Layouts
University of Tennessee Gardens - Holiday Express 2009
Dec 16, 2009
By Tom Knight |
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Bio
It is all for the kids. That is kids from 1 to 93. It is a labor of love. The love of watching the kids react to seeing large scale trains running in a holiday setting.
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University of Tennessee Gardens Holiday Express 2009 It is all for the kids. That is kids from 1 to 93.   
It is a labor of love. The love of watching the kids react to seeing large scale trains running in a holiday setting. The reactions range from squeals of excitement to silent stares of awe. Even the older kids (on the 93 end) are taken back by the extravaganza of over 1,500 feet of brass track; 12 different loops; aquarium cars with live fish; and thousands of holiday lights, and much more.   
     
In a 4,000 square ft. tent on the campus of the University of Tennessee visitors are welcomed to a dream of a gentleman named Mark Fuhrman. Mark, owner of Mark Fuhrman Landscape Company and a large scale enthusiast for over 25 years, was finally able to make his dream come true in 2008 when the University of Tennessee agreed to allow him to set up the display in the University Gardens. The 2008 maiden run netted 9,046 visitors over six weekends, and provided the University of Tennessee Gardens with a donation of over $2,000. U of T Gardens is a non-profit, free to the public botanical garden which survives on public donations. U of T Gardens Website 
  
Now in 2009, the display is bigger and better. A crew of 11 took a total of 13 full days to set up the display. Two large waterfalls, arching fountains, and 1000?s of lights greet the visitors as they enter the tent. Of course trains going in several directions adds to the impact of the entryway. One trip around the display cannot possibly begin to allow a visitor to grasp the entire setup. Several trips around the entire display are a necessity, and even at that, some of the younger visitors are heard kicking and screaming as they are dragged out of the door.   
    
Buildings made with the greatest of detail. An animated sawmill. Several bridges and trestles, some over the water features. An animated carnival. These are just a few of the setting items found in the display.   
    
All eras of the US train history are represented in the engines and rolling stock. Complimented with the scenery along each track, the trains represent everything from the logging industry of the past up to the long container trains of today. From geared engines, lugging log trains in the "hills" on the display to ABA diesel trains pulling a 20 car circus train over the longer stretches of track. Even fanciful Fortuna Flyers and Eggliners are seen buzzing around occasionally. The list of things to see is almost endless.   
  
Hard work? ABSOLUTLY Worth it? ABSOLUTLY It is a labor of love. It is for the kids. From 1 to 93.  
| Great Layout |
| Great looking layout and a lot of fun I bet. Wish I could see a video. Happy Holidays from Salem, Oregon |
| Douglas Wilken - 12/16/2009 - 09:03 |
| Holiday Display |
| Very impressive. These Holiday train displays are always fun. The kids, of all ages and club members enjoy a show of this type. These displays are a fitting way to add to the Holiday tradition. |
| JD Miller - 12/16/2009 - 11:37 |
| Christmas Layout in Tn |
| Wow! Very nice. I agree with doug from Oregon, I'd like to see a vid. |
| Gary Taylor - 12/16/2009 - 12:41 |
| Christmas under the tent |
| Nice display and enjoyed the pictures. It is quite obvious allot of hard work went into this dislay. Hope the tent is heated! Happy Holidays! |
| Jeff Nettleton - 12/16/2009 - 15:20 |
| Christmas Tent Layout |
| For all the work to construct the layout it would be a shame not to get a video. Suggestion: Call the local T.V. station. I bet they would do a Christmas model train story that they would share with Tom. |
| Ed Jungbauer - 12/17/2009 - 06:03 |
| Video |
| Thanks for the comments. The local ABC affiliate IS video taping the layout and we hope to get something from them before we close. Tom Knight |
| Tom Knight - 12/18/2009 - 05:30 |
| JD Miller |
| Video by one your local news outlets provides professional production values and gives a very worthwhile video of high quality. The local ABC affiliate WTKR sent a reporter and film crew to our display this year. The video they produced was first rate. By the way, as I remember, you were having somewhat of a moisture problem last year. Did you all come up with a solution? |
| Video - 12/18/2009 - 06:03 |
| University of Tennesse Gardens-Holiday Express 2009 |
| I think the expression on the little kid in the last picture is priceless and says it all about the fascination with trains. |
| Michael Janik - 12/18/2009 - 12:17 |
| Holiday Trains |
| I love these kind of train setups and stories. Thanks for sharing Tom. |
| Jerry Madsen - 12/19/2009 - 19:14 |
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