GOLDEN STATE
Model Railroad Museum
By Samantha Larrick
Some are born to dance, others to paint, and still
others are born with steam in their veins. These
are the kinds of hobbyists that become model
railroaders. Model railroading is a huge hobby, with
modelers building railroads on their dining room table
or creating a layout that takes over the backyard. Some
would say it’s an artform, and hardcore modelers do!
Engineers must build their own layout, choosing to
build an existing railroad, complete with terrain and
structures, or using their imagination to create their
own railroad map. Then, like an artist shows their
painting in a gallery, the engineer shows their model
railroad in the Golden State Model Railroad Museum.
The Golden State Model Railroad Museum, housed
in Point Richmond, has been in operation since
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1985, though they didn’t open their current doors to
the public until 1991. With three large layouts that
are modeled after Northern and Central California
terrain, the 10,000 square foot museum offers not only
education in model railroading, but railroad history
and operations.
In the 1930s, there was a group known as the
Golden Gate Model Engineers Guild. The group,
headquartered in San Francisco, put out a monthly
bulletin called “The Guildsman” and put on displays
of their model trains and tracks for the public. In
1933, some members of The Guild, led by Walter
I. Brown, left the group to form their own, more
focused club. Focused on electric trains, the East Bay
Model Engineers Society took up residence in a