Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum — Attraction in Tucson

I recently had a friend tell me about a model train museum here in Tucson and immediately I told them to 'get outa town' because there's two things I love in this life---- obscure documentaries about war crimes and heavy machineries that go "CHOO CHOOOOOO".

And i'll be honest, I have been going thru a bit of a rough patch with my work and love life and my therapist said that a good mental exercise was to believe myself to be larger than life mentally and physically. If I started to believe I was all powerful and intimidating, then these beliefs would manifest themselves into other areas of my life where I would be able to have the confidence to get what I want and need.

Henceforth, once I heard about this place, I thought it would be adventageous to utilize this newfound technique because standing in front of a mirror and moving slowly as if I were a giant lizard monster just wasn't cutting it anymore. I needed to actually FEEL the power. Since I didn't have any radioactive sludge layin around, I figured this place was the next best thing.

So on Sunday, I headed down with my 10 smackaroos and explored the place a bit and feigned some fascination with the real train caboose alongside groups of fathers and sons. But my patience grew thin as all I needed was 5 minutes of alone time with one of the exhibits inside. It was busier than I would have liked because if I was going to pretend I was a god, I didn't need some dad trying to compete with me for dominance of the townfolk. I was overhearing descriptions of the different specs and dimensions for scale models, G scale, S scale, HO scale, etc. But I was more focused on the aethetics of the towns. Which tiny people were more susceptible to my power and more likely to bow to my divine whims? The N Scale exhibit seemed perfect. Several family's ooh'd and ahh'd and FINALLY, after 36 minutes of patiently waiting, there was a gap where I was alone. I wasted no time as I unbuttoned my shirt and started to rise from below the table as if emerging from an ocean. I placed my hands on my hips and let out a medium loud bellow because I didn't want to draw attention too much. Already, my dopamine was skyrocketing. I slowly demanded the town to OBEY ME as I moved one arm at a glacial pace over all of them. I repeated the Hindu scripture that Oppenheimer uttered after witnessing the first detonation of a nuclear weapon - “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

As soon as my newfound high was peaking, an older gentleman in a conductor's hat gave me one of those 'ahem' coughs and then stared at me aggressively and totally broke my immersion. Me not being a fan of social anxiety just booked it out the door and almost tripped on the Union Pacific outdoor large mini train. The one that isn't real scale but big enough for people to ride on. Anyway, i'm going to probably have to get a VR headset or something to simulate me stomping on tiny towns because whoa, I've never felt so powerful. Thank you for the experience. Lots of great...

We've been to model train museums across the country and this is hands down our favorite! The volunteers are truly passionate about their toy trains and share that passion with every visitor! There are buttons to press, trains to follow and history to be learned! Most of the trains running the tracks have a story to tell, from where they came from to who ran them first. Outside you'll find a small train that will take you through a little western town and chug around the track a couple times making it a complete day for kiddos of all ages. You're also able to operate the larger model trains outside which was my personal favorite! Very highly recommend a visit to this museum whether you are a train enthusiast or not, you'll more than likely leave as one if you're not already!! We visited the museum in...

My son loves trains so when we heard about this place we knew we had to take him. I’m happy to say, it did not disappoint! We had a great few hours looking at the intricate models and watching the trains go by. He loved all the little buttons to make the displays more interactive for him. He was even allowed to control one of the large outdoor trains! Everyone working here was super friendly and passionate. The entry price is a very reasonable for how much fun we had and how much there is to see and do. We rode the train twice and bought a few used HO cars for my old track at home.

I highly recommend finding the time to stop in here for an...