Next stop, the world's largest model railroad! One man's spectacular construction that took 16 years to build
Northlandz took 16 years to build and boasts 100 trains, 400 bridges, and 3,000 miniature buildings
It began as a distraction in a hobbyist’s basement, but the world’s biggest model railroad is now anything but. Here's a look inside the world's largest model railroad.
It boasts more than eight miles of track and features more than 100 trains, as well as almost 400 bridges and took some 16 years to complete.
Northlandz, in Flemington, New Jersey, is scaled down but its anything but small-scale. The spectacle contains more than 3,000 miniature buildings in cities and villages, 50,000 trees and 40-foot bridges spanning huge canyons.
It is the brainchild of owner and creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino, who not only built the 52,000 sq ft building in which it is housed but also painstakingly designed and handcrafted almost all of the uncannily lifelike scenery.
'There's nothing like it,' he said. 'Visitors come out saying it's one of the Wonders of the World.'
Or at least one of the wonders of the Northeast Corridor.
LIfe's work: It took creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino 16 years to finally bring his dream of Northlandz--the world's biggest model railroad--to life
Urbane: City skylines, sure, but the New Jersey attraction has more to offer, as well
Spans: Northlandz boasts some 400 bridges for its model trains to cross
Swiss Alps? No, its Northlandz, the world's largest model railroad in Flemington, New Jersey
Steady stream: Visitors, 2,000 came on its busiest day yet, to Northlandz see many of the world's biomes represented, including this alpine waterway
Ingenuity meets ingenuity: A pit mine is seen in the 52,000 facility
Famous clientele: Many visitors take in the sights of Northlandz each each. Sometimes they're even famous: Pee Wee Herman, Neil Young, and Joe Piscapo have all stopped by
BEHOLD! What began as a hobby in a man's basement has become Northlandz--the world's biggest model railway in Flemington, New Jersey
Precarious! Buildings look over steep cliffs in Northlandz. There are over 3,000 such buildings in the giant model
Ex-SPAN-sive: Forty-foot bridges span 30-foot canyons in Northlandz
Altitude: The tallest peaks in Northlandz clock in around 30 feet
Serpentine: 50,000 feet, or 8 miles of track, wind around Northlandz
Bridge and tunnel: There are about 400 bridges and trestles throughout the giant model railway
Perspective: Northlandz' many spans are even more impressive when viewed from below
Cross-section: This view shows the range of environs the Northlandz' 100 trains crisscross for delighted spectators
Intricate: Northlandz, like any self-respecting town, has a theme park complete with roller coaster and other rides
People: There are lots of mini-people in Northlandz and they depend on the trains
World inside a world: Northlandandz' citizens take in the sights along with the bigger visitors to the New Jersey attraction
Richard Scary eat your heart out: A busy train yard hints at Northlandz frenetic daily life
Evolving: Zaccagnino began Northlandz some 35 years ago. It started in his basement and eventually moved to its own building where it continues to evolve
