Jersey · JE

HSBA Garden Railway

Tucked into a back garden in the parish of St. Mary, HSBA Garden Railway is a lovingly built G Scale (1:22.5) model railway where miniature trains chug through tunnels, climb over bridges, glide past a waterfall and circle a pond full of Koi fish. Built by one enthusiast from a childhood dream, it is one of the island's most charming and unexpectedly delightful small attractions. What makes it special is that it is a real working railway at 4.5% of full size, not a static display. Multiple locomotives with lights, sounds and even smoke run at the same time around 138 metres (455 ft) of track, controlled digitally from a handheld handset. Visitors can wander the full line, peer into the tunnels, hunt out the tiny details and chat with the volunteers who keep the trains moving. It is a family day out with a good cause at its heart: every open day raises money for a different Jersey charity, with more than £29,000 raised and over 3,000 visitors welcomed since 2022. Tickets are simple, teas and cakes are on sale, and there is always something running round the garden to watch.