Northlandz

Northlandz

Exterior of Northlandz
Established	1972
Location	Raritan Township, New Jersey
Collection size	Railroad model trains and dolls
Website	www.northlandz.com

Northlandz is a model railroad layout and museum located in Raritan Township, New Jersey, built by Bruce Williams Zaccagnino.^[1] It spans over 50,000 feet of track and was awarded with the Guinness World Record of longest small-scale model railway track in 1997. ^[2]

History

View over some of the many Northlandz Bridges

The railroads that now make up Northlandz were originally built by Bruce Williams Zaccagnino in the basement of his home in Three Bridges, New Jersey, and then transferred to their current location in Flemington in 1991. He then continued to build up the site throughout the 1990s.^[3]

An eleven-minute short documentary film, Some Kind of Quest, documents the origins of the site.^[4]

When Zaccagnino retired, the premises changed hands and were almost demolished. However, the new owner, Tariq Sohail, marveled by the layout's spectacular details and scenery, ultimately decided to retain it. The renovated site opened in October 2019.^[5][6]

Layout

Northlandz itself differs from other model railroad exhibitions of its kind by spanning vertical distance rather than horizontal. The 100+ trains present in the site cross over varied landscapes constructed to show off not only the trains themselves but also the scenery around them. The site also includes a functional railroad outside of the building. ^[7]

References

Inline citations

1. Dupont, Dan (December 24, 2003). "HO. HO. HO". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
2. "Longest small-scale model railway track". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
3. D'Agnese, Joseph (2000-03-18). worth-following.html "A Train of Thought Worth Following". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-15. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
4. Wilcox, Andrew (2016). Some Kind of Quest.
5. Andy Corbley (January 11, 2020). "Businessman Needing a Warehouse Stumbles Upon World's Largest Train Set—And Refuses to Simply Tear it Down". Good News Network. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
6. "Northlandz, Flemington's 'wonder of the world,' reopens after renovations by new owner". MY CENTRAL JERSEY. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
7. Treese, Lorett (2008). Railroads of New Jersey: Fragments of the Past in the Garden State Landscape. Stackpole books. pp. 82–84. ISBN 9780811732604.

General references

• Doochin, David (July 12, 2016). "An Up-Close and Personal Look at the World's Largest Model Railroad: A new short film captures the nuanced charm of a mesmerizing masterwork". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2021.

• "In Flemington, Model Trains Way Too Big to Go Under the Tree". The New York Times. December 29, 1996. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2021.

• Terranova, Andrew (December 10, 2013). "The Magic of Northlandz". Make. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2021.

External links

• Official website

40.5171°N 74.8193°W / 40.5171; -74.8193