork and plants surround the tracks, some permanent and others temporary. One constant is the sculptures of famous landmarks, including a new model of City Hall. 

Mellany Armstrong, the arboretum’s communications coordinator, told the Local, “We have Independence Hall, we have City Hall, the art museum, and if you look closely at those structures, you'll see it’s adorned with walnuts and acorns and natural materials.” 

Opening for the season May 23, the railway features two new elements. The train station is permanent, the pollinators exhibit is temporary.

A familiar sight

The train station, whose construction began in January, is modeled to look like the Chestnut Hill West station’s newsstand on Germantown Avenue. Receiving $300,000 from donors, the project's intent is to match the aesthetic and design of the real newsstand, though not to scale. 

Marrocco said, “We always wanted to build some kind of (station) for our train [operators] to not have to sit in the rain. We had a little tent that worked, but then our director had the great idea of trying to pay homage to the trolley stop at the top of Chestnut Hill.” 

He added, “The timing of the construction was really critical, because we run the garden railway in the summer, from Memorial Day to the end of September. Then we take a break for about a month and a half, and we redecorate everything for the holidays … The only time to build it would be between January and May, so that's when we had to do it.” 

Operating the trains is a full-time effort, with conductors Bruce Morrell and his grandson Josh Faia taking on most of the responsibilities. 

Faia told the Local that, along with his grandfather, he works on “upkeeping the track and all the trestles underneath them. Contractors do a lot of the heavy work, with the bridges and structures. We think about expanding and reworking some of the tracks and making them better and more efficient, and get more out of the display.” 

He said, “We do a lot of maintenance on the trains themselves, replacing motors, gears, wheels, as things wear out.”

The station gives Faia and Morrell a place to store equipment and provides shade and shelter from the elements for patrons and staff. 

The birds, the bees, and more

Running from May 30 to Sept. 30, the arboretum’s “Bees, Butterflies & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise,” will feature sculptures of “World Pollinators” placed throughout the Garden Railway. 

Armstrong said, “Our exhibition features pollinators from around the world, including unusual ones, like mosquitoes and a lemur … They're structures that are made of twigs and branches and acorns and bark.” 

The exhibit focuses on specialist pollinators, meaning insects or animals that pollinate an individual — or small group of — plants. 

One of the statues features a pollinator native to North America, the yucca moth. 

Marrocco explained, “The yucca is a native North American plant, and we have some growing here in the garden, and there is only one moth that pollinates the yucca flower.” 

While the trees and landmark sculptures are permanent features, the artwork and plants are always changing. 

Marrocco added, “We call it a kind of theater with plants, because all the plants are just temporary … We plant small plants and they get too big, we replace them. We’re trying to keep everything in scale, and so the main reason we chose the plants here is just because they look appropriate in scale with the buildings.” 

Because Morris’ exhibit runs through September, its education department will host several events during the summer. These will teach visitors about pollinators and native plants. 

Opening plans

The arboretum plans to hold a ribbon cutting for its station and exhibit on May 21, with their donors, board members, and the media in attendance, ahead of the official opening on May 23. 

Along with the railway exhibit, the “Bees, Butterflies & Blooms,” exhibition will feature a rose garden celebration weekend June 14-15, along with several other events, which can be found at morrisarboretum.org. 

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@chestnuthilllocal.com.