NYC Holiday Train Show Will Debut Brooklyn Landmarks for 2016

10/28/16 - By Jody Mercier

With November upon us, so too are some magnificent holiday traditions. In the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden team is busy behind the scenes getting ready to open the 25th anniversary edition of its beloved Holiday Train Show. Opening day is Saturday, November 19.

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Brooklyn takes center stage as the train show's first roller coaster replica is introduced. The Coney Island Cyclone and iconic Wonder Wheel debut in 2016, joining more than 150 replicas of New York landmarks, each meticulously crafted out of twigs, leaves, and plant parts by the team at Applied Imagination.

Along with the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, Cyclone, and Wonder Wheel (complete with LED sign), existing Coney Island landmarks, including the Galveston Flood Building, Luna Park Arch, Central Tower, and ticket booth will be displayed in the reflecting pool of the Palms of the World Gallery in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Another notable addition is a model of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

In 2015, the NYBG added about 3,000 square feet of exhibit space and an introductory video that takes visitors behind the scenes; both return this season. The added exhibit space has even more trains and buildings, and the layout allows for up-close views of it all.

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The miniature trains and elaborate NYC sights awe kids and their parents every year. Photo by the author.

Holiday Train Show fanatics will appreciate the publication of the new book The Holiday Train Show: A City Within a City, which commemorates the show's first quarter-century with photos, essays on the engineering required to put it all together, and a closer look at the more than 25 G-Scale model trains, which whiz by on more than a half-mile of track, bringing the display to life.

Timed tickets are required and included in all-garden passes. Beware, however, that prices for holiday peak visits are higher than at ordinary times. In addition to Holiday Train Show access, you'll be treated to plenty of holiday decorations throughout the garden, as well as holiday programming in the Everett Children's Adventure Garden and beyond.

The Holiday Train Show runs through January 16, 2017. 

Top photo courtesy of NYBG.

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