Cheekwood unveils largest-ever model train exhibit celebrating America 250
Cheekwood opened its biggest train show yet: 10 running trains, more than 850 feet of track and 25 landmarks spread across the Bradford Robertson Color Garden.
Cheekwood rolled out what it called its largest model train exhibition ever, and the numbers explain why. America the Beautiful: National Parks and Landmarks by Rail opened in the Bradford Robertson Color Garden with 10 running trains, more than 850 feet of track and 25 iconic landmarks, a scale that turns the garden into a full miniature cross-country run.
The display opened May 2 and runs through September 6, 2026, as part of Cheekwood’s America 250 programming for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The route stitches together American touchstones that model railroad fans will recognize instantly: the Alamo, Graceland, Grand Canyon Railway Depot, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Ryman Auditorium and the Golden Gate Bridge. Cheekwood says the structures were handcrafted from willow branches, cedar, acorn caps, moss, pinecones and bark, which gives the exhibit the kind of texture and color variation that makes a public display feel alive instead of merely decorative.
The most useful part for model railroaders is the storytelling. This is not just a loop of trains circling scenery. It is a travel narrative, with landmarks acting as waypoints and each scene carrying its own regional identity. Cheekwood says the Golden Gate Bridge model stretches 22 feet, while the Statue of Liberty arrived on special loan from the New York Botanical Garden. That mix of oversized signature pieces and smaller natural-material structures is exactly the sort of balance layout builders can borrow for an American-themed railroad, especially when the goal is quick realism in a compact layout.
Cheekwood also said the exhibition was designed by Applied Imagination, the same team behind its year-round TRAINS! exhibit, which helps explain the polish and the scale. The opening weekend on May 2 and 3 included concerts and art activities, underlining that the trains were being presented as part of a broader family event, not a side room attraction. For anyone who follows public train displays, this one stands out because it treats model railroading as scenic design, local history and crowd-pleasing spectacle all at once.
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