Vines Garden Railroad Opens To Commemorate National Train Day

The G-scale garden railroad opens the 2017 season Saturday May 13^th from 10 AM until 2 PM in honor of National Train Day and will be open every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday through the summer.

Volunteers with Vines Gardens Railroad in Loganville chose May 13^th, National Train Day 2017, for the grand opening of the G-scale garden railroad for the summer. To the delight of children young and old, the trains will run continuously, with engines Percy and Thomas from Thomas and Friends hot favorites with the younger set.

“The children wouldn’t let us take those two engines off the tracks,” said volunteer engineer Richard. “We have so many other engines but those were the only two they were interested in.”

The G-scale railroad at features more than 1,000 feet of track, a 25-foot bridge, tunnels and viaducts, towns and villages, including an airport and a replica of the Atlanta Terminal Station. It is set in a garden setting with picnic tables and walking trails. Enthusiasts with their own G-scale engines can bring them to run on the tracks.

“We have a Facebook page that provides current information for the railroad,” said volunteer Dennis Bass “and we are always looking for additional volunteers to join us.”

According to Wikipedia, National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008 to educate the general public about the history of trains in the U.S. as well as to let them know about the benefits of rail travel. It is held on the Saturday closest to May 10 every year to commemorate May 10, 1869, the day that marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Events are held across the country at Amtrak stations, railroad museums and at model railroad layouts such as Vines Gardens Railroad.

Come out and join us for lunch! Saturday’s festivities in honor of National Train Day in Gwinnett will include hot dogs and crafts for the kids as well as ice cream sandwiches, but the trains running will be the main allure for those attending.

Walking trails will be open for families to walk through the gardens. The 90-acre estate, once the home of Charles and Myrna Adams, was donated to Gwinnett County in 1997 on condition it always remain a park. The county maintains the gardens and walking trails. The old manor house is leased out for private functions.

The Vines Gardens Railroad is run separately by a group of volunteers. The G-scale railroad was first built on the property in 1998 but was forced to close for a while. In 2003, Lawrence McFall and a group of county officials negotiated re-opening of the railroad.

For the 2017 season, Vines Garden Railroad will be open to the public from 10 AM to 2 PM on every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday (weather permitting and excluding public holidays). Sept. 25 will be the last day of operation, after which the railroad will close for the winter months.