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California Museum of Science and Industry O Scale Diorama

AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER

I grew up in Southern California and one of my favorite places was the California Museum of Science and Industry (now California Science Center) in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Just about everything there was scratch built and there were a lot of interactive exhibits. One of my favorites (no surprise) was the model railroad exhibit. It was located around an upper level of a large room in the museum. In the early days, you had to pay 10 cents to see the trains, but later there was no charge. The exhibit was removed sometime in the 1990's. The layout was built in 1951 by an architectural firm and for a while was run by the Troxel brothers, who had a model railroad shop in Los Angeles (and I believe were also involved with the Citrus Empire model railroad club). It ran continuously when the museum was open. I miss that layout.

 

While trolling around TrainLife's out-of-print magazine collections, I stumbled across this article.

 

Looking back, that was one of the best ways to do an around the walls layout. It wasn't that deep, but the well done use of forced perspective and curved backdrops made it look a lot deeper. Thought it would be nice to share with the rest of you.

 

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Last edited by AGHRMatt
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AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
Originally Posted by KC Chief:

I remember it well, once in a while I would get a peek at the staging area when a door was ajar. Mostly I remember seeing Black widow SP f units.

The focus seemed to be on the railroads serving Southern California. I don't remember seeing any roads other than SP, UP, and ATSF running. One thing I really liked was the 1/64 scale cars running on the highway via belt drive in the background of the north diorama. There was even an N scale train that ran "deep" in a canyon at one end of that side.

 

The dioramas were only three feet deep and the display was a simple loop. Even by today's standards, though, it was well done.

 

 

 

Originally Posted by Fred Lundgren:

I lived in LA near Wilshire and Western in 1974-75. I believe the Troxel store was near that intersection. I used to spend a lot of  hours talking to an elderly gentleman but I do not remember who it was. I left LA in 1975. Whatever happened to the store?

 

It had closed at least 20 years ago. As I recall, the store was on 2nd street just east of Western. Just did a Google street view and the building I remember housing the shop is still there.

L lorinOGR Forum Member

Thanks for posting these pics and the TrainLife pages! I grew up in the '50s in L.A. and spent lots of summer days as a kid in the old Museum of Science and Industry (I still remember the wonderful smell of the redwoods in the Redwood exhibit room) and fondly remember the train layout - I'd spend hours there. I was searching online for any info about it when I found your post - there are only a couple of mentions of it that I can find online. I remember the 1-cent turnstyle. One of the things that I remember most fondly about the layout was the dramatic day-to-night programming - seems like it started out at the entrance as morning and progressed to night by the end, or maybe it cycled day-to-night throughought the layout, can't remember, but was nice watching the sunlight dim to night and the lights come on. Lovely work, sad to know it ended in a dumpster somewhere.

AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
Originally Posted by lorin:

Thanks for posting these pics and the TrainLife pages! I grew up in the '50s in L.A. and spent lots of summer days as a kid in the old Museum of Science and Industry (I still remember the wonderful smell of the redwoods in the Redwood exhibit room) and fondly remember the train layout - I'd spend hours there. I was searching online for any info about it when I found your post - there are only a couple of mentions of it that I can find online. I remember the 1-cent turnstyle. One of the things that I remember most fondly about the layout was the dramatic day-to-night programming - seems like it started out at the entrance as morning and progressed to night by the end, or maybe it cycled day-to-night throughought the layout, can't remember, but was nice watching the sunlight dim to night and the lights come on. Lovely work, sad to know it ended in a dumpster somewhere.

You're welcome. It was a fond memory of my youth. Fortunately, I was able to share it with my sons before it was taken down. An irony is that the Trainlife site crashed and they may have lost the magazine articles my original post came from. Fortunately, I downloaded those pages.

TiffanyTiffanyOGR Forum Member

Hello guys and gal......

 

I remembered the layout very well, my parents used to take me there often when I was little girl in early 1970`s. The layout was torn down, good heavens WHY? I am sure it was popular with kids. Are the trains "O" scale or "S"?  Is allied models still in business? 

