The train chugs through the North Georgia mountains, whirs over a Lake Lanier-like body of water and glides into Atlanta, passing the state Capitol, the Fox Theatre and Turner Field. Another train, among seven navigating the Georgia landscape, loops around an island, perhaps one hugging the Savannah coast.

The replica locomotives — each the size of a loaf of bread — are helping drive a fast-growing family hobby that combines history, architecture and nature with a dash of childhood sentiment. Welcome to the world of garden railroading, celebrated in a major exhibit that opened Saturday at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Photos by JOEY IVANSCO / AJC (ENLARGE)
Paul Busse sweeps away debris during a test run of the 'Locomotion in the Garden' miniature train installation.
(ENLARGE)
Paul Busse has fashioned a replica of the Georgia Capitol dome from ginkgo leaves, acorns, corn silk and a variety of other natural elements.
(ENLARGE)
Landscape architect Paul Busse, the railroad-gardening expert behind the exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, stands with small-scale Atlanta skyscrapers. The structures will be illuminated for evening viewing on Tuesdays.
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"This hobby has so much universal appeal. For train historians, you've got the model railroads; for gardeners, there's the element of water gardening, rock gardening, the miniature plants; and for families, here's something that hits all ages," says noted landscape architect Paul Busse, engineer behind "Locomotion in the Garden: Trains Across Georgia."

Garden railways, which use larger (G-scale) trains than typical indoor models, allow hobbyists more space for spreading out their setups and for integrating trains with aspects of the garden. From a landscape perspective, railways can serve as a subtle accent or the main focus, and Busse is a pioneer in showing what's doable.

At the botanical garden, the landscape architect, whose Kentucky business designs and installs garden railways, has created a 3,200-square-foot slice of Georgia on a bluff overlooking Piedmont Park. The setting, featuring terrain from the coast to the mountains, is dotted with 30 Atlanta landmarks, such as One Atlantic Center, Georgia Power and the Delta Air Lines terminal, that Busse crafted from all-natural materials. More than 1,300 feet of track, representing railroads such as the old Western & Atlantic, meanders through the site with a dozen trestles, some tall enough for visitors to walk under.

For Busse, best known for railway exhibits he created at New York and Chicago botanical gardens, the display holds a couple of firsts, thanks to an existing pond that's normally home to aquatic plants. "What makes this one really unique is the chance to span over 60 feet of water," says Busse, whose longest trestle to date was 20 feet. Another is a "floating island" in the pond, a free-standing foam oasis that supports its own track, train and landscape.

Pathways steer visitors around the pond, along "mountain" trails and even through a life-size tunnel. "This really puts you in it," he says with the enthusiasm of a 5-year-old engineer. "Now, you're no longer just observing but participating."

That interaction aims to appeal to all ages, rekindling memories for older train lovers while enticing children to the world of nature — a goal of botanical gardens everywhere.

"This is truly a family hobby, not just husbands and wives, but entire families," says Frances Tidd, secretary of the Georgia Garden Railway Society. "It's a very, very old hobby that just continues to grow."

With about 75 member households, her group is among about 100 clubs nationwide sharing ideas about a hobby that dates to the early 1800s, when railroad builders used models to test engineering theories. By the end of the 19th century, large-scale models were available for operating outdoors. Eventually, model railroading moved indoors as small-scale trains such as Lionel became popular, but by the late 1960s, the lure of the outdoors returned when Lehmann offered large-scale plastic trains designed for gardens.

Like many garden railroaders, Jerry Huber, 56, grew up with Lionel trains. After discovering G-scale trains (built on a scale of 1 inch to 29 inches) at a train show, he and his wife, Carla, were hooked. Their Suwanee yard features a 200-foot-long track that loops around a fish pond, straddles a slope and extends into the garage. That way, in winter they can pull their trains into a weatherproof station.

"Garden railways are an answer to a space problem," he says. "I'm not a big gardener, but we keep our landscape nice, and trains give you movement in the garden."

The retired telecommunications manager got so into the hobby that two years ago he joined an Atlanta company that installs train displays. Garden railways have grown to make up about a quarter of Train Installations' business, says Huber, who was hired with business partner Dave Bennett to help install the botanical garden exhibit. They and about a dozen garden and train society volunteers have spent the past two weeks helping Busse build his railroad.

Like many train aficionados, the 53-year-old Busse still recalls the American Flyer train set he got at age 5. "As a kid, I always loved trains and gardening, too," says Busse, thumbing his trademark railroad suspenders.

But it wasn't until 1982 — when he entered a model train garden in the Ohio State Fair — that his business shifted from designing grand landscapes to garden railways. A Cincinnati store commissioned him to create a window display depicting animals celebrating Christmas in the forest, and Busse decided to emphasize natural materials.

Since then, he and his Alexandria, Ky., business, Applied Imagination, have become sought after for private and public garden railways. A hallmark of the displays are buildings made from waterproof foam covered with dried leaves, bark, pine cones, seed pods and other natural materials, then dipped in urethane for a hard, glossy finish. A hands-on designer, Busse does 90 percent of the cutouts, and his 10 employees complete the designs. About 10 buildings in the Atlanta exhibit were built specifically for the display.

Busse is the first to admit the structures aren't built perfectly to scale, nor are all of the dwarf plants surrounding them. "Most garden railroaders don't take design that seriously but just want to have fun with it," he says. "Instead, we're creating an illusion."

What's more important, he says, is that visitors notice the materials. "We're literally making people look at plants, up close and personal," Busse says. "After all, the underlying reason we're here is to celebrate plants."