San Diego Model Railroad Museum

This lively western town sits along the narrow-gauge railroad in our #HOScale San Diego & Arizona Eastern exhibit. This is one of two narrow-gauge railroads in the museum the other is in the #OScale Cabrillo Southwestern exhibit! The tracks are only 3 scale feet apart, instead of the usual 5.

A Santa Fe engine carries passengers & freight through one of the dozens of tunnels through the Tehachapi Pass This 8,000 square foot #HOScale Exhibit shows central California, as it existed decades ago. Vic Yoder, YouTube #railroadhistory

Our Gift Shop - which includes drinkware, apparel, train sets, and kids' toys - is always open when we are! If you need to shop after-hours or you're one of our faraway friends, our Online Gift Shop is open 24/7 at https://www.sdmrm.org/shop. We ship across the USA, or you can pick up your order at the museum.

Tell us your thoughts! We've received a generous matching grant to make our museum collection and research library available online to you. Take a short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8Z6NQB to let us know what you want to see out of this ambitious project. You don't need to know anything about collections management all you need is a passion for our mission!

Museum Month returns on February 1 for its 33rd year! This special monthlong event, organized by San Diego Museum Council, offers half-price admission to 45+ museums throughout February. Pick up your Museum Month Pass at one of more than 75 participating libraries across the county, or when you visit a San Diego Macy's. We hope you join us! Spencer Dutton Tehachapi Pass #HOScale Exhibit

El Centro, complete with 2 train stations and a drive-in movie theatre, is the eastern end of our San Diego & Arizona Eastern exhibit. You can follow the SD&AE from El Centro all the way to downtown San Diego! Instagrammer, amy.acosta.739

You never know what kind of equipment will cross paths on our exhibits! Instagrammer, andrew_garcia87 Tehachapi Pass HO Scale Exhibit

This teeny tiny train makes a big impression in our Out of the Vault exhibit! Check out its size compared to a coffee mug.

Layout Vs. Life Santa Fe 3751 This engine provided 26 years of passenger service, including between Los Angeles and San Diego! 3751 is now preserved by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, and even ran special excursions into the 21st century. Tehachapi Pass #HOScale Exhibit

Ever wonder what San Diego Airport looked like 70 years ago? We have an HO Scale model of Lindbergh field right as you walk into the museum! #Sandiegohistory San Diego History Center

#TBT to the construction of our Toy Train Gallery in September 2002. Many of these scenery elements, like the train station platform, car wash, and fire department, are still enchanting guests almost 20 years later! #throwbackthursday

This #TrainFactTuesday honors one of the largest and most powerful series of steam locomotives ever built: The Big Boy! 25 of these engines were produced, and they mostly pulled freight. The locomotive and tender combined weigh more than a Boeing 747.

Enjoy this car's-eye view of our O Scale Toy Train Gallery! (This video was taken during Halloween, so you may see some spooky decorations!)

Don't miss the magic! The Carolwood Pacific: Walt's Magical Railroad is in its FINAL weekend. Come down to SDMRM and see a variety of historical artifacts on loan from Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn - some of which were personally owned by Walt himself. Thank you to Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn for collaborating with us to create this amazing exhibit.

Event Alert! We're hosting our first 2021 Family Day on June 19, celebrating the Dads and Dad-like Dudes that make us laugh & teach us important lessons. Visit SDMRM on Saturday 6/19 for crafts, cards, and more! Museum members, visit & receive a special gift that you can share with a dad in your life. See you there with dad in tow! ... Tickets: https://tickets.sdmrm.org/e/san-diego-model-railroad-museum (Pre-pandemic photo)

Bring the fun to your home! Virtual Summer Camp teaches kids how to build a miniature railroad of their own, and everything you need can be shipped to your door! Register at https://www.sdmrm.org/summer-camps If you need supplies shipped, please register for Session 1 by June 15 or Session 2 by June 22. Session 1: June 22-24 Session 2: June 29-July 1

The San Diego 3-Railers are known for their engine-uity in track planning and design! Four track lines can become independent loops, to allow for up to 7 trains to run simultaneously. Today is the LAST DAY to give - 50% of donations to the museum made today will support the San Diego 3-Railers, an independent model railroading club. Give at https://www.sdmrm.org/donate

Got a little one with boundless imagination? Model Railroading Summer Camp lets them create their own tiny world! Registration for in-person or virtual camp is open NOW, and capacity of in-person camps is limited. Visit https://www.sdmrm.org/summer-camps dates & details! (pre-pandemic photo)

Tomorrow is the LAST day to support the 3-Railers with your donations! Give at https://www.sdmrm.org/donate to help maintain & operate our Toy Train Gallery for years to come. Want to learn more about the Toy Train Gallery? Watch our newest YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/ntLUthJZ21w

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms, and thank you for all that you do! We seeing moms like Ciera create precious memories during museum visits. Instagrammer, clynngreene

Santa Fe Fast Mail train No. 8 starts the climb toward the summit of the Tehachapi Mountains, following the Caliente Creek in the foothills just past the town of Tehachapi. The trip can be quite a journey but we say No train, no gain! Today is the FINAL DAY to give! During Tehachapi Spotlight Week (May 2-8), 50% of donations to the museum will support the La Mesa Model Railroad Club, an independent model railroad club and one of three organizations that founded the museum. Give at the link in bio! Vic Yoder, YouTube

