Driving to San Diego what O Gauge stuff is worth visiting

There's another layout nearby in Old Town.  Their website is http://www.oldtownmodelrailroaddepot.com/

 

There's another layout near the new streetcar tracks but I can't remember their website or the exact location. The landmark was a static display of an 0-6-0 and a caboose from the street view around the corner from the actual location.

For sure the Old Town Model Railroad Depot, and the old Santa Fe Depot is close by. Take a drive over the Coronado Bridge. A dozen awesome places to eat.

There's also the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum (https://www.psrm.org/) in Campo (12" to the foot scale).

We really need a club list by region.

 

I visit San Diego infrequently, but when I do go, I am usually staying in the downtown area.  I like to ride the San Diego Trolly Orange Line to La Mesa... Then take a short walk to Reeds Hobby Shop on La Mesa Blvd.  All scales.  Most of the fun is riding the train to get there.  But I like it.

 

Ron

 

Which route are you taking?

 

 

 

 

What, me worry?

Coming thru Denver to Albuquerque then over to California

I just rode the Surfliner from Fullerton to San Diego Old Town in Jan. 

A great train day. Rode the Trolleys and buses......but had a full day and didn't get to the model train stuff.  Nice town.....

Reeds is the place I was thinking of near the trolley tracks. Confused it with the Old Town Depot layout. Suffering from "CRS" again.

hey there

 

I live in San Diego, be happy to chat with you offline and help you make the most of your time  while you're in town.  email me at the address in my profile and we can connect.  

 

as you said the SD Model Railroad Museum is a must.  And since its in Balboa Park there are tens of San Diego's best museum all there (Automobile History Museum, Air & Space Museum, Sports Hall of Fame Museum, Natural History, Photography Museum, San Diego Historical Society, and on and on) 

 

a five minute walk from the Model Railroad Museum is San Diego Zoo.  And they operate the most wonderful outdoor train.  Modeled in Daylight livery with a Diesel F3 and approximately 10 passenger cars that each sit one adult.  Its about a 10 minute ride.  Sometimes my boys don't want to ride it when we go to the zoo but I still buy tickets and ride it 2-3 times.  A blast. 

 

As someone else mentioned theres a new wonderful layout in Old Town, privately owned, free admission and a sight to behold.  Must see. http://www.oldtownmodelrailroaddepot.com 

 

There's also the historic National City (south of downtown) Historic Train Depot and home to the San Diego Electric Railway Association.  2 o gauge operating layouts and lots of train history.  

www.sdera.org/depot.php

 

and you must make time to ride the most beautiful fully restored electric trolley downtown.  Go the web site I couldn't possibly do it justice.  I often see it running on my way to work downtown and it never gets old.  you should definitely make time to ride it, circles downtown great way to see the city. http://www.sdvintagetrolley.com 

 

Depending when you are here I'd be happy to give you a whirlwind tour of all of the above.  We love showing off our town.  

 

And there's no strangers in our hobby.  

 

 

Stop in Golden Colo at the RR museum.  Worth the time.  Also have you considered a detour to get off the interstate and go through Antonito and Chama? I would do that before the museum.  No need to ride the train, just look at the great scenery, the train, and a look around at a working steam operation in Chama.  If you stay in Chama you can watch the crew putting them to bed and then in the morning getting ready to head out.

I love San Diego. We travel there for work quite a bit. The San Diego residents may be a little familiar with the aircraft I work on since there was one floating in the bay at the end of last week. 

 

I have visited and love all the stuff mentioned above. I would also add Frank the Trainman if you like postwar Lionel.  They sell both new and used and have quite a bit packed into their little store. 

I was in San Diego in September, loved it!

 

Santa Fe Depot - Sept 2014 - San Diego CA

https://ogrforum.com/t...pt-2014-san-diego-ca

 

San Diego Model Train Museum - Sept 2014

https://ogrforum.com/t...ain-museum-sept-2014

 

I was going to try to get on the trolley, but wasn't able to:

https://ogrforum.com/t.../san-diego-trolley-1

 

You should definitely try to get to "Frank The Trainman" - likely my favorite spot - what a surprise!

https://ogrforum.com/t...pt-2014-san-diego-ca

 

This trip was likely my favorite business trip in years!  ;-)

 

 

The Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak) is a great train ride, running surfside for a fair number of miles between San Diego and Anaheim. We took this ride round trip and really enjoyed the scenery. We timed our trains so we returned as the sun set over the Pacific. If you want, you can walk a few blocks from the station in Anaheim to Disneyland, or go to an Angels game (the stadium is adjacent to the station).

