History:

Today’s museum started as a club of twenty-five individuals in 1980 and has grown steadily over the years to over 130 members. In 1988, the GPDTTOM first opened its doors to the public with the dedication of its O gauge layout in the Foothills Mall. The Foothills Mall facility contained a 19′ x 35′ display designed to accommodate three-rail O gauge equipment of all manufacturers. It also included an American Flyer S gauge layout. The HO gauge layout was the other major display. The G gauge and standard gauge layouts were displayed on a “bookshelf” type layout, mounted eight feet above the floor, running over 200 feet in length around the display room. The N gauge had a smaller layout in the corner. The museum in the Foothills Mall closed its doors in August, 1997. Construction of the museum’s new, 6000-square foot, wholly-owned facility began in January 1998, with building construction completed on August 28, 1998. Construction of new layouts and exhibits has progressed significantly ever since. Since then the museum has grown to include G gauge, standard gauge, S gauge, HO gauge, N gauge and Z gauge operational layouts throughout the display area. Visitors may operate the trains and accessories throughout the museum by pushing buttons located with the displays.

Purpose:

The GADSDEN-PACIFIC TOY TRAIN OPERATING MUSEUM is a charitable, not-for-profit 501 (C) (3) corporation dedicated to the hobby of model railroading by providing the public with an interactive museum of operating toy train layouts, displays and exhibits.

Museum Hours:

We are open every Sunday 1-4 pm September-May
Closed June July August