Father and son turn front hedge into incredible polar express themed light display

A father and son duo used lockdown to turn their front hedge into an incredible polar express themed light show in time for Christmas.

Robert Ingleson, 75 said he created the impressive scale model of a Mallard steam engine with his son Michael, 38, as he “needed something to do”.

While work started on the project in November last year, image retoucher Michael said he first came up with the original idea eight years earlier.

During the fabrication process, the pair fitted their wooden framed model with 15,000 lights, each of which was drilled and superglued individually.

Since it was completed on Sunday (Nov 28), retired fabricated Robert said that he’s been stunned by the attention that the light-up train has received.
He said: “The whole village loves it. We’ve had rows of cars going by!”

Michael said that he first came up with the concept for the light-up train at their shared home in the village of Ottringham, Yorks, when he was in his early thirties.

“I’ve lived at that house since I was a kid, and basically the hedge has always looked to me like a train, so it’s always been in the back of my mind.

“Then one day, I ended up drawing it – this is about 8 years ago – I just drew the steam train outline with the coal truck at the back, and that was it.