Morton Arboretum railroad brings back Christmas enchantment
If you squint your eyes, you may feel like you're inside a snow globe at a winter exhibit in the Morton Arboretum's Visitor Center.
Glitter snowflakes flutter from the ceiling of a room with floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
The centerpiece is an intricate landscape where model trains weave through hundreds of feet of track.
“It's so engaging, and it's a sensory stimulation,” said Special Events Manager Marilyn Baysek of the “Enchanted Railroad,” a display that drew 15,000 visitors last year.
Those trains are carrying holiday cargo ranging from gingerbread men and candy canes to teddy bears and Christmas trees.
Bennett Puglielli, 2, knelt in his red shirt and red shoes recently to watch them whiz by at his eye level.
“Trains!” Bennett exclaimed.
His mom Wendy was just quick enough to stop a derailment when his eager fingers reached out to one of the 10 model trains at the exhibit. The Naperville mom said her son could watch for hours.
Philip Lantz's 2-year-old grandson has visited the exhibit twice. The “Thomas the Tank Engine” train was a favorite.
“He was going nuts, waving, saying ‘Hi Thomas,'” Lantz, of Lisle said.
The LGB Model Railroad Club of Chicago designed the display, spending over a day constructing it with the help of arboretum volunteers.
Bill Schwartz, an Itasca member of the club, uses his skills as a retired electrical engineer to monitor a switchboard controlling the electric current that powers the trains.
He received his first model train from his wife in 1987.
“Little did she know this was going to mushroom,” he said.
The exhibit is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Jan. 8. The display is closed Dec. 24 and 25.
Admission to the arboretum is $11 for adults, $10 for ages 65 and older and $8 for ages 2 to 17.
Enchanted Railroad exhibit
<b>When</b>: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until Jan. 8; closed Dec. 24 and 25.
<b>Where</b>: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle
<b>Cost</b>: Admission is $11 for adults, $10 for ages 65 and older and $8 for ages 2 to 17
<b>Info</b>: (630) 968-0074 or www.mortonarb.org