BALTIMORE — All aboard! It's the Highlandtown Train Garden. And it's here, at Engine House No. 41.
“Part of the tradition of having a train garden, which is normally put around the Christmas tree, is to have action, movement,” says volunteer Terry Maillar.
It's a slice of Baltimore history. The street scenes in the train garden stretch from Highlandtown to Hampden. So, you'll see some familiar places, like the Natty Boh building, Goetz’s candy factory, and Haussner's department store.
There's also the Patterson Park gazebo, with a not-so-little guest, King Kong.
Train lovers like Maillar, Doug Campbell, and Mary Covacevich put on this holiday display for the community. Maillar has been with it since it started in 2009.
“We love to do it,” Maillar says. “It's a holiday tradition. Train gardens were very big in the firehouse. And it's a labor of love. I've been doing trains ever since I was born. And all these ah other volunteers with me, we just love doing it.”
There are replicas of freight trains, commuter trains, and trolleys. No detail has been spared, from salt boxes sprinkled around the neighborhoods. To marathon runners throwing their water cups in the air.
And some new trains like the old RDCs, real diesel commuters, that ran here back in the 1950s to about 1980,” Maillar says.
Also new this year: a replica of the firehouse. You can see people standing in line to see the train garden.
“[We] like seeing people happy, coming in here,” he says. “Any trouble that you have, you leave it out the door. You come in here, it's a whole new ballgame. It's here for fun.”
It's free, although donations are appreciated.
“We have a scavenger hunt, and we also have raffles,” Maillar says. “And we talk about the past and present and future of the area. And talk a lot about trains. Whatever you want to talk about. It's so much fun to see people smile.”
They're also looking for a new generation of volunteers.
“We'd love to have you come here and help us out,” says Maillar. “So when we're no longer here, when we're six feet under the train garden, you can come here and continue this wonderful tradition.”
For hours and directions, go here.
