The National Toy Train Museum presents exciting model train displays for hours of entertainment for kids of all ages. Push buttons to operate the animated displays. Watch with awe as small engines pull passenger and cargo cars over bridges, through tunnels and past miniature buildings, trees and people while trains on separate tracks roll along to other destinations.
Look for Lionel and American Flyer equipment as well as other manufacturers. Animated layouts feature G, HO, O, S and Standard gauge models. Lining the walls are thousands of examples of toy train cars made from plastic or metal. Older trains are steam or diesel while newer ones are electric and even controlled by computers. The oldest display, from 1840, is a Stevens steam locomotive with an alcohol burner. The history of hobby trains includes exhibits of old tinplate trains and the Model Railroader magazine popular with train collectors in the 1940s and 1950s. Visit the on-site library, which has over 500,000 items.
The museum is the headquarters for the Train Collectors Association. Chat with the folks here who are hobby train enthusiasts and volunteer as docents. Get started on your own train hobby with advice from these experts. Visit the shop to purchase train-themed gifts of all types.
Reach the train museum in Strasburg, about a 1-hour drive from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania or Wilmington, Delaware. Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are about a 90-minute drive away. The museum is generally open daily from June through August, on weekends in spring and fall and for school vacation weeks. Check the website for specific opening days and times. The entrance fee is reduced for seniors, children and families.
For a train-filled day, combine your visit to the National Toy Train Museum with stops at other nearby attractions. At the Choo Choo Barn see more model trains with animated scenes. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania provides a history of trains, with actual full-size engines, cars and cabooses. Ride the Strasburg Rail Road through scenic Amish farmlands on a round-trip to the town of Paradise.
