Tiny Trains

Lights twinkle in New York City as a train weaves through its streets. The train zooms right past the Statue of Liberty. But instead of being made of copper and steel, the statue is composed of palm leaves and dried flowers! That’s because this is a model train exhibit at the Holiday Train Show, held at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in New York City.

Every winter, the NYBG hosts displays of miniature landmarks made out of plant parts. Model trains pass by famous places like Yankee Stadium and the Brooklyn Bridge. The event is the largest holiday train show in the U.S.

Lights twinkle in New York City. A train weaves through its streets. It zooms right past the Statue of Liberty. But this statue isn’t made of copper and steel. It’s made of palm leaves and dried flowers! That’s because this is a model train exhibit at the Holiday Train Show. The show is held every winter at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in New York City.

The display is full of miniature landmarks made out of plant parts. Model trains pass by famous places like Yankee Stadium and the Brooklyn Bridge. The event is the largest holiday train show in the U.S.

This year, the show features more than 175 buildings and nearly half a mile of train tracks. Each tiny statue, building, and bridge is made by a company called Applied Imagination, which is based in Kentucky.

“You feel like a giant standing in this tiny, glowing city,” says Laura Busse Dolan, owner of Applied Imagination. “It’s magic.”

Artists create three to seven new buildings for the NYBG show every year. Each building can take hundreds of hours to make. Then the artists ship them to New York City. It takes three weeks for workers to set up the entire display.

This year, the NYBG Holiday Train Show features more than 25 model trains zooming around on several tracks. The display covers an area of 13,000 square feet. More than 200,000 people visit the event each year.

Visitors of all ages love it. “The kids are bouncing all over the place,” says Cindy Johnson, the lead artist at Applied Imagination. “They run wild with the trains.”   

This year, the show features more than 175 buildings. It has nearly half a mile of train tracks. Each tiny statue, building, and bridge is made by a company called Applied Imagination. It’s based in Kentucky.

“You feel like a giant standing in this tiny, glowing city,” says Laura Busse Dolan. She’s the owner of Applied Imagination. “It’s magic.”

Artists create three to seven new buildings for the NYBG show every year. Each building can take hundreds of hours to make. Then the artists ship them to New York City. It takes three weeks for workers to set up the entire display.

This year, the NYBG Holiday Train Show features more than 25 model trains. The trains zoom around several tracks. The display covers an area of 13,000 square feet. More than 200,000 people visit the event each year.

Visitors of all ages love it. “The kids are bouncing all over the place,” says Cindy Johnson. She’s the lead artist at Applied Imagination. “They run wild with the trains.”