Ticket to whimsy: What’s behind popular seasonal train shows

By KATHERINE ROTH
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Many holiday-season train shows were canceled or limited to fewer visitors last year because of the pandemic. But this year the popular attractions are back — with health precautions — at botanical gardens, conservatories and elsewhere around the country. The shows feature a combination of model trains and detailed models of landmark buildings made from leaves, twigs and other dried plant materials. The shows have become a tradition in many places since beginning in 1992 at the New York Botanical Garden. The formula for mixing trains, gardens and fanciful structures was developed by Ohio landscape architect Paul Busse. His family business in Kentucky still makes what Busse called “botanical architecture.”