Home with personal railway sells for $2 million
A popular home in the Adelaide suburb of Mount Osmond has been sold in a multimillion-dollar deal and boasts a surprise feature: a life-size train track.
The property at 3 Stymie Place has an 80-metre railway that runs around the property and includes a 34-metre underground tunnel.
While many train enthusiasts were attracted to the property, selling agent Pat Schinella of Agency Avenue Schinellas revealed that the buyer wasn’t one of them.
“We had quite a number of people showing interest in the property,” he said.
“A couple of people were train enthusiasts but it didn’t sell to anyone who was a train enthusiast.”
Mr Schinella said the buyer was a businessman who intended to move into the home with his family.
“The buyer loved the garden and the views mostly,” Mr Schinella said.
“It was the views, the privacy, the gardens, the quality of the build - they could see that they could take it to another level.
“I think they are probably going to leave the track there and maybe down the road purchase something to put on the track as a bit of a novelty.”
As well as the novelty railway, the 2770 square-metre property includes a 700 square-metre home with up to five bedrooms, an indoor pool, spa, and sauna, and large indoor and outdoor living spaces.
The track was built by the previous owner, 95-year-old Bob Nash, who retired at 47 to take up model engineering.
While living in the home Mr Nash built seven steam trains and an electric tram - all from the property’s workshop.
“It’s not a toy track, it’s a serious, fun track and children of all ages are capable of driving the tram - it is as simple as (pulling) a lever,” Mr Nash’s son Peter said.
“Anybody that jumps on it, whether you’re five or 55, it doesn’t matter - you get a bit of a buzz out of it.”
Though none of the trains or the tram were included in the sale, Mr Nash said compatible trains were commonly available.
The property’s sale came in as the second highest in the suburb, according to CoreLogic data.
However, Mr Schinella said it was “the highest price achieved per square metre per allotment”.
Images: realestate.com.au