Local garden railroaders open their yards to the public as part
of food drive and tour
Train enthusiasts have a chance to tour the garden railroads of
three locals who have given up parts of their backyard property to
their hobby. The 15th annual garden layout tour by the South County
Garden Railroaders is Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will
be 11 backyard railroads listed, including three in San Benito
County.
Local garden railroaders open their yards to the public as part of food drive and tour
Train enthusiasts have a chance to tour the garden railroads of three locals who have given up parts of their backyard property to their hobby. The 15th annual garden layout tour by the South County Garden Railroaders is Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will be 11 backyard railroads listed, including three in San Benito County.
Click HERE or video footage of Roger Stump’s and Kevin Hill’s railways.
The fee for the tour is a donation of non-perishable food or a money donation for the Community Food Bank of San Benito and St. Joseph’s Family Center, in Gilroy.
Roger Stump got involved in the tour after working with Pat DeLeon, who owns All Aboard Junction in Gilroy, to start his own railroad.
“He got me started in the hobby and told me about the Bay Area Garden Railway Society,” Stump said. “I started my railroad in 2004. I have the track set up all the time, but I bring all the equipment in and put it away when I am done.”
This Saturday will mark his third year participating in the tour.
“I just really have fun sharing my railroad with all of the other people that come around,” he said. “It is really nice to be able to talk to other people in the hobby, but the biggest thing is just watching the kids when they come by.”
Last year, he had more than 130 visitors to his backyard railroad.
“Their eyes light up and they get really excited,” Stump said, of the kids. “It’s just a lot of fun.”
Stump’s interest in trains dates back to his childhood.
“It kind of got put away, and everything, as I got older,” he said. “When I thought about retiring from the corporate world, I thought about trains, but I knew I couldn’t put them inside.”
It was after Stump saw a show on garden railroads that he decided to start his own track in 2004.
“The challenge is really just keeping up with the technology,” he said. “It changes so fast. Something you have this year could literally be antiquated a year from now.”
Paul Levy, and his wife Betty, started their own backyard railroad after seeing one at a friend’s place.
“I’ve been involved with smaller trains for years,” Levy said. “I’ve done that since I was a kid with a little layout around the Christmas tree.”
The outdoor railroad gives the couple a chance to run the tracks around real trees and running water.
“It uses big trains that make lots of neat noises,” Levy said.
In his space, he and his wife try to keep the landscaping to scale with the trains.
“The challenge is it is a gardening project for us,” he said. “We have shrubbery and try to keep it to scale. The trees are all dwarves. It is all live stuff – the trees, the ground cover – as opposed to indoor [railroad sets], which are plaster, rock and plastic.”
Levy’s garden railroad is always evolving. In their layout, one part of it reflects San Benito County. They have plans for a benitoite mine, the San Juan Mission and other historical landmarks. The other part of their layout reflects the Sierras with two small lakes, live fish and miniature trees.
“This will always be under construction,” he said.
Kevin Hill, and his father Curtis, have been involved with garden railroading since the ’90s when they saw a show on it.
“Getting feedback from other garden railroaders is always nice,” said the younger Hill, of the tour. “We hear what people think – other ideas they have.”
They have participated in the tour for five years, and they get some of the same people coming back each year.
“It’s always changing,” he said, of their layout. “There are always things you can change or add to it.”
The last project was to put a river in, but Hill said they don’t have any immediate plans for a big change to the layout.
Levy reiterated that the tour is a rare occasion for the public to see the backyard railroads.
“Usually the tours are open to railroad people who belong to the club,” he said. “The unique thing about this open house is that the group is doing this as a food [drive] to bring donations for Community [Food Bank], and in the case of Gilroy, to support St. Joseph’s Center.”
The tour is open to the public. Guide books can be picked up at the All Aboard Junction Train Store at 8355 Monterey St., in Gilroy; Garden Accents, 1155 Lena Ave., in San Martin; or from the San Juan Model Railroaders at Bolado Park.
For more information, call Dale at 408-848-1440, Pat at 408-846-8841 or Dave at 408-842-1843.
