Train Mountain Railroad facts for kids

Central Station, a key spot at Train Mountain.

Train Mountain Railroad is the biggest miniature hobby railroad in the world! It's located near Chiloquin, Oregon, in Klamath County, which is in the southern part of Oregon. This amazing place is found between Klamath Falls, Oregon (about 26 miles (42 km) south) and Crater Lake National Park to the north. It's a special spot for train lovers everywhere.

Train Mountain's Location and Land

The Train Mountain property covers a huge area of 2,205 acres (892 ha). It's bordered by different highways: Highway 97 on the east, Highway 62 (also called Crater Lake Highway) on the west, and Highway 422 to the north. If you look at satellite maps, you can even see the tracks and buildings through the trees!

The land at Train Mountain changes quite a bit in height. The lowest point accessible by train is South Meadow, at 4,200 feet (1,280 m). Central Station is a bit higher at 4,293 feet (1,309 m). The highest point you can reach by train is Ward Passing Track, at 4,406 feet (1,343 m). The very highest spot on the property is Steiger Butte, which is 4,780 feet (1,457 m tall).

World's Longest Miniature Railroad

In 2004, Train Mountain earned a spot in the Guinness World Records as the "Longest Miniature Hobby Railroad." Back then, it had 69,900 feet (21.3 km) of main track for 7.5-inch (190.5 mm) gauge trains. When you add up all the tracks, including those in yards and sidings, it had a total of 133,250 feet (40.6 km) of track. Since then, they've added about 10 more miles (16 km) of new track!

Train Sizes and Scales

The 7.5-inch (190.5 mm) gauge track at Train Mountain is usually used for trains that are 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) to 1 foot (304.8 mm) in size. This is about 1/8th the size of a real train. You'll also see bigger trains that are 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) to 1 foot (304.8 mm), which is about 1/5th the size of a real train. Some of these larger steam locomotives can be very heavy. An engine and its tender (the car that carries water and fuel) can weigh over 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg) when they are full!

Live Steam Trains

Train Mountain is very popular with people who love "live steam" trains. These are miniature trains that actually run on steam, just like old full-sized locomotives. People who enjoy this hobby visit Train Mountain regularly from all over the world to see and operate these special trains.

Train Mountain in the News

Train Mountain has been featured on a TV show called Oregon Field Guide by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) twice. The first time was in 2005, in an episode called "The Dream." This episode talked about the founder of Train Mountain, Quentin Breen, and his dream to build this huge railroad. Train Mountain was shown again on Oregon Field Guide in the fall of 2017.

Garden Railway Project

A "garden railway" is a model railway built outdoors, often in a garden. At Train Mountain, they are building a G Scale garden railway on about 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land. This garden railway is located in the middle of a 7.5-inch (190.5 mm) gauge track circle called Midway Circle. These circles are like train roundabouts, helping trains change direction.

Train Mountain Railroad Museum

There's also a museum at Train Mountain! The Train Mountain Railroad Museum has old, full-sized railroad equipment and other interesting items on display. One of the most amazing things to see is a huge, 100-short-ton (91,000 kg) antique steam-powered rotary snowplow. This machine, called SP MW206, was built in 1923 and used to clear snow from tracks between Klamath Falls and Eugene, Oregon. It was moved to Train Mountain in 2008.

Train Meets and Events

Train Mountain celebrates its founding with special events called "Triennials" every three years. The 25th anniversary was celebrated in 2012 with an international miniature train meet. The 2018 Triennial had trains that, if lined up, would stretch over 10,000 feet (3,048 m)! The 2022 Triennial had about 888 participants from places like Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, the UK, and the US.

A highlight of the Triennial is the "Big Toot." On the last Saturday, all the trains gather and blow their whistles for one minute! Visitors are asked for a donation only during the Triennial event week. Other train meets for members and train enthusiasts are held seven times a year. These events are very popular, especially for live steam fans, because of the unique tracks and the chance to run heavy steam trains that might not be allowed elsewhere.

Visiting Train Mountain

Train Mountain is a club and a museum, not an amusement park. This means they don't offer regular "rides" like a theme park. However, volunteer members do offer "tours" which are train rides. These tours can last from 30 minutes to as long as eight hours! Even on the longest tours, you won't see all of Train Mountain's tracks.

During the summer, 30-minute tours are often available on weekdays from 10 AM to 3 PM. In the off-season, they run from 11 AM to 2 PM. For longer tours, you can ask a train operator or schedule one with the Train Mountain Office. Tours might be on trains owned by Train Mountain or by its members. You can also ask for a guide to walk around and see the historic full-sized museum equipment. There's no fee to get in, but donations are very welcome to help keep the railroad running and growing.

Klamath & Western Railroad

Right next to Train Mountain, on South Chiloquin Road, is the Klamath & Western Railroad (K&WRR). This is a separate non-profit organization that offers free public train rides on Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The train ride covers about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of track and takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

The Klamath & Western Railroad actually existed before Train Mountain was founded. It was first known as "Over The Hill Live Steamers." This name came about because people had to travel "over the hill" (across the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range) from the Medford Live Steamers group to get there. The K&WRR also has some old railroad items on display, like an antique Train Order Semaphore Signal that was once used at a Southern Pacific Station in Junction City, Oregon.

Train Technology

Train Mountain uses a special computer system called Central Train Control (CTC). This system helps manage the train switches and signals. You can even see the status of this system online on the Friends of Train Mountain website!