Help keep our engines running! Tomorrow is the last day to support the La Mesa Model Railroad Club - LMMRRC, Inc. with your donations. Half of the contributions made at sdmrm.org/donate will support the club so they can maintain the Tehachapi Pass exhibit for decades to come. Want to learn more about the La Mesa Model Railroad Club and the Tehachapi Pass exhibit? Watch our newest YouTube Video, Spotlight on Tehachapi Pass https://youtu.be/qZD3kgGTfvk

#ThrowbackThursday to a very important day the Golden Spike ceremony marking the completion of the last segment of the main line of the Tehachapi Pass exhibit! Tony Andersen, Chief Engineer of the La Mesa Model Railroad Club - LMMRRC, Inc., and club member John Rotsart, the first Executive Director of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, drove the final spikes on December 12, 2015. Don’t forget - during Tehachapi Spotlight Week (May 2-8), 50% of donations to the museum will support the La Mesa Model Railroad Club, an independent model railroad club and one of three organizations that founded the museum. Give at https://www.sdmrm.org/donate Jay Styron

Here's a #TrainFactTuesday about our good ol' US of A - Our nation's railway system is connected by 489 million railway ties and made of over 107 BILLION pounds of steel!

Next time you hear an outrageous story from the railroad, be sure to take it with a TRAIN of salt! #sundaypunday

Who else could use a Friday afternoon in this peaceful valley? Tehachapi Pass layout #HOScale

While SDMRM remains closed, check out our website and find... Our online exhibits, 75 Years of Thomas and Iron Women. Activities for kids, including a course on how to build your own model railroad! Just go to www.sdmrm.org and scroll to "What's Online."

We're across the pond on #TrainFactTuesday! The "Rocket" locomotive was constructed & built by the English father-son duo George and Robert Stephenson, and it's often considered as the world's first modern steam locomotive. The revolutionary engine had the breakneck speed of 24-36 miles per hour. Replicas like the second photo have been displayed around the globe. : Wikipedia, American-Rails.com

With the new school semester officially in full swing and thousands of kids nationwide still navigating distance-learning, we'd like to thank Price Philanthropies and the Community Service Association of San Diego Unified School District for their generous support in 2020 of the museum's educational programs. Delivering distance-learning programs has been a challenge, but with your help we've been able to show kids across North America the ways concepts from the railroad impact their daily life.

During Click or Treat, we'll be sharing stories of spooky or paranormal happenings around trains This first edition takes us to the life er, afterlife of President Lincoln. Have YOU ever seen this all-American apparition?

We're hosting San Diego native, award-winning radio host, AND modeler citizen Shotgun Tom Kelly live from his home! He will showcase his model railroad layout in this up-close-and-personal look at his life off the airwaves via Zoom Webinar. Thursday, October 29 at 6 p.m. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shotgun-tom-kelly-layout-tour-

It's almost Halloween, so it's time to CLICK or Treat! Lurk on www.sdmrm.org/trains-and-tots for coloring pages, crafts, and stories... Haunt our halls to see elaborate decorations and find some Friendly Phantoms... & get special treats when you donate to our GoFundMe at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/sdmrm... Museum members - check your emails for a special event.

Keep up the steam and keep the wheels turning you're halfway through the week! This video features a Lionel Chesapeake & Ohio F19 Pacific engine whizzing past the camera.

What did you do for fun when you were 16? On May 8, 1993, a train-savvy New York City teen impersonated a subway conductor and operated an A Train for nearly three and a half hours, transporting over 2,000 people (safely!) before accidentally triggering the emergency brakes, notifying officials. #TrainFactTuesday : Caitsith810 on YouTube

Did you know a museum Membership can pay for itself in just two visits? Becoming a museum Member is a great way to show your support while enjoying valuable benefits like free admission and discounts in our in-person and online gift shops. Visit https://www.sdmrm.org/become-a-member for more information!... (Pre-pandemic photo)

It's #throwbackthursday every day in the San Diego and Arizona Eastern HO-scale layout, which showcases San Diego and El Centro as they looked in the 1950s!

Like a train, a museum needs great people to keep moving forward. Thank you to our layout operators, volunteers, and staff for ensuring we can chug along smoothly!

On Thursday night, expert modeler Ryan Di Fede takes us on a journey through the historical Pacific Northwest as he shows his N-Scale model of the Cascade Line - the Southern Pacific Railroad as it existed and operated between Eugene, Oregon and the Cascade Summit in 1954. Ryan will detail his entire creative process, from research to construction to executing the finest details! The Cascade Line has been Ryan's labor of love, so join us for this in-depth look at an intricate home layout. Thursday, October 15 6 p.m. via Zoom Webinar https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ryan-di-fede-layout-tour-ticke

We enjoy taking you around the world on #TrainFactTuesday, but this one's closer to home. The real-life Tehachapi Loop took two years to complete (1874-1876). Our HO-scale Tehachapi Pass layout, which contains the loop, was constructed by La Mesa Model Railroad Club - LMMRRC, Inc. also over the course of two years! Construction began in 2003 and the first train went around the Loop in June 2005.

Did you know you can buy museum tickets ONLINE? Look for "Buy Tickets" under the "Visit" tab on www.sdmrm.org & select your visit date to get to the fun! If you have questions, reach out to [email protected] or call (619) 696-0199 and press 1.

Robots in disguise (as engines)! Our in-person and online gift shop feature this colorful "Trains-former" toy that starts as a locomotive and becomes a robotic pal for your favorite child.