 

The woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678,2003,200

Tiffany

 

 

phillphillOGR Forum Member

Looks like a great layout and sad i missed it when i was visiting the area. Seems all good things pass as I hear the layout at the fairplex was torn down. Guess these things are done on property leased or given permission to use and can be taken away at any time. i am glad the Balboa park train layouts survive. It is hard to believe an area as big as the inland empire can't find space for a sizeable club layout that is willed to a club or town for that special use. Got to be a few rich guys into O scale out there that wish the joy of the scale continues on even if one has to pay a little frieght to see.

 

Phil 

AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
@MrAllied posted:

I believe the fellow who ran Troxel Bros. in the 1970’s was Ed Kelty.  He used to play classical music in there.  At the time, it was L.A.’s oldest hobby shop, dating back to 1926.  My store, originally Allied Models, was started in 1946.

Is that you, Alan. I was one of your customers. I bought my kids' train sets from your store back in 1988. 👍

M MrAlliedOGR Forum Member
@AGHRMatt posted:

Is that you, Alan. I was one of your customers. I bought my kids' train sets from your store back in 1988. 👍

Matt, Yes, it’s me.  If you shopped at Allied in 1988, then it was at the store on Pico, right?  Those were the days!  How I miss them!  I hope your kids had great fun with the trains and thanks so much for your patronage back then and for remembering now.  Here’s a photo, circa early 1980’s.

Hope you and yours are doing well,

Allen Drucker

94968658-6C25-47B5-B301-CA0BE70304AD

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M MrAlliedOGR Forum Member
@Tiffany posted:

Hello guys and gal......

I remembered the layout very well, my parents used to take me there often when I was little girl in early 1970`s. The layout was torn down, good heavens WHY? I am sure it was popular with kids. Are the trains "O" scale or "S"?  Is allied models still in business?

The woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678,2003,200

Tiffany

Well, it’s been a LONG time since Tiffany posted this, but I just saw it and thought I would comment.  I, too, just loved that huge layout at the L.A. Museum of Science & Industry and why they felt the need to remove it is a great question.  Museums should exhibit and celebrate the past.  Railroads built this nation and that marvelous exhibit should still be there today.  What a shame.

At the time of your question, in 2014, Allied Model Trains was still around.  I had sold the business in 2007, with the stipulation that it needed to be moved from the 12,600 sq. ft. Union Station building, as I kept that and was going to lease it out.  Allied was moved directly across the street, to a 4,200 sq. ft. building, where it remained until the new owners declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2015 and the business was liquidated.  This was a crying shame, as that business could still be up, running and profitable today, but—as I understand it—it failed due to personal problems between the three partners.  

I hope you are all doing well,

Allen Drucker



NH New Haven JoeOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER
@MrAllied posted:

Thanks for the information about Allied Trains.  I used to visit LA on business.  I would stop by Allied Trains whenever I could and I usually bought an engine or two.  It was easy to visit because it was near LAX and I could swing by going to or from the airport.  I was into HO at that time.  I loved the fabulous Department 56 exhibit.  Allied was a great train store.  I am sorry that it closed.

I never knew about the CA Science and Industry Layout.  Thanks for posting the article.  

I am also sorry that the O gauge layout in Chicago was replaced with a HO display.  The new HO layout does achieve the goal of displaying the BNSF transcontinental railroad running from Chicago to Seattle.  It is well done and does attract crowds of people.  The city of Chicago is very well done.  

All public display layouts are difficult to maintain and take a crew of either a paid staff or dedicated volunteers.  This is a reason that so many are abandoned when the founders are no longer around.  

NH Joe

Last edited by New Haven Joe
AGHRMattAGHRMattOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERMEMORIAL SUPPORTER
@MrAllied posted:

Matt, Yes, it’s me.  If you shopped at Allied in 1988, then it was at the store on Pico, right?  Those were the days!  How I miss them!  I hope your kids had great fun with the trains and thanks so much for your patronage back then and for remembering now.  Here’s a photo, circa early 1980’s.

Hope you and yours are doing well,

Allen Drucker

94968658-6C25-47B5-B301-CA0BE70304AD

Kids loved the trains. I still have them stored safely away. Doing well. Miss the store, you and George. Hope you're doing well.

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