Editor’s Note: The following garden railroad at Spartanburg Community College has been removed by the college. Visitors to the location cited below will no longer find this G scale model train garden.

Garden, or G scale, railroads are cropping up in various public places throughout the South and are becoming all the rage with the general public as we discover all the joys model rail enthusiasts have known all along. Most G scale train owners place their gardens in their own back yard, and for that reason they’re not open to the public. However, many people don’t realize there is an outdoor garden railroad that is open to the public in South Carolina and it’s pretty spectacular.

Equally noteworthy is that it was one of the first public garden railroads in the country!
Flickr/Doug McAbee
The name 'G scale' refers to the size of the track used for garden trains. You may think the 'G' stands for garden, but it actually stands for a German word that begins with a 'G.'

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You'll find this rather large garden train running outside the library on the Main Campus of the Spartanburg Community College.
Flickr/Doug McAbee
The layout was designed by the Piedmont Garden Railroad Association and the garden for the train was developed way back in 2008 by the Spartanburg Community College Horticulture Department.
The adventurous layout features a dog bone shape track that includes water crossings, a picturesque waterfall, and several buildings modeled after local buildings in Spartanburg.
Flickr/Doug McAbee
Most people don't know about this public garden railroad. Did you?

To see the train in action, view the short video below from YouTube user GoUpstateVideo.

The garden train at Spartanburg Community college runs Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It’s located outside the library on the main campus. The main campus is located at 107 Community College Dr., Spartanburg, SC 29303.

For more railfanning activities in the Palmetto State, take a look at this train-themed road trip featuring a variety of train-oriented attractions to visit!

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