Visit with Doug in San Diego at the Museum (Revised)

[dbaker48]

This is one heck of a place! Talk about a fantasy playland. I only touched on one area, an awfull lot to do and see!!


San Diego Model Railroad Museum
At 28,000 square feet, the museum is the world’s largest operating model railroad museum. This unique museum contains four enormous scale and model layouts, built by separate clubs, which depict railroads of the Southwest in O, HO, and N scales. In addition, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum features a Toy Train Gallery with an interactive Lionel layout for children and state-of-the-art theater lighting.
Hours: Tue. –Fri. 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Public information: [phone], www.sdmrm.org/ http://www.balboapark.org/museums.html#railroad

Hope, you enjoy the pictures, photographic skills aren't very good...
Turn camera on (hopefull)
Point and Shoot


Group meeting area prior to assending in the land of "O"

Perimeter area around layout, and entry







How about this for a Monopoly Board, Of course the dummys are from the 4 RR, B&O, Short Line, Reading, and Pennsylvania.


In the background is our great host 'dougdagrump'


Now the entire room has a very unique lighting affect, every 30 minutes the room cycles from daylight then through dusk, to night, and returns. Really awesome feature.











Notice in the foreground, a Buddy dummy is being pushed by a GNSF geep, the Budd car has a color security camera that is providing a live tour of the layout. The monitor is located on a column in the center of the room where the many visitors are viewing.





The following images are the city, industrial, and some rural areas along the layout. (You may notice a “brown” area in the background. That is a window to a hallway in the museum.













Between the two brown post uprights is an access gatre. The gate is carrying two major lines, and really works great!



The bridges are beautiful! The black area is the layout facing.




As can be seen the night is beginning to fall.



The engine and tender on the right is the “low cost” Big Boy that Doug referred to in the Coffee Cup.









And night is here





Again, the guys that were on duty were; Doug, Jim, and Jon.

Jim had brought lunch for all, some mighty tasty clam chowder. The guys were really a great personable bunch. Their was a “constant” flow of visitors thru the area. If you ever have a chance the SD Train Museum is a MUST SEE

Thanks Doug !!!

[1688torpedo]

Nice Photo's Don! Where are the 1688s hiding though?[;)][:)]

[ChiefEagles]

Dang!!! Thought I'd see a picture of Dougsnotagrump and then I would really know he is bauld and snaggle toothed. [;)] Looks like a great place.

[dwiemer]

Wow! Honey, can I have a layout like this one? BAM! That is great. Only wish I had a place like that around these parts.
dennis

[Jumijo]

Wow! Nice layout, but equally nice room. Love those built-ins!

Jim

[wrmcclellan]

Really nice guys - Don - thanks for sharing the photos!

Roy

[laz 57]

DON, Nice pics, is that a murel or painting in the background?
laz57

[dougdagrump]

Don,
I am glad your photos survived, the floppy drive went berserk and trashed mine. With me in one of the photos I'm surprised your camera didn't break, a little lens fog at the least.
Look forward to your next visit. Maybe next time I'll even let you run your own cabforward.[:I][:o)][:D]
Laz,
The walls and support columns are murels.
Fortunately it wasn't a real busy day, if you want to see controled chaos the first tuesday of each month is free admission.[swg]

[jefelectric]

Don, That is a great musuem and you did a good job on the pictures.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing these photos! I'd love to visit there sometime!

[csxt30]

Oh Boy !! What a place !! Hope I can visit there some day too !!
Thanks for sharring !!

[spankybird]

Great job Don. I could only hope that our Museum could come close to that one.

[FJ and G]

Thanks for sharing. I went to Balboa Park several years ago but couldn't find the RR club and I believe it was not open at the time in any case (lived in SD from 79-81 in Old towne and Point Loma); best weather in the USA.

[Anonymous]

I visited the Museum a week ago while on a business trip to San Diego. The place is simply awesome! I could've spent a day taking in the details and talking with the nice people running the railroad that day. By the way... just down the hall is a more traditional Flyer type club layout that is certainly fun as well.

The lighting was done by a professional lighting company, and it is marvelous.

Greg

[c50truck]

Thanks for sharing Don. As I’ve said before in this forum, I need to travel more. I think it’s time I visited family down in LA and San Diego, and check out this museum.

ROAD TRIP, wife calls shotgun!

Rod.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Great photos, Don.

My last visit to the museum was in 2001, after the Rose Bowl. I keep telling Doug, I'm bringing my trains the next time.

[mitchelr]

Makes me wish I had more vacation time and more $$$. I really loved visiting Balboa Park when we visted San Diego but we didn't get to the train layouts. Maybe next time...

Don and Dougdagrump - thanks for sharing. What a great place.

Mitch

[dougdagrump]

I keep tellin' ya buckeye, The Door Is Always Open. [:D] Shouldn't you and the rest of the OTTS executive committee make a factfinding trip. [:)]
If memory serves the exhibit that Gregg is talking about was a modular layout put on by the All Gauge group.
The meeting room that Don showed is used for guest exhibitors, from All Gauge to Lego and others in between. [8D]