 

As suggested above, Coronado island is definitely worth a visit. The town is walkable with a small movie theater and lots of good restaurants. The Hotel Del Coronado at the foot of main street is a huge old wooden structure right on the beach. Definitely worth walking through. We stayed there and it was very pleasant. The food is very pricey, but a drink on a terrace overlooking the ocean in the early evening isn't too expensive.

 

If you are up for a drive inland, Palm Springs is about 2 1/2 hours away. There is a cable car ride up a mountain that provides panoramic views of the desert. There are many shops and restaurants in Palm Springs. It is an amazing place. We drove out because we had two days of chilly foggy weather (the locals call it the "marine layer" -- we call it fog) and wanted to warm up.

 

You can also drive north a bit to visit La Jolla, a wealthy area with lots of high end shops and some very nice beaches.

 

You definitely don't want to miss Balboa Park, the Zoo and the San Diego Train Museum. The layout operators are very friendly and will invite you to see the controls if you show interest and ask some questions.

 

Have a great trip!

Sorry for the small disruption...

 

Goshawk, I looked for your email in your profile but could not find it.  I was on the program in the early 2000's.  I got to fly the simulator in Kingsville once.  I was invited on a carrier trap and shot, but that was when the program was experiencing a lot of compressor stalls and I declined.

 

Shoot me an email if you are interested.

Ron

 

Added my email to my profile. We do get several compressor stalls, the vast majority are during really high AOA and low throttle settings.  

Old Town Model Train Depot, National City Depot (open only on the weekends), Poway Midland Railroad. Bunch of Good restaurants.

Point Loma seafoods,  hodads in pacific beach and watching the sunset at sunset cliffs.....ahhhh- I love San Diego!!  But then again, there is this guy

If you need a burger go to Slaters 50/50. TRUST ME!!!

 

I named this one pound monster the Big Boy 4005. What else would I call it?

 

 

 

Credit to Laidoffsick.

Are you traveling I40, or dropping down to I10/I8?

you didn't put your dates out, but if it is this weekend and are near Tucson Az stop by here; Tucson train show

Elliot, I also like Slater's 50/50 as well, but I have to agree with Westinghouse EMD. I love Hodad's!!! This is my favorite double bacon, double cheeseburger!!!

We thought about Hodad's, but after Slater's I was burgered out. Had we been there longer we would have done it. Big Triple D fans. I saw that the guy who started it passed away earlier this year, very sad. He looked like a really cool dude.

 

My uncle decided as we were driving out of Denver that we need to ride the Durango and Silverton so that's all setup for tomorrow

 

You will love it.  We took the kids there a few years back to ride the Polar Express.  Cool little town too.  Do yourself a favor, don't stay in a regular hotel.  Stay at either the General Palmer or the Strater.  We stayed in both and the family enjoyed the General Palmer best.

 

We also took a day to do a non train related thing and went to Mesa Verde National Park.  That was an amazing visit and the guided tour was well worth it.  I had no idea the place existed and was not aware of that piece of history.  They never taught us that in school.

http://www.durango.org/discover-durango/mesa-verde

 

Enjoy the trip.

Ron

 

 

Holy smokes that train ride was incredible. You can see all the pictures you want and it just doesn't capture the magnitude of the scenery. Very humbling and very beautiful

Glad to hear you are having a good trip out west.  If you are traveling via I-40, you will see plenty of the former Santa Fe transcon.  If you are dropping down to Yuma and going into San Diego that way, keep an eye out for the remnant of the old San Diego & Arizona Eastern as you pass Jacumba.  You won't see the tunnels and bridges from the Interstate, but you can see some of the line.  Remember to keep drinking water in the car, in case of a breakdown.