The Toy Train Depot facts for kids

The Toy Train Depot is a super cool place in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It's like two places in one: a toy store and a railway museum! Here, you can see amazing scale models of trains, including big engines and all sorts of passenger and cargo cars.

The Toy Train Depot is also home to America's Park Ride Train Museum. This museum has a special, working miniature railway called the Alamogordo/Alameda Park Narrow Gauge Railway. It's a real train, just smaller, and you can even ride it for a small fee! The whole place, both the store and the museum, is a non-profit organization. This means it's run by the Toy Train Depot Foundation to help the community, not to make money.

In January 2007, the McDonald's in Alamogordo gave the museum a special gift: a full-sized train car called a caboose. This caboose, which used to be part of "Ronald's Railroad," is now in a very easy-to-see spot right by the main road (US-54/70). It helps people know where the museum is located. If you visit, you can also ask for a guided tour. Friendly volunteers, called docents, are happy to show you around and tell you all about the trains.

The Toy Train Depot: A Fun Place for Train Lovers

The Toy Train Depot is a fantastic spot for anyone who loves trains, big or small. It's a place where history and fun come together. You can explore detailed models and even experience a ride on a miniature train.

What You Can See and Do

• Explore Model Trains: The museum has many different scale models of trains. You can see how trains have changed over time.
• Ride a Miniature Train: Don't miss the chance to ride the Alamogordo/Alameda Park Narrow Gauge Railway. It's a real train experience, just on a smaller scale!
• See a Real Caboose: Check out the full-sized caboose outside. It's a great photo opportunity and a piece of real train history.
• Learn from Volunteers: Friendly volunteers are often available to give tours. They can share interesting facts and stories about the trains and the museum.

The History of the Building

The building where the Toy Train Depot is located has a long and interesting history. It started its life way back in 1898 as a working train depot. This was in a town called Torrance, New Mexico. It was an important spot where two different railroads, the New Mexico Central Railroad and the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, met.

Later on, the building was moved to another town called Corona, New Mexico. It stayed there for 75 years, serving other famous railroads like the Rock Island Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad. Even today, the building still has some of its original features. You can see the old stamped tin ceiling tiles and the special bay window where the train dispatcher used to work. It's like stepping back in time!

Images for kids

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  The Toy Train Depot is located in Alamogordo, New Mexico

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  The museum specializes in displays of scale model and toy rail line equipment

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  Visitors can ride on the trains dedicated to America's Park Train Ride Museum, also part of the Toy Train Depot

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  Historical artifacts and ephemera are also on display within the Toy Train Depot's original train depot building

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  A caboose at the Toy Train Depot in July 2022

See also

• Rail Transport Modelling