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San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego

4.5

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One of the largest venues of its kind in the world, San Diego Model Railroad Museum features a number of scale model railorads and layouts. The four clubs that created and maintain these exhibits are the San Diego Model Railroad Association, La Mesa Model Railroad Club, San Diego Society of N-Scale, and San Diego 3-Railers. Children adore the hands-on "Lionel type" layouts at the museum's toy train gallery. Since opening in 1982, almost 3 million visitors have spent time learning and playing at this interactive and informative museum. San Diego Model Railroad Museum is just one of the many highlights you can arrange to see using our , world travel planner Edition.

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Tours to San Diego Model Railroad Museum

FROM $89 BOOK WITH VIATOR Go City: San Diego Explorer Pass - Choose 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 Attractions Go City: San Diego Explorer Pass - Choose 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 Attractions

3.2

Duration: 60 days

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San Diego Model Railroad Museum reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

544 reviews

Google

4.6

By Douglas S

Stopped in on a poor weather day and really enjoyed it. It was nice there were people there to talk to, and explain a lot about the different models.

Stopped in on a poor weather day and really enjoyed it. It was nice there were people there to talk to, and explain a lot about the different models. more »
By Evan C

As a resident of San Diego, I come to Balboa Park often. The first time I went to this museum, I was hooked on trains, eventually leading to me becoming a member of two of the clubs here. It isn't...

As a resident of San Diego, I come to Balboa Park often. The first time I went to this museum, I was hooked on trains, eventually leading to me becoming a member of two of the clubs here. It isn't... more »
By AF6096

While walking through Balboa park discovered this museum. Something I wanted to see. If you like miniaturization and are interested in model trains it is quite a display. I really enjoyed it. My.... more

While walking through Balboa park discovered this museum. Something I wanted to see. If you like miniaturization and are interested in model trains it is quite a display. I really enjoyed it. My.... more »

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Google

By RedBullKC

What a spectacular downtown visit of childhood and fun for all! We toured and watched for an hour finding new things and hidden "innuendos" throughout! Love trains as a kid and this is a hidden gem 💎 to enjoy for as long as you want! The store is filled with toys, trains or publications to purchase and a complete layout of 2 full rooms to walk around and enjoy the scenery, flashing lights and pure artistry and creativeness at its best! The flashing lights, moving trains and storm from above brings out all alive and wanting to see more! 👀 A blessing to visit on a whim and enjoyment throughout! Kids and adults will appreciate! Great job in "Old San Diego Downtown!" 👏 Enjoy the photos and look closely! 😉

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By Beth Cato

What a fantastic place to geek out over model trains! I absolutely loved all of the displays, even the ones that showed sections in progress. The people involved here do incredible work. There are so many details built into every scene.

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By Elisa Coates

My kid LOVED it here. Tons of details on the models, and the makers were busy at work while we visited. My one complaint is that it’s not really designed for young toddlers. My son is very tall for a 2 year old and even on the little platforms to climb up he was barely at eye level with the trains. I had to continually hold him up for almost the entire two hours we were there, so it was a bit more tiring of an activity for me than I was expecting! We also loved exploring Balboa Park for the morning before the museum opened.

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By Eric Yang

According to them, this is North America's largest model train museum, quite a sight to behold. There are tons and tons of rooms, each with several separate tracks. Adult tickets are $13, with discounts for children, students, elderly, etc. It's not crowded at all. Though I have no interest in trains, the intricacy of the models is seriously incredible and it was very memorable.

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By Lissa Newton

Interesting museum with fascinatingly intricate minatures, this place delights children and adults alike. From the tiny chickens to the working steam engines on the moving trains, it's like being a giant walking along stretches of various scenery. It's definitely worth the visit.

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