Mill Valley resident Perry Ratliff has built an 800-foot garden railroad throughout his yard and into his home on Preakness Place. Ratliff models the late steam era (1940’s) to modern day diesels. He runs all road names on the garden railroad, from miniature freight trains to passenger trains. Above, a New York Central No. 5344 steam locomotive is pictured. Below, models of diesels from the Santa Fe and Alaska Railroads run in Ratliff’s yard.
(Photos submitted)
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A Mill Valley resident’s love for the outdoors and for model trains led him to create an 800-foot garden railroad.
Scotts Miracle-Gro employee Perry Ratliff said the project required “hundreds and hundreds of hours in labor.” He started building the track in 2013, “adding 100 feet per year after that.” The track now goes throughout his yard and into his home at 2004 Preakness Place.
“I think I’m done expanding it right now,” he said.
The railroad is made of “90% brass and 10% stainless steel,” Ratliff said, noting he used rust-resistant materials because it is largely an outdoor track.
“I designed and built the layout myself, including all the landscaping,” he said.
Ratliff said his inspiration came from The Columbus Garden Railway Society’s outdoor layout at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, which he actually never saw in person. His dad saw the layout and excitedly told Ratliff about it numerous times.
“He said I just had to see it, but unfortunately that never happened because we didn’t live near Columbus at that time,” Ratliff said.
Along Ratliff’s garden railroad are structures like a custom-made coal loading facility that loads coal into the miniature hopper cars, a church and a farm. Ratliff said he wants to add more details, including an engine house and a water feature. He has also left room to expand the track in the future.
“What drives me to continue adding on is the enjoyment I get just being outdoors and the fun I get out of building it,” Ratliff said. “Building this type of model railroad poses its own set of challenges, just like the full-size version. You have to deal with rail expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, build bridges when needed and deal with real drainage and maintenance issues just like the real railroads do.
“The reward is watching your ideas come to life,” he continued. “It’s just a great hobby to sit back and enjoy. It helps me forget about stress that life can sometimes throw your way.”
Ratliff began posting videos of the model trains running on the garden railroad in 2017 on the Mill Valley Northern Railroad Facebook page. As of today, the page has roughly 42,000 followers. He also manages a YouTube account under the same name with the handle @millvalleynorthernrailroad2998. The account has nearly 2,500 subscribers.
The social media accounts serve to “update the public on special events and operating times when the trains can be viewed,” Ratliff said.
He noted that a video he posted in 2019 titled “G Scale Trains Snow Plow,” which shows a miniature snow plow clearing the railroad, went viral with over 3 million views and hundreds of comments.
He said he tries to respond to comments and answer questions daily, adding that he speaks with people every day “from everywhere you can imagine.” According to his Facebook page, he has followers from Canada, Mexico, the U.S., the U.K., France, Italy, India, Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Chile, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, Estonia, Argentina and Antarctica.
“Naturally, people are fascinated,” he said.
Ratliff said he also posts content in the Marysville People in the Know Group on Facebook to inform parents when he will run the trains so they can bring their children over to watch live.
“In the beginning, as I started to run the trains, I was pleasantly surprised by the interest and encouragement I received from my neighbors in Mill Valley. A lot of them would stop by and ask questions about the trains, or just hang out for a while and watch them run. One of the most asked questions was ‘When do you run the trains?’” Ratliff said. “Since we don’t typically run on a set schedule, I wanted a way to let people know when the trains were running. Many people wanted their loved ones to see them run if they were visiting from out of town or they wanted to bring their kids or grandchildren by to see them.”
He added that he runs the trains “almost every day in the summertime.” The trains run most often between the spring and the fall, but he will occasionally run them in the winter “whenever the weather breaks.”
“We do have a few trains we can run in the rain and snow,” he said.
He explained that wind is the most concerning weather condition because it can blow the trains off the track and damage them. He said he does not run the trains if the wind exceeds 20 mph.
Ratliff said he played with model trains as a child, and his father and grandfather fostered his interest in collecting them.
His favorite model is a USA Trains J1e Hudson Steam Locomotive, which his wife gave him for their 10-year wedding anniversary. He said it is made of all metal and weighs 50 pounds. He uses it to move snow off the railroad in the winter with the snow plow attached.
“I model the late steam era (1940’s) to modern day diesels,” Ratliff explained. “We run all road names here from freight trains to passenger trains.”
Ratliff added that his model trains feature lights and sounds to resemble the full-scale versions. Each miniature car has a real recording from the actual train it models with a remote-controlled speaker.
He has also added waterslide decals of graffiti onto a few boxcars and intermodal cars. According to a Facebook post, the decals were made from actual photos of real graffiti on full-scale cars.
While Ratliff does not make the trains he collects, he does repair them. He said he is currently repairing a model train engine for a man in the state of Washington.
When asked if he plans to continue collecting model trains, Ratliff replied, “Definitely!”
“It is a hobby I am going to stay in,” he said.
Ratliff has three sons, ages 10, 23, and 26. He said his 10-year-old son “is still into it.” Ratliff hopes to pass down his collection to his youngest child one day.