In 2015, a man began building a train line in his backyard: after 18,000 kilos of gravel and 120 meters of track, his neighbors line up to use it
Cory Mohl needed an investment of $18,000
Building a railroad track in your backyard may seem like an impossible idea. For Cory Mohl , however, it was the way to turn a lifelong hobby into a reality. In 2015 , this resident of West Valley City, Utah, decided to undertake a project as unusual as it was ambitious: to build his own garden railroad.
What started as a personal project ended up becoming an attraction for the whole neighborhood. To make it a reality, Mohl had to move around 18,000 kilos of gravel and spend hundreds of hours preparing the ground, laying the tracks, and getting the little train up and running.
The route extends about 120 meters and winds through the property’s grounds, even including a section that passes through a shed. It was not simply a matter of laying decorative rails: the infrastructure had to support a train that other people could ride.
From personal hobby to neighborhood attraction
Mohl had been fascinated by trains for years and had devoted part of his time to building model railways. When his daughter grew up and became more independent, he found the perfect moment to take that passion to a completely different scale.
The work required planning, physical effort, and numerous weekends. Gravel was needed to create a stable base on which to install the track, while the rails, sleepers, and switches had to be properly aligned to ensure that the train could run.
And then something happened that Mohl probably did not expect at first
When the line was operational, the neighborhood children started asking for rides, and the railroad ceased to be merely an enthusiast's project. The backyard was transformed into a small improvised station where family members and neighbors could enjoy a train ride without leaving the neighborhood.
The cost was also considerable. Mohl estimated that the total investment would end up standing at between $17,500 and $18,000 , an amount that included materials, equipment, and the rolling stock itself.
Far from considering the project finished, the owner planned to keep expanding it and add new decorative elements . Thus, what began as an extravagant idea in 2015 ended up proving that a backyard can become, with enough patience and passion, a railway capable of sparking the curiosity of an entire neighborhood.
