This month’s Home of the Month is an homage to a life of dedication and a love for smiling children. For those Alessandro Heights residents who have been in the neighborhood for some time, they may remember the model train house off of Rimroad, also known as RF Railroad. You may have even taken your kids or grandkids by there for some weekend family time and spent perhaps hours looking in amazement at the incredible detail put into every corner of this wonder.

Roger and Faith Clarkson began this passion project in 1980. At that point, it was just one small set in their garage. It quickly grew to the entirety of the garage itself. Once the 3-car garage was filled, the only other place to go was to the backyard.

There are many amazing videos you can find online of the incredible backyard setup. For this article, we’ll be showing where it all started. The garage. You could easily spend hours on end looking at the world created under this roof. It can be so immersive that if you get in close enough, you almost feel the scenery come to life in front of you. There are people, buildings, cars and trucks rumbling down the road, deer on the hillside, and animals in the corrals. You can see commerce happening, with a milkman making deliveries, farmers at auction, and families stopping by the local general store. It all feels so real.

As you make your way deeper into the miniature world you’ll find an exciting little carnival, complete with rides and a Ferris wheel. In the very corner, there is even a beautiful ski resort with a fully operational ski lift. When you take all this in, the phrase passion project is somehow an understatement.

There is so much life present in this work of art. This is why this is a necessary homage to the creators of it. We lost the amazing husband and wife creators, Roger and Faith Clarkson not long ago. The home is now in the loving hands of our new residents, Luis and Summer, along with their three amazing children. The family has had a chance to enjoy it themselves but want to keep it living on. They are working with several collectors and museums across the country to find a way to transport the set to a safe location where it can be enjoyed for decades to come. The family was excited to have it memorialized in the photos of their Stroll Alessandro Heights publication before it heads off to its new home.

The Stroll team and your neighbors thank you for allowing us in your home to take photos and give it a loving send-off. A multi-decade-long legacy of a couple who wanted to bring more smiles to a great community. Thank you Roger and Faith Clarkson, and thank you, Luis and Summer.