The Train Lady

Elaine Siltes, the "train lady" of North Barrington, opened her 10-acre estate's grounds to allow the community to view her indoor and outdoor train layouts. Her business, Huff and Puff Industries, allows her to design and manufacture custom model railroads for businesses and homeowners nationwide. Her outdoor garden layouts, with over 6000 square feet of waterfalls, bridges of all varieties, and thousands of colorful plantings, represent 20 years of labor...



... and the premier gardens are being showcased by New York-based Garden Conservancy, which benefited from today's open house entry fees.



The indoor layout, valued at $2 million dollars and recently donated to the City of Chicago, models Chicago, including the CTA...



... and Wrigley Field...



... and downtown including the lakefront and Millennium Park...



... as well as downstate Illinois. Numerous trains were operating, both inside and outside, and the hundreds of patrons, including lots of kids, were all enjoying the gardens, trains, grounds, and weather.

For those into specifics: This railroad contains: 60 switches, (turnouts), 64 blocks, 2 interactive freight and passenger yards, 61 automations, a missile silo hidden under a city park, 2 custom lift bridges, and a complete prototypical signaling system. It required 36,000 lineal feet of wire and is powered by 8 transformers. The Wandering Tree RR operates 16 trains, 2 trolleys, operating truck and car roadways, an operating drive-in movie theatre, 2 elevated trains, 2 subway trains, 2 helixes, and 54 interactive automations. For more info go here.