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Wenjiang man creates train world in back yard

Zhang Jiu'an, a 63-year-old resident of Chengdu's Wenjiang district, spent five years creating a miniature train world in his back yard, with the help of his son and a German friend.

The train set is located in Zhang's back yard. Zhang said that after he designed the platform, he decided to cover his entire yard in train tracks. The scene includes mountains, streams, animals, houses and factories.

"Some are ready-made molds we purchased, while others were made by my son. We assembled them together," he said.

In order to make the trains move, Zhang began to make his own train sand tables in 2007.

A corner of the train yard built by 63-year-old Zhang Jiu'an in Chengdu's Wenjiang district. [Photo/cnr.cn]

"The work moved from an original four-square-meter room to a 20-square-meter garage, and then finally to my father's house. That's how passionate he is about this project," said Zhang Chi, the man's son.

Thanks to his father, Zhang Chi has also fallen in love with model trains, learning about circuits and control design throughout the construction process.

His father bought the house in Wenjiang in 2009. "The property is only 150 square meters, but the back yard is about 330 square meters".

"The train sand table is based on a real location in Germany and was constructed at a scale of 1:22.5," he said.

Several model trains are scattered in the train yard built by 63-year-old Zhang Jiu'an in Chengdu's Wenjiang district. [Photo/cnr.cn]

In the summer of 2013, Zhang Jiu'an and his son began to build the train yard. At that time, with the exception of a few model trains they already had, the duo had to prepare everything from scratch, including tracks, culverts, guardrails and industrial facilities.

They then met a German man online who shared the same hobby. The man, calling himself Hoffman, was previously an assembly engineer at a top 500 steel company in Germany.

Zhang Chi said that Hoffman was crucial to the project." He provided us with a design scheme for a mature industrial system, allowing us to work faster and achieve better results," he added.

The cross-sea bridge on the edge of the "Pacific Ocean" in the back yard was Hoffman's work.

Chengdu's 63-year-old Zhang Jiu'an shows off his train yard. [Photo/cnr.cn]

The train yard isn't cheap - basic decoration, models, control equipment, and especially the standard control, which must be imported, are all expensive. Despite the costs, Zhang and his son are planning to press forward with the project.

Zhang Jiu'an has said that money won't stop him from achieving his dreams. His biggest wish is to build a nationally recognized simulation dynamic sand table and establish a national fan center in Chengdu to teach more people about the history of trains.

The duo have poured their hearts into the project." The yard may not open to the public, but we will open up to the industry," said Zhang Chi.

He revealed that they have cooperated with several companies in Beijing and Shanghai." These companies have a demand for train models and sand tables. We can supply them with consumables, rails, buildings, and most importantly, experience." he said.