The Depot

Visitors enter and leave the Railway Garden through a recreation of a 1920s era Railroad Depot where they purchase admission tickets. Exhibits, the gift shop, snack vending area with tables and chairs and restrooms are located on the entry level of the Depot; while on the lower level can be found the railroad workshop, a storage area for rolling stock and facilities for the gardeners and Depot staff. In the Waiting Room, visitors are welcomed and oriented to their visit. For arriving visitors, the Depot experience will be the first step back into time creating the illusion of different places and times thus setting the scene for their walk through the garden and railroad history. Visitors can rest on replicas of vintage era railroad benches, hear about arriving and departing trains to and from Chicago, Indianapolis, South Bend, Ft. Wayne, the Dunes, Purdue University, Bloomington and other regional railroad destinations. The north side windows of the Depot allow visitors to see a panoramic view of the Model Railway Garden.