Going locomotive for Christmas at Gardens by the Bay
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Five model trains will be chugging around the Flower Dome at any given time. They will be regularly swopped out.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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SINGAPORE – It is the most wonderful time of the year for many. And if you are looking to add festive cheer to your holiday season, the Christmas Train Show 2024 at Gardens by the Bay’s Flower Dome will transport you into a winter wonderland of miniature trains and American landmarks.
The Straits Times explores the delights of the show and uncovers the magical connection between trains and the holiday season.
Chugging along
Five: Number of model trains chugging around the Flower Dome at any given time. They will be regularly swopped out
More than 15: Number of model trains brought in for the show
Electricity: How the model trains are powered
109m: Length of all the railway tracks combined
150 sq m: The space encompassed by the railway tracks
Going off-track
13: Number of major United States landmarks located across the landscape
4cm: Height of model grizzly bear, the smallest landmark
1.8m: Height of model Empire State Building, the tallest landmark
Grand Central Terminal
A miniature model of Grand Central Terminal at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
- Made of botanical materials such as cinnamon curls (arches), honeysuckle branches (pillars) and sugar pine cones (awnings)
- Inspired by the iconic commuter rail station in midtown Manhattan, dating back to 1913
- On loan from New York Botanical Garden
Carson Mansion
A model of the Carson Mansion at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
- Made of botanical materials such as eucalyptus leaves (facade), cedar sticks (railings) and oak bark (roof)
- Inspired by a famous Victorian mansion in California, dating back to 1884
Space Needle
Models of the Seattle Great Wheel and Space Needle at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
- Inspired by the futuristic observation tower built in Seattle for the 1962 World’s Fair
Pine-ing for Christmas
Conifers in the background at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
9,845: Number of plants on display
479: Conifer pots
3,050: Poinsettia pots
What is Christmas without a Christmas tree? Pine, spruce and fir varieties are among the most popular accoutrements of the holiday season.
Conifers also pop up in folklore and mythology as plants imbued with protective properties and magic.
Poinsettias, native to Mexico, are now so integral to Christmas that they have become the world’s most commercially important potted plants.
Poinsettias at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Trains, trains and Christmas
A train is uniquely magical in how it allows passengers to leave urban life behind and enjoy beautiful scenery for the duration of their journey.
While rail trains have been largely replaced by cars, planes and modern subways, the romance of a train journey lives on in pockets across fiction and reality, particularly during Christmas.
In the 1985 children’s book The Polar Express, a young boy finds himself on a magical train en route to the North Pole, where Santa Claus lives. A film adaptation of the book was released in 2004.
The Polar Express is not real, but there is a Santa Train that has been chugging through the Appalachian Mountains of the United States every year for 82 years. It delivers gifts to families along the route.
In Singapore, selected MRT trains and buses have been decorated for the 2024 holiday season.
And visitors at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show can also pop into replicas of a vintage Swedish railbus and a modern SMRT cabin, which are decked out with tinsel, Christmas trees, life-size gingerbread men and more.
A miniature train chugs past a model of Missouri landmark The Gateway Arch at the Gardens by the Bay Christmas Train Show.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Book It/Christmas Train Show
Where: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive str.sg/tPJs
When: Till Jan 5, 9am to 9pm daily
Admission: From $8 for Singapore residents
Info:
