Sunset Hill's Illiana Train Society - Train Garden Progress



Sunset Hill's Illiana Train Society - Train Garden Progress

Three Years and Counting...

In 2017 the Porter County Parks Department  agreed to host the Illiana Train Society and a locastion was chosen on the east side of Sunset Hill County Park for the Train Garden Venue





The Building Commettie formaly broke ground for the Train Garden venue
 in the Spring of 2018.



Unlike typical railroad G-scale modelers 
who construct their layout from the ground up, 
The Sunset Hill’s Illiana Train Society's Relocation Committee 
began collecting $52,000.00 in donations to employ outside contractors to rebuild the 

“Bull Moose Line”


The relocation group managed to tear down the original "Bull Moose Line" layout at Samuelsons Greenhouse
in the fall of 2018 and then transport the dregs
to the Sunset Hill site. 



 The Porter County Park District provided assistance 
to build the railroad garden 
when equipment and staff where  available  




Subcontractors built the I T S Train Garden retaining wall for the 
"Bull Moose Line"layout 
on the ground above the old septic field on the east side of the park.






A she-shed was moved onto the site insted of the branch line train station that was originally envisioned by the group.




Final exterior touches to the prefab shed were made by Amish craftsmen
 after delivery to the site.




The end result in the Fall of 2019, after three years of development
by the members of the Building Commettee, 
 was 
a fenced in unfinished 
hodge-podge of  landscaping, track, roadways and model buildings
plus a she-shed.





The hope for 2020 is that the finished layout at Sunset Hill Park will look like the one that was completed at Samuelsons Greenhouse 
in a scant  three months 
 back in 2004.


Sunset Hill's Illiana Train Society Relocation Committiee


Lance Molenda, Owen Todd, George Sarver, David Ransom, David Casey & Gary Barneko

Are still seeking public donations.

To contribute send donations to:

Sunset Hill's Illiana Train Society

P.O. Box 2836 

Valparaiso, IN 63684










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