Sometimes, it seems, the most magical little worlds live right down the street.

On an ordinary walk one afternoon several years ago, my boys and I happened upon the proverbial hidden treasure. Just like Peter Pan’s magical Never-Never Land or the rabbit hole in Alice’s Wonderland, this little spot on the Old West Side makes one want to shrink and fly over the fence for an extended visit. Imagine taking a walk and looking over someone’s fence to find this:

And this:

It’s enough to take your breath away.

The first several times we stopped at the fence, we'd find that the scenery had changed; new buildings and new trees appeared, rocks and flowers settled in places where there was once only dirt. Now, the town is complete. Even streetlights are in place and a waterfall peacefully flows into a fish pond, sometimes catching leaves from the larger trees above.

The owner of this lovely yard is occasionally seen working on its beautiful setting and one lucky day we even saw the train running. He told us, modestly, that after ten years “it’s about done.” He still hopes to work on the grass a bit.

This out-of-sight garden railway feels like a little secret for those who are lucky enough to stumble upon it. My boys are instantly transfixed, standing unusually still and silent. I remember my own fascination with backyard spaces when my first grade teacher Mrs. Spencer walked us to our classmates’ backyards to teach us about worm and bug habitats. And my mother still reminds me of the neighbor across the street who used space in an unusual way: he would raise his garage door to reveal an entire room, complete with chairs, an area rug and lamps. As a child, I didn’t really think much about this neighbor’s now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t room, but in retrospect it certainly made things more interesting on the street.

While Peter Pan and Alice’s fictional worlds are fascinating and complicated, hidden neighborhood spaces are captivating in a different, real way. Whether it’s a miniature railroad tucked behind a house or a room we see only when the garage door opens, these places provide us a rare glimpse into another person’s world.

For a train’s-eye-view video of this lovely garden railway, click here:

Amy Frontier is an English teacher and mother of three boys who love trains and prefer non-fiction.