Went over to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the largest operating model railroad in the world, in Balboa Park with my visiting friend, Ron. We got there at 3:30, half hour before they closed the doors at 4:00. Instead of the regular $8 per ticket price they were nice and charged us only $1 each. Most of the trains weren’t running anyway.
The designers and craftsman have done an incredible job at recreating miniature dioramas of everyday life, adding some humorous and even occasionally ridiculous elements (like a shark in a swimming pool or a train delivering a dinosaur). The amount of detail is nothing short of amazing.
They also have created existing, historically accurate routes including the Tehachapi Pass Loop, which is still a work-in-progress. It was there that Paul,one of the many skilled volunteers, took some time out to chat with Ron and me about the museum and exhibits.
Half hour was definitely not enough time to thoroughly enjoy the museum. I’ve been before and I will absolutely go back again. It’s a fantastic place to forget about the real world and bring back the smiles and dreams of youth, except for the visiting youth who still have the latter and just end up smiling.
