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In 2021, it snowed. And our California tires did not want to drive on ice. (Nor did I want to, really)
In 2022, the roads were clear but — quite unfortunately — all four of us caught Influenza A and then Covid-19 immediately after. #Cursed!
Luckily, this year, the model train stars aligned and we finally attended the festival in downtown Tacoma this week! Good thing, too, because I kept hearing how it’s one of the best quintessential Puget Sound holiday staple events.
Clara, Wyatt and I can now agree that the sight of huge mini train sets — some even transporting dinosaurs — on every floor of the museum is worth a drive over the bridge for folks of any age. And with the event packing up after New Year’s Day, there’s still time to go.
A showcase of tiny trains
Since I’m new to town (and a big newspaper fan), I often browse news archives online for background context on places we visit here in Washington.
For the Model Train Festival, local news reports have captured the charm and nostalgia of the immersive and impressively large showcase of tiny trains bustling along hundreds of feet of miniature track at the state history museum.
In fact, I learned that the mini electrical marvels have been winding through plaster mountain tunnels and the puff-top of bottlebrush trees at this annual event for the last 27 years. Apparently, it all began in 1996 when the Washington State Historical Society partnered with the Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers club to build a permanent fifth-floor model train exhibit to celebrate the impact railroads brought to Washington state.
The late Gail Hendrickson’s Tacoma Union Station model
A permanent fifth-floor exhibit
The result was a detailed, computerized model of Tacoma set in the 1950s to underscore the success of passenger and freight trains during that era. In its layout, you can see tiny versions of real places in Tacoma, some of which no longer exist in the cityscape today.
On its website, Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers club volunteers say the exhibit includes:
“… the Milwaukee freighthouse and trestle, Tacoma Union Station, the former Asarco plant, Meeker Mansion, Neely Mansion, the Brown and Haley factory, Tacoma and Auburn roundhouses and other distinctive landmarks. The last building of significance was installed in December 2018. Built over a period of 10 years by (the late) Gail Hendrickson, Union Station is a masterpiece. A truly remarkable work of art and a focal point to the exhibit. Gail’s legacy will remain with us long after his passing in 2019.”
Pretty cool, right? It’s a fun sight if you like trains or just want to see something cool. The best part is the train setup is always there, and is said to be the biggest in Washington state.
The festival becomes tradition
After the 1950s Tacoma model railroad was installed, the museum held a large-scale public celebration for the small-scale attraction. Soon, other local and regional model train clubs were invited to showcase their own room-sized track setups — temporarily — in December and January. The event was a major hit from the start and became an annual thing. Ever since, it’s been one that the public looks forward to all these years later.
This year, seven train clubs participated. Their work is linked at the bottom of this story.
Our top three faves
While you may or may not be completely enamored with wide-eyed wonder at the feats achieved in the custom tinkering of tiny train parts like almost every dad there toting his 3-year-old, this mom-of-two assures you there’s something for everyone.
For us, three random loves were:
3. These teensy tiny cows!
No, seriously. We couldn’t believe how small they were! Definitely comparable to the tip of my pinky finger. So so tiny and so so cute. And detailed! You can tell those train club peeps that Two In Tow told you to “Go for the cows. Stay for the trains.” 🙂
I won’t tell you what floor they’re on. You’ll just have to go on an scouting expedition. But the baby bovine are located in at least two setups. In fact, I think we had the most fun looking at all the little scenery touches these clubs cooked up for their beautiful and worldly track layouts. One of the train club’s blogs indicated that fake fur was used to simulate native grass. I love stuff like that! So creative.
Another small scene we loved was in that fifth floor permanent setup where Clara and Wyatt morbidly declared their favorite part of the entire festival was ….
2. Disaster on the tracks!
Yep. Their favorite scene out of all five floors was a tiny trainwreck, complete with a mini body on the ground.
“Look at the little person who got run over!” … was our winning quote of the day.
I mean, it was pretty interesting. The scene was complete with emergency first responders — 1950s style — and even two tiny paramedics ready to haul in a gurney.
So what’s the story behind this train track victim, anyway? Did they survive? Why were they on the tracks? Did their car get stuck? Were they looking to flatten some railroad pennies when a train suddenly snuck up on them? Eager minds want to know.
Meanwhile, the final highlight …
3. The stairs and elevators
Speficially, the kids found immense joy and spontaneous giggles in measuring how far they could walk beneath this (fourth-floor?) staircase before their heads hit the slope.
No, this is not the next big YouTube challenge. Just my 8- and 10-year-old’s weird idea of fun – LOL. Oh well. At least they get points for creativity?
To delight of most kids, there were lots of stairs in this museum. There’s also an elevator (I think more than one, actually). So if your family is anything like ours, you’ll be taking a mix of stair and elevator trips as you venture up all five floors and back.
(TIP: I highly suggest you take a brochure at the front desk because it contains a life-saving map of the museum – ensuring you’re less likely to miss something. A deceptively boring hallway just might open up into a whole other wing of trains, activities and fun).
Train Clubs
After we got home, I learned from those old newspapers that the train clubs who help put on the festival say they’re involved because of the nostalgia. (Check out this cute Facebook poem they posted this year). For some, the model train hobby is a throwback to the magical charm toy trains once sprinkled on childhoods gone by. It brings back memories of the very first train set they found beneath the family’s fragrant douglas fir draped in tinsel on Christmas morning. For others, railroad grease runs in their veins. Generations of folks worked on building tracks or tunnels, or contributed to train industry in one way or another.
Primarily, though, many model train club enthusiasts seem to be in it for the challenge, and the camaraderie. As detailed in this blog post, the time it takes to master and perfect the electrical, engineering and construction of a model train exhibit and its design is an extensive team effort.
Theater
Ok, just one last recommendation: Make sure to visit the surprisingly large theater at the museum. There’s a free train film show that talks about how trains work and what it’s like to drive one. My kids liked hanging out in the theater seats for all of two minutes. But they were also impressed with how large it was, and it was a surprise to find a giant theater in the building.
Who knows, maybe you’ll get a whole five minutes of sitting time when you go!
Deets: The Washington State History Museum transforms into an indoor model train wonderland in this annual holiday event for all ages. The festival is included with regular museum admission or membership.
Days left: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Ends after New Year’s Day.
Location: 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
Sign up: Purchase tickets online or at the museum, or visit for free with your membership. Museum parking costs money: find the parking kiosk at the base of the museum’s stairs; credit cards are accepted; the parking fee schedule is listed here. (NOTE: Outside discounts and library passes are not valid during the Model Train Festival).
From the event website | Participating Train Clubs Include:
Tonya Strickland is a Gig Harbor mom-of-two, longtime journalist, and Instagram influencer in the family and travel niche. Her blog, Two in Tow & On the Go, was recently named among the 10 Seattle-Area Instagram Accounts to Follow by ParentMap magazine. Tonya and her husband Bowen recently moved to Gig Harbor from California with their two kids, Clara (9) and Wyatt (7). Find them on Facebookfor all the kid-friendly places in and around Gig Harbor.
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No, seriously. We couldn’t believe how small they were! Definitely comparable to the tip of my pinky finger. So so tiny and so so cute. And detailed! You can tell those train club peeps that Two In Tow told you to “Go for the cows. Stay for the trains.” 🙂
From the event website | Participating Train Clubs Include: