I hate to admit it, but there is something special about model railways that appeals to my inner child. Whether it’s a fun and whimsical theme or something with more serious historical theme, whenever I see there is a model railway available on my travels. And it was indeed a selfish choice to ensure we always have a train-themed travel deal every month in our special offers.
But enough about me – we’ve got a train to catch, figuratively speaking, with some of these world’s best model railways.
Miniatur Wunderland – Hamburg, Germany
We start out with one of the world’s biggest and best model railways: Miniatur Wunderland, in Hamburg. The place is sprawling with various exhibits and rail lines, and they say it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of northern Germany so be prepared to wait for your turn. By 2015 several new sections will be opened, making this the undisputed champ of model railways. Be sure to check out the behind the tour for a fascinating (but narrow) perspective!
Miniature World – Victoria, Canada
After Vancouver sightseeing, I headed over to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. A little-known attraction in the bottom of the Empress Hotel is Miniature World, a great place to take children or escape rainy weather. The model railway is great, but there are also standalone exhibits too, and the series about the circus coming to down makes this a model railway lover’s favourite.
Northlandz – Flemington, NJ, United States
If the best model railways take time to build, then after 25 years I think Northlandz deserved to be on the list. With 8 miles of track and half a million trees, this place is more like a museum than a model railway. This can make for a great daytrip from New York City if you’re so inclined, as it’s only about 1-1.5 hrs each way.
York Model Railway – York, England
I loved all the fun things to do in York, one of my favourite cities in England. But my feelings on the York Model Railway are mixed. I love that each of their displays has both a day and night mode, which kind of gives you 2-for-1. And some of the displays are so well done – I love the massive covered railway station you can see in the picture above. Plus the model railway is inside the York Railway station, which makes for the perfect train-lover’s experience. But the York railway is showing signs of age; in fact, a couple of displays looked like they might not make it around the next bend in the track. A shame – places like this should be preserved, so give ‘em a visit when you’re next in York.
LOXX – Berlin, Germany
LOXX is another railroader paradise: from accurate examples of each style of German trains, to an active airport (including takeoffs and landings) and even cars driving around, LOXX is definitely one of the best model railways. It’s near Alexanderplatz; the place is so big it even has a map, so be sure to check it so you don’t miss any of the exhibits.
Gainsborough Model Railway – Gainsborough, England
Enthusiasts say one of the best model railways in the UK is the Gainsborough Model Railway. This model railway is so accurate it requires several operators to actually run the train line that is a replica of the East Coast express from London King’s Cross station to Leeds. The exhibit is not open on a regular basis, so be sure to check the website for opening times.
San Diego Railway Museum – San Diego, California, United States
If you can tear yourself away from San Diego’s gorgeous harbour and cosmopolitan Gaslamp district, you simply must head for the San Diego Model Railway Museum in Balboa Park. The various twists and turns in the gorgeous railway lines here are noteworthy as some of the best model railways because of their accuracy: they have been built based on real routes and thousands of photographs were used to ensure the models are as similar to their real-world counterparts as possible. Balboa Park has several museums and gardens, so be sure to save some time during your trip to explore this area properly.
Carnegie Science Center – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
At the Carnegie Science Center it Pittsburgh, it’s not just a railroad that you get, but an entire village: accompanying one of the best model railways on the east coast is a series of exhibits with painstakingly detailed animations, including boats that travel in a tiny river! The Miniature Railroad and Village is a must-see if you’re in Pittsburgh, as well as the other excellent attractions in this museum.
Bekonscot Model Village & Railway – Beaconsfield, England
Bekonscot is the world’s oldest model railway village, built in the 1920s by account Roland Callingham. He built it originally for private use and probably didn’t envision it being one of the world’s most popular and best model railways. There are literally hundreds of village scenes, comprised from a set of six English towns that are replicas from the 1930s when the site was built. Apart from the railway, there are plenty of other fun exhibits and attractiosn for both adults and children.
Museum of Science + Industry – Chicago, Illinois, United States
We close the list of the world’s best model railways in the ‘windy city’ of Chicago. The world-class Museum of Science and Industry isn’t in our list of the best Chicago neighborhoods, it is a destination of its own. Their Great Train Story shows the sights and sounds of a railway line that travels from Chicago all the way to Seattle on the west coast. It’s well worth a visit, and of course check out the other exhibits here in this superb facility.
Photos by alex.ch, Everyspoon, howard.hall, lckchw, Eugene R, San Diego Railway Museum, marada, time_w2s, MrTinDC
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
These are amazing. And, I had no idea that you are a train enthusiast! What a neat interest to pick up — especially for a travel blogger. Funny enough, last weekend, we were driving in Dalton, Georgia, which is this tiny town in Georgia that sells carpets, and we found this restaurant built into an old train depot and they had the most amazing miniature train set up. The only one of these that I have seen is at the Carnegie and that one is impressive.
Oh shoot . . . and I meant to add that if you are ever in the Southeast United States, you definitely need to check out the railroad in Chattanooga which has the steepest incline railroad in the world. This particular area is chock full of train stuff.
I’m not a model train enthusiast, but there’s something about miniatures that I love — the artistry, I guess. If you’re ever in Sarasota, Fl, you must visit the Ringling Museum to see the miniature circus & train. Here’s some photos I took of it: http://www.travelogged.com/travelogged/2009/02/can-you-guess-where-this-is.html
I used to have a model train set which I used to love because I was always playing with my Dad’s Lionel set.
Akila, that sounds like a great railroad to try out. (And @Travelogged, Barbara Weibel sent me an email mentioning the exact same place!)
So Adam, have you been to any of these model railroads?
Entertrainment Junction
West Chester, Ohio
http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com/
Claims to be the largest indoor train layout in the world.
All G-scale, with Early, Transition and Modern areas.
Worth a special trip.
Great tip, David – am adding it to my list
My husband is a model railroader, a hobby which eats up almost as much money as being a drummer, but we do get out to see lots of model railways, which I love. We spent something like four hours at Miniatur Wunderland – it’s an incredible setup. What I like best about it is how everything has a touch of German humor, like the velociraptors chasing men through the trees, the flasher on the u-bahn, and the random snowman. After seeing that, the York railway was a bit disappointing
Wow 4 hours – you are hardcore! I think I missed the flasher though.