Backyard Railway Village: Chicago family turns garden into miniature town; hobby draws visitors

What started as a small family hobby has gradually turned an ordinary Chicago backyard into a miniature railway town. The Rustemeyer family in Norwood Park has spent more than two decades building an elaborate garden railroad, transforming a modest patch of grass into a landscape filled with train tracks, tiny buildings, flowers and carefully arranged details.

According to Block Club Chicago and WBBM Newsradio, which visited the family home in October 2026, the railway now covers virtually the entire backyard and can accommodate seven trains running at the same time. What makes the project particularly special is that it has grown into a shared family tradition, bringing together generations through a common love of model trains.

Scroll down to read more.A hobby that began with one small stretch of grassThe idea came from Judy's father, William Rustemeyer, who had been interested in model trains for years and initially maintained a railway layout in the family's basement.