Bruce Williams Zaccagnino and his wife Jean started Northlandz as a hobby in their basement before opening its doors to the public as a tourist attraction in 1997. The world’s largest model railway was painstakingly constructed by hand and took 16-years to complete. Featuring 100 trains, 400 bridges, more than 9-miles of track, 50,000 streets, 40-foot bridges spanning across vast canyons, as well as 3,000 miniature buildings that make up idyllic miniature towns and villages. Continue reading for two videos and more information.
He said: “There’s just nothing else like it. Visitors come out saying it’s one of the wonders of the world. I think people might be put off because they think it is just about model trains, but it is so much more than that. Most of the scenes are representative of places in the world where you would see trains – such as a Swiss village or a big city. And part of it also shows the history of railroads across the U.S. through the years – with famous scenes including when they connected the East and West Coasts. If I could, I’d love to see it all for the first time. People have come in and told me it’s better than the Grand Canyon – I wish I could experience that.”
