San Diego ExperienceA Visit to San Diego's Model Railroad Museum
Small-sized Scale Promises Giant-sized Fun
Nestled beneath the impressive architecture along Balboa Park’s famous El Prado sits a world-class model railroad museum promising to impress and enchant patrons of all ages. For just a small entrance fee of seven dollars ($7) for adults and no charge for kids 15 and under, your family will delight at this diminutive world of tiny-scaled people, Lilliputian villages, and authentic model trains. Not only will your kids be amused with the variety of working models - with several exhibits mirroring the California landscape - they might just learn a tad about geography and history too. If you’re looking for something different for your family, here are my tips for a visit to one of our city’s unusual treasures. First, although Balboa Park offers many places to enjoy a packed lunch, the model train museum is housed below ground in the Casa de Balboa building which has a fantastic café upstairs. They offer a variety of fresh made deli sandwiches, coffees, and even great deserts at average deli prices. Downstairs near the entrance is a great train museum store housing gifts, posters, books, and many types of classic train items. It’s a good place to find a unique San Diego souvenir that your kids will actually like! Once inside, stay straight and start following along the little black and white railroad ties along the floor. If you go to the right you’ll inevitably end up stuck in the Thomas the Train room hiding in the corner. Of course this is fun for kids- but you will never get out of there to see the rest of the museum. My route saves this room for the end. No worries. There is plenty to look at elsewhere. The staff and volunteers have thought of great ways to help little ones see all the towns and trains by providing clear plexiglass throughout and several built in stoops to climb up so they can view all the layouts at their eye level.
 Ian Kearns tries engineering at "Mac's Kids Corner" Copyright©2009 sandiego.com, Inc. You’ll probably want to spend the majority of your time in the large-scale San Diego 3-Rail Club Toy Train Gallery at the far right corner (#24 on the map). This exhibit gives 3-Rail hobby club members an enchanting life-like town to run their toy trains, and many times will have several running at once. Volunteers here are always friendly and eager to share their town’s history, secrets, and creative original features. Be sure to stay long enough for “nightfall” when their inventiveness really shows. This is the only rail museum gallery with a programmed overhead lighting feature moving it’s miniature residents from day to night in a rotating span every 12-15 minutes. Your kids will be especially captivated by the unique “choo choo cam” broadcasting real-time video to a nearby TV monitor while a train makes it’s way through the village. Also nearby are hands-on buttons allowing kids to run their own trains through the town’s local coal mine. Don’t be quick to leave: this room rivals even the most impressive Department 56 details and professional miniaturists. As you continue on, be sure to pay special notice to the only model railroad layout of the Santa Fe Tehachapi Pass currently undergoing additional construction along the upper mezzanine. The scope and scale of this layout is notable, and former model train builders will appreciate its authenticity and attention to detail. Here inquisitive kids can bend the ear of club members and see how a model train layout is constructed from the inside out. If they are interested in participating further, there is a train club for kids ages 6 and up so they can be a part of the action too. Once you are satisfied with your view of the museum's train antiquities and its charming whimsy, park it in the far right corner and let the toddlers spend some energy in this thoughtful room set up with Thomas train tables, train puzzles and train books. You might have to intervene occasionally in “engineer squabbles” so your best bet to is to visit when it’s not crowded (hint hint: nap times or any other day of the month besides Free MuseumTuesday). Somehow, train tables at other places always surpass the ones you have at home - not sure why that is. For school-agers, try a visit on Tuesdays or Fridays from 11am-3pm when the Library and Education Great Room hosts “Mac’s Kid’s Corner”. Here they can do crafts, build train tracks or read more about trains in books and train encyclopedias. The museum and gift shop is open Tues-Fri. 11am-4pm and Sat./Sun. from 11am-5pm. Be sure to visit, and think about throwing in a couple of extra bucks in the donation box to thank these train enthusiasts for sharing their passion and giving us a healthy dose of old-school whimsical family fun.
 Jolene Kearns About the author: Jolene Kearns holds a BA in Theater from the University of Alaska and was inspired to teach creative arts to children as a director of preschool and after-school programs. Her most passionate role to date is being mom to her 3 year old toddler and six year old twins. Before writing for San Diego.com she wrote for local travel sites and parenting blogs. Jolene truly believes San Diego is America's Finest City, and THE BEST place to raise kids. More by this author Subscribe to Experience:
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