rotating exhibits
Spring Exhibit: Tales of Thomas, Everyone’s Favorite Toy Train
The exhibit looks at the history of Thomas the Tank Engine, from how Wilbert Awdry came up with the story, to the creation of the beloved television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. It will showcase the trains on which Thomas and his friends are based, allowing people to see how the characters were inspired by real-life trains. The exhibit also looks at the isle of Sodor and the characters that live on it, including Thomas and his many friends.
This exhibit is included in museum admission and the Balboa Park Explorer Pass.
PERMANENT EXHIBITS
The Cabrillo Southwestern and the San Diego & Arizona Eastern
by the San Diego Model Railroad Association
The San Diego Model Railroad Association operates the Cabrillo Southwestern O Scale layout and the San Diego and Arizona Eastern HO layout. O scale is 1/48 actual size, or one modeled inch to forty eight real life inches. HO Scale is 1/87 actual size, or one modeled inch to eighty seven actual inches.
The Cabrillo Southwest O Scale layout features a double track main line, a narrow gauge branch line and a mountain district! The layout is 120 feet long and covers 13 scale miles in mainline track. It represents California circa 1955.
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern HO Layout, models San Diego to El Centro in the 1950’s. The layout is 142 feet long and covers 15 scale miles in mainline track. You can follow the line from the Mexican border all the way down to El Centro, where club members expertly recreated a drive in Movie Theater.
The Tehachapi Pass
by the La Mesa Model Railroad Club
The La Mesa Model Railroad Club operates the Southern Pacific-Santa Fe Tehachapi Pass Layout. This exhibit is a highly accurate replica of Southern California’s busiest single track mountain railroad and is HO scale.
The Tehachapi Pass runs through the Tehachapi Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is famous for the Tehachapi Loop, where because of the steep mountain grade the railroad was designed in a spiral loop. You can see this replicated on the mezzanine level of the Tehachapi layout.
During Time Table & Train Order Operating sessions, everything on this layout operates to scale. Including the types of trains run on the track, the times of operation and the speed.
Upcoming Operating Sessions:
1950’s Time Table: May 18-19
Modern Track Warrant: June 15-16
You can learn more about the La Mesa Model Railroad Club here.
Pacific Desert Lines
by the San Diego Society of N Scale
The San Diego Society of N Scale maintains the Pacific Desert Lines layout. In approximately 1500 square feet, the layout models the original 1855 route that was surveyed and planned for the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad but was never built. N Scale is 1/160 actual size, or one modeled inch to one hundred and sixty actual inches.
The layout models a number of San Diego landmarks including the Carlsbad Flower Fields, Carrizo Gorge, and the Downtown. Throughout the layout there are quirky hidden surprises. See if you can spot the pool shark!
The Toy Train Gallery
by the San Diego 3-Railer Club
The San Diego 3-Railer's Club operates the Toy Train Layout in the Toy Train Gallery. This fantasy layout features O Scale “Lionel Type” toy trains running on 3 rail O gauge track. One of the highlights of the gallery is the “Choo-Choo cam” fitted onto a running train which provides visitors with a first person virtual view of the layout.
The exhibit was rated one of the top ten layouts by Classic Toy Trains magazine in 2012.
Freight and Flora: a Garden Railroad
Immerse yourself in the world of Freight and Flora: A Garden Railway Exhibit at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.
With buildings representative of the Gilded Age in 1885, this layout transports you to the time when the Transcontinental Railroad first arrived in San Diego. Marvel at the handcrafted structures as a tribute to our city’s rich history. These buildings were constructed and generously donated by Applied Imaginations.
Prepare to be captivated by the playfulness of scale as G-gauge trains gracefully navigate the gardens, full of drought-resistant plants native to the Southern California region. Railroads are renowned for recycling, reusing, and re-purposing, while moving freight all over the country using energy efficient methods. The Trains and tablets in the Garden Railway are battery powered and use electricity from solar panels installed when this exhibit space was first constructed in 2015. This entire garden honors that planet-friendly commitment.
This exhibit is open subject to volunteer availability and will be closed March 25 - April 23, 2024, due to construction in the Pacific Beach Room.
We are currently looking for Volunteers to operate this exhibit. Learn more here!