San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Famous among railroad fanatics for its curvy stretch known as 'The Loop', the Tehachapi Pass is a 70-mile railroad line between Bakersfield and Mojave, and SDMRM has replicated it in full, complete with mountains and the whole thing is built to 1/87th its actual size.

This spectacular replica models the prototype railroad connecting San Diego with El Cajon and El Centro, and features an impressive 10-foot high model of the treacherous Carrizo Gorge and Goat Canyon trestle.

Based on detailed turn-of-the-century plans to lay a railroad from San Diego to the east coast, this computer-controlled replica features a meticulously detailed Santa Fe Depot and Carlsbad Power Plant, which took hundreds of hours to complete.

Everything is tiny in this exhibit, which features a 42 by 44-foot permanent layout including very lifelike scenery, figurines, and trains with horns and real smoke! Also on display are a rare collection of Lionel type models from the 1920s through the 1950s, complemented by select pieces of railroad-inspired artwork by Angela Trotta Thomas.

Prepare to be captivated by the playfulness of scale as G-gauge trains gracefully navigate gardens that are 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.