
Even big kids would struggle to outgrow the world's largest model railway.

Northlandz model railroad, in Flemington, New Jersey, was painstakingly constructed by hand and took 16 years to complete.

Bruce Williams Zaccagnino started the project as a hobby in his basement with the help of his wife Jean before opening its doors to the public as a tourist attraction in 1997.

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Northlandz model railroad, in Flemington, New Jersey, was painstakingly constructed by hand and took 16 years to complete

LIfe's work: It took creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino 16 years to finally bring his dream of Northlandz - the world's biggest model railway - to life

The model railway has an impressive 100 trains, 400 bridges and more than nine miles of track, as well as 3,000 miniature buildings that make up idyllic miniature towns and villages.

There are also 50,000 streets and 40ft bridges spanning across vast canyons, all of which Mr Zaccagnino designed and painstakingly handcrafted on his own.

He said: 'There's just nothing else like it. Visitors come out saying it's one of the wonders of the world.

'I think people might be put off because they think it is just about model trains, but it is so much more than that.

Bruce Williams Zaccagnino started the project as a hobby in his basement with the help of his wife Jean before opening its doors to the public

The model boasts an impressive 100 trains, 400 bridges and more than nine miles of track as well as 3,000 miniature buildings

There are 50,000 streets and 40ft bridges spanning across vast canyons, all of which Mr Zaccagnino designed and painstakingly handcrafted on his own

The hit attraction was recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest model of its kind in the world

Bruce Williams Zaccagnino said most of the scenes are representative of places in the world where you would see trains such as a Swiss village or big city

According to Bruce Williams Zaccagnino visitors describe the model railway as one of the wonders of the world

Historic: The model railway aims to show the history of the railroads across the U.S. through the years with famous scenes

Some people say the model railway is better than the Grand Canyon according to Mr Zaccagnino who spent 16 years building the railway

'Most of the scenes are representative of places in the world where you would see trains - such as a Swiss village or a big city.

'And part of it also shows the history of railroads across the U.S. through the years - with famous scenes including when they connected the East and West Coasts.

'If I could, I'd love to see it all for the first time. People have come in and told me it's better than the Grand Canyon - I wish I could experience that.'

The hit attraction was recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest model of its kind in the world - with competition from Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany.