As the name implies, the railroad is based in part on places in J.R.R. Tolkien's writings. The route of the present railroad follows that taken by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, from his home in Hobbiton, past Bree and Rivendell, up to the Mines of Moria (here called Moria Mining Co.) and the forests of Lothlorien, and to the Lonley Mountain.
The railroad is esentially a narrow gauge common carrier that shares trackage rights with a logging railroad owned by the Hobbiton Lumber Company. Motive power is the same basic roster as on the HO versions of the railroad: a C-16 size 2-8-0 Consolidation, a two cylinder 14 ton Shay, and a Little River Lumber Co. style 2-4-4-2 Mallet. Operation consists of way freight, mixed and passenger runs with logging and ore train runs from Lothlorien and Moria..
Routing and town placement are basically the same as in the final HO version with some omissions due to the larger scale. Rivendell has replaced Midland City as the railroad's main terminus and main yard. Even though its physical configuration is different, the garden railroad has the same basic operating scheme as the third and final HO version of the railroad. The Rivendell & Midland concept has been in existence for over 20 years and is very much alive and well in its fifth version.