The Emerald Heights Garden Railroad: How One Resident’s Hobby Became a Delight for All

September 23, 2024

When Jim Easley moved to Emerald Heights, he brought his backyard train set with him and set it up outside his cottage. Other residents were intrigued by Jim’s handiwork and urged him to lead a group effort to build a garden railroad the whole community could enjoy.

After getting the project approved and securing a location, it took the better part of a year to prepare the plot of land and build the initial version of the garden railroad, complete with dozens of handcrafted buildings, hundreds of feet of track and a trestle bridge leading into the train barn where supplies are stored and the trains are housed when not in use. 

The first train’s maiden voyage was 20 years ago, in 2004, and the garden has since grown in size, sophistication and popularity.

The unique story of the Emerald Heights Garden Railroad shows that hobbies for seniors are more than fun. They’re far-ranging and are frequently fueled by imagination!

Taking a Trip to an Earlier Era

The Emerald Heights Garden Railroad depicts a period of time soon after steam engines were introduced to the Pacific Northwest, revolutionizing the logging industry. The layout of the garden features four towns east of Seattle: Redmond, Issaquah, Snoqualmie and North Bend.

Residents who’ve built the garden and the various scenes along the tracks—which include a dairy farm, hops farm, coal mine, lumber mill, diner, trading post and a section of the Red Brick Road (complete with a series of Burma-Shave signs), as well as churches, schools, banks, taverns, a vineyard and an apple orchard—used old photos, maps and plans available through the local historical society to create as authentic a representation as they could.

Hand-painted figurines add life to the various scenarios, as do sounds (like cattle lowing and the tinkling of a honky-tonk piano) that are activated when the trains pass by. Working street lights adorn the roads, which are dotted with era-appropriate automobiles. The crossing gates are functional, and the largest of the engines talks and blows its whistle.

The Garden Railroad Gives Residents a Variety of Options To Participate

Painting, woodworking and gardening are favorite activities for seniors, and the garden railroad gives Emerald Heights residents an inventive way to express their skills and talents.

Karen Brody says the garden railroad captivated her when she and her husband visited Emerald Heights before moving in nearly 10 years ago, and it’s been a labor of love for her since she became part of the resident committee that’s responsible for maintaining it.

“It is unique and fulfilling in many ways, from being a creative outlet to a source of joy for many people here,” she notes. “The smiles are a big part of the reward.”

She started by helping out with the landscaping as part of the Gardening Committee, but eventually switched to painting figurines and models. She’s also one of the roughly dozen residents trained as engineers to run the trains.

“It’s such a source of happiness,” Karen says. “So many people love it. There’s a million things to do on the railroad. We spend hours and hours working on little scenarios with the buildings and figurines, painting and refurbishing them. Just to see the joy on people’s faces when they walk in and see the railroad—it’s a magnetic place.”

Intercommittee Collaboration Keeps It Running Smoothly

Residents are completely in charge of the garden railroad, including maintenance and repairs. While the Garden Railroad Committee and the Gardening Committee do the majority of the work, residents on other committees have opportunities to be involved as well.

For instance, in 2020, when parts of the track were repaired and new bridges were built, many of the original trees in the garden were removed because they’d grown out of scale. (Dwarf pines weren’t available when the garden was first created.)

A new Bonsai Committee had formed around that time, and with the garden railroad in need of new plants, it was the perfect opportunity for the various committee members to work together. Now, while members of the Gardening Committee still tend to much of the garden’s landscaping, the Bonsai Committee members maintain the plants they’ve contributed.

On Display During the Offseason

The trains run on a regular schedule between Easter and Labor Day, with two-hour runs for residents and guests on all holidays. Karen notes that many residents invite their grandkids, who are thrilled to watch and toot on the wooden whistles they’re given. There are also practice runs every two weeks on Wednesdays.

During the wetter winter months, most of the trains are stored in the train barn. But residents and visitors can still enjoy a mini version of the garden railroad in display cases located in the main common area, near the coffee shop. Observers can “operate” the display with the push of a button.

The committee in charge of the display cases works with the Garden Railroad Committee to ensure they have access to set up and maintain the display, which is different every year. Recently, when the Courtyard Apartments were under construction, a member of the Garden Railroad Committee made a scaled version of a building crane for the display case scenario, which also featured construction crew worker figurines painted to match the outfits their real-life counterparts often wore.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Karen says. “It’s always sparking ideas for new scenes.”  

Calling All Enthusiasts!

Tom Stoebe, who has chaired the Garden Railroad Committee the last couple of years and is also an engineer, has lived at Emerald Heights for 15 years. The railroad committee is the first one he joined after moving to the community.

“The railroad fascinated me, as everyone,” he recalls. “It’s changed a lot over the years, but it’s still the same basic setup.”

Today, the garden railroad has 13 locomotives and 82 railcars, 600 feet of track, 10 bridges, 45 switches, a tunnel that runs through a model of Mount Si and more than 50 buildings. As many as five trains can run on the tracks at the same time, and with a recent upgrade, the trains can switch between main lines and run in opposite directions.

To the best of Tom’s knowledge, it’s the only such railway located in a retirement community and designed, financed, built and maintained exclusively by residents.

One of Tom’s duties as the committee chair is to organize social functions that take place around the garden railroad. This month there will be a welcome event for new Courtyard residents, and he says he’ll try “recruiting” them to the committee.

“It’s an easy sell,” he says with a laugh. “New people come out and look at the train, and say, ‘Oh, I want to be part of that!’”

To get a better idea of just how much work (and fun) is involved in the Emerald Heights Garden Railroad, you can watch this video on YouTube, which was taken several years ago.

Committees for All Kinds of Interest

While the Garden Railroad Committee may be one of the most high-profile groups here at Emerald Heights, there are more than 54 resident-led groups representing a diverse range of interests.

In fact, new residents sometimes have a hard time choosing which ones and how many they want to get involved in. And quite often, newcomers have a unique passion that spurs them to start a brand-new group.

Self-Nurturing With a Social Component

For many older adults, one of the most appealing aspects of moving to a senior living community is the abundance of activities for senior citizens, paired with the opportunity to socialize and expand their circle of friends.

Having such a variety of options gives older adults the chance to try new experiences that can stimulate their intellect, inspire them to be more physically active and tap into their creative potential.

What Strikes Your Fancy?

Is there a hobby or activity you particularly enjoy, or maybe one you set aside while you were busy with career and family responsibilities? If you have more spare time on your hands now that you’re retired, why not get reacquainted with a previous pastime or try a few new ones on for size?

These suggestions might stir some interest or serve as a springboard for other ideas.

Easy Hobbies for Seniors

• Writing
• Sketching
• Painting
• Birdwatching
• Reading
• Puzzles
• Wine tasting
• Dance lessons
• Photography
• Antiquing
• Pottery making

Hobbies for Seniors at Home

• Cooking
• Decorating
• Playing a musical instrument
• Flower arranging
• Gardening
• Studying a new language
• Taking online courses
• Sewing, knitting, quilting and other textile arts
• Scrapbooking
• Genealogy

Looking for ideas?

Ultimately, the best hobbies for seniors are ones that can contribute to their mental, physical and social well-being—while serving up a healthy dose of enjoyment.

Would you like to see our garden railroad and learn more about our community? We’d be happy to show you around. Contact us to arrange a visit or call 866-822-0916.

Featured Images: Emerald Heights, 2024