Rob Ronconi’s garden railway traces the story of his life. The trains, nestled in his Mountain View backyard, race past a scale model of his childhood home. They snake through the FMC Corp. plant in San Jose, where he worked for 25 years. And they pass by the Lutheran church he attended growing up.
“I’ll just sit on my patio with a glass of wine and just watch the trains go around,” said Ronconi, 68, as he ambled around the track on a recent Sunday afternoon. “It’s very therapeutic.”
The elaborate display was recently featured at the 38th National Garden Railway Convention, where hundreds of train enthusiasts filed into Ronconi’s yard. Participants were bused to dozens of volunteer open houses across the Bay Area as part of the event.
“What really got me was the people coming in, and how excited they got and how much they appreciated what I’d done,” the retired engineer said. “That was really nice to feel.”
For most of his life, Ronconi has loved trains, drawn in by a fascination and sense of nostalgia he can’t quite place. Approximately 40 years ago, he began modeling G Scale trains, mostly steam engines from the 1950s.
“I can’t explain it, and most people can’t,” he said. “There is some kind of romance with this age of trains. It’s a testament to human ingenuity.”
Before he retired in 2017, the most extensive railroad Ronconi had assembled was an indoor Christmas display. Then he joined the Bay Area Garden Railway Society. The organization, which boasts more than 300 members, offers open house tours, demonstrations and interest groups, according to its website.
“In my mind, it’s better than going to Disney,” he said.
At one open house, Ronconi came across a particularly striking design: a garden railway on an elevated platform. For years, he could never figure out how to lay track evenly in his backyard. But suddenly, the display he’d always dreamed of seemed feasible. ®
“It was like a light bulb went off,” said his wife, Nancy Ronconi. “He’s been collecting garden railway magazines since the ’80s. To see that he finally got to put it together was really special. It brings him such happiness.”
Inspiration
In 2019, he began to build. Now, four years later, about a third of the backyard is a maze of train tracks, seated 4 feet off the ground on a wooden platform. Two steam engines chug by each other, weaving through bushes and trees.
It’s named J, J, C & J Railroad – the initials of Ronconi’s grandchildren. He only takes down the display in the winter.
“One of the biggest benefits I get out of it is when (my grandchildren) come,” Ronconi said. “They love it. They just think it’s the greatest thing possible.” ®
Each detail along the railroad is carefully curated. At the model of his childhood home in San Bruno – where he also proposed to his wife 46 years ago – there’s a tiny red wagon in the driveway. His father, he fondly recalled, would constantly remind him to move it out of the way.
Farther up the tracks, there’s the dude ranch from “Heartland,” one of the Ronconis’ favorite TV series, complete with cattle and a welcome sign.
Ronconi’s pride and joy, however, is the miniature Main Street. Tucked below two apricot trees, dozens of quaint buildings with personal touches line the tracks. There’s his son’s dentist office, and his other son’s guitar shop. There’s the movie theater he went to growing up, and the Bank of America where his father worked. And there’s Kramer’s, a familiar diner of his childhood.
“My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad was not a cook. So, we probably went there a couple times a week,” Ronconi said, gesturing toward the tiny red building. “It was a very comforting place.”
The railway has become a family affair. His son-in-law found antique railroad crossing lights at a garage sale, which now are mounted on the fence. Many of the buildings and train cars are also gifts from relatives.
“It has sure made Christmas, Father’s Day and birthday presents easy,” Nancy said with a laugh.
Garden railways aren’t inexpensive. The tracks, which are made of brass, can cost up to $10 per foot – Ronconi said he’s accumulated more than 400 feet over the years. The steam engines can also be pricey. One of Ronconi’s is worth approximately $1,800, he added.
But for Ronconi, sharing the finished product has made it all worth it.
“Rob worked so hard and put so much time and energy into this,” Nancy said. “He loves it.”
What’s next? Ronconi doesn’t envision expanding the railway much more. It still requires about two to three hours of maintenance a week, he noted. Not that he minds.
“It brings me peace,” he said. “It’s just a very pleasing attraction. And that’s all I ever wanted it to be.”
