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Gibsonville Garden RailroadG scale trains and structures celebrating the City of Roses |
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
ur buildings are arranged to represent Gibsonville in 1855 and 1922, so the Town Historic Walking Tour map can be used to understand our layout. We cover all of North Carolina from Blowing Rock and Pilot Mountain to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We include dioramas for Elon Homes, Elon College, Company Shops (Burlington), gold mine, and tar making. You can see both Orville and Wilbur Wright flying and cable cars too.
ounded in 1996 by a retired Southern Railway freight conductor who loved model trains, the Gibsonville Garden Railroad has since grown to include nearly 3000 feet of G Scale outdoor trackage. The layout is located in downtown Gibsonville, North Carolina, just a block from the town's restored Southern bay window caboose. The layout is a series of independent loops that allow up to 22 trains to run at any given time utilizing track circuits wired for DC power. Structures and scenes in every section represent historic buildings in Gibsonville as well as beloved locations around the Tarheel state. The large layout is maintained by a group of volunteers and is open and running every Saturday from April through November.
Click to see the Gibsonville Garden Railroad plotted on a Google Maps page
collection / adapted RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
collection
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
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Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
collection
Apr 2025 / RWH
n the 1805s, infrastructure began to take shape in Gibsonville. In 1851 the road bed was started for the railroad to build tracks through the town and area. This work was completed by enslaved people and organized by Guilford County local Joseph Gibson. In 1854 a train depot in downtown Gibsonville was constructed; this is no longer in existence. On October 9, 1855, the first train entered the new Gibson Station. Due to the abundance of roses at Minneola Mill across from the train depot, Gibsonville later becomes branded “the city of roses.”
1930 Official Guide ad / collection
Southern Railway #X758
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Click to see Southern #X758's location plotted on a Google Maps page
1940 Official Guide ad / collection
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
Gibsonville, NC / Dec 2020 / RWH
See also our complete Southern Railway Bay Window Survivors scrapbook in Mainlines
Snapshots
Gibsonville, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH
Apr 2025 / RWH
Links / Sources
- Gibsonville Garden Railroad website
- Town of Gibsonville website
- Gibsonville Museum & Historical Society website