rotating and Temporary exhibits
SUMMER Exhibit: The History of Circus Trains
JUNE 10 - NOVEMBER 30, 2025
SDMRM's newest exhibit, Step Right Up: The History of Circus Trains, invites visitors to journey back in time to an era when the circus was one of America’s favorite pastimes, and trains were the only way to bring the magic to towns across the country. This immersive exhibition explores the unique and fascinating role that railroads played in the golden age of the traveling circus.
Learn about the different types of train cars used to transport performers, animals, equipment, and elaborate sets from city to city. Discover how these mobile marvels functioned as both transportation and temporary homes, and how the efficiency of the rail system allowed circuses to entertain millions. The exhibit also explores the cultural significance of the circus, its dramatic rise in popularity, and the eventual decline of big top productions as new forms of entertainment emerged.
Opening Tuesday, June 10 and running through November 2025, Step Right Up offers an in-depth look at an exciting slice of American history.
Please note: Due to SDMRM’s Summer Camp programming, weekday access to the exhibit will be limited from June 16 through August 1. Weekend access will remain fully available during this time.
Admission to the exhibit is included with standard museum entry and is also part of the Explorer Pass. Don’t miss this chance to experience the intersection of railroading and showmanship in a truly unforgettable display.
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.
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 most Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and is subject to volunteer availability and weather. This is exhibit is closed when it is raining.
We are currently looking for Volunteers to operate this exhibit. Learn more here!