San Diego Model Railroad Museum

This guide to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, tucked in a basement beneath Casa de Balboa, follows volunteer Benji Foust and the four hobbyist clubs who quietly build and run the collection in O, N, HO and Lionel-style scales. It traces the space back to 1935, when modeler Minton Cronkhite built a sprawling exhibit for the California Pacific International Exposition nearby, long before the museum itself opened in 1982. You'll hear how each club claims its own corner of the room and its own weekly work night, chasing accuracy on every curve. Take a slow pass along the Tehachapi Pass layout to see that volunteer craft up close.