The train doesn’t run itself. Paul Macek and Ed Lethert gladly volunteer at the Wayzata Garden Railroad as do other railroad enthusiasts. Photos: Chris Emeott
Miniature train sets wind their ways through the imaginations of visitors of all ages.
Nestled on the Wayzata Depot Museum grounds, a charming garden railroad display features miniature trains, winding through quaint towns and passing by a homemade replica of the depot itself. Live plants flourish between the tracks and small buildings, adding to the picturesque nature of this locomotive landscape.
The endearing story of the Wayzata Garden Railroad begins in Duluth. Virginia Deetz Humes and her husband had a garden railroad in their backyard. Before he passed away, he requested that she keep the railroad running even when he was gone. After a few years, Humes found it increasingly difficult to maintain on her own and decided to look for a home where the public could see and enjoy the set. In 2009, Humes donated their cherished garden railroad to the City of Wayzata, where it was placed into the hands of the Wayzata Historical Society, now known as the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society.
Since 2010, the Wayzata Garden Railroad has been running under the maintenance and operation of passionate volunteers, despite a few years of neglect. One such volunteer is Ed Lethert, a lifelong train enthusiast who has known about the railroad for many years. “We always enjoyed driving out to Wayzata, and I was captivated by the depot because I’ve loved trains ever since I was a kid,” he says. In early summer 2021, Lethert was walking past the garden and noticed the installment was in poor condition. He approached the museum staff members and asked if they could use a volunteer. From there, Lethert began regularly working to bring the railroad back to life.
The Wayzata Garden Railroad operates from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from the first weekend of May through the last weekend of October. While the trains do not run during the week, locomotive lovers can view the display at any time.The adjacent Wayzata Depot Museum is also worth a visit, offering a step back in time to 1906. Many original features and artifacts have been preserved, including antique furniture and old telegraph and telephone communications equipment.
In the next few years, Lethert and five to six volunteers focused on two primary goals: keeping the railroad in working condition and continuously improving it. The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society funds the garden, ensuring it thrives.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy watching the ever-changing trains chug along two separate loops, all powered electrically. The depot has a collection of rolling stock, meaning locomotives and train cars, used in the display, but volunteers also bring additional trains to run on the tracks. Onlookers never know what they might see meandering around the bend. Some volunteers run unique trains like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, an old-fashioned trolley car and even Lethert’s addition of a teddy bear aboard an old freight flatcar replica—which children particularly love. Lethert thoroughly enjoys watching the excitement visitors have, especially the younger ones who beg their parents to take them to visit the display.
Looking ahead, Lethert and the team of volunteers hope to improve the landscaping and make the Wayzata Garden Railroad even more representative of the entire Lake Minnetonka area. Their passion for this charming railroad continues to keep it a treasured must-see for visitors.
Wayzata Garden Railroad
402 East Lake St.
