The Fairplex Garden Railroad Exhibit is recognized as the Nation's oldest and largest outdoor (garden) railroad as verified by a study conducted by Brigham Young University in 1998.

The exhibit had its humble beginnings in 1924 when the founders, Mr. Herman Howard and his brother, built a display depicting the local Puddingstone Reservoir project and a single Pacific Electric Railway interurban 1200 passenger trolley. The object of that year's exhibit was to bring public support to the project and its potential recreational value.

That initial display was met with overwhelming enthusiasm and the display grew in size each year for the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1935, the County granted permission for the exhibit to move outside to its present 30,000 square foot location. The original rolling stock was all hand made and was one-half inch to the foot in scale. This outdoor exhibit grew each year for the first several years and was enjoyed by fairgoers annually each year, except the war years of 1942-1946, up until today!

Today, the Fairplex Garden Railroad Exhibit is visited by more than a million people annually and is a model of community service in the Southern California area. Volunteers man the exhibit from 8 A.M. to Midnight and organize special events for school children, scout groups, and model railroad clubs. Even the volunteers themselves are made up of retired senior citizens, young kids, and families, some who come more than 100 miles to take part in this fantastic layout.

The Fairplex Garden Railroad Exhibit is an unique example of the limitless horizon that Garden Railroading offers. In this new millennium, we can only imagine where the dedicated volunteers for this amazing railroad will take us next…Enjoy the pictures!