Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society

This was by far such an educational experience for yourself,your children or the whole family. This location is a place that accepts donations to assist in keeping their door open and equipment operating A small fee to enter $3 for children and $5 for adults. It's a small location with a larger amount of detail that went into these models. Walking in here made us feel like kids again, excited to see all of the displays and history. Intricate details. In all of it. Was cool to speak with one of the volunteers running a section of the model who sits on the floor level. There is a restroom , stroller parking and raised standing walk for the kiddos to get a better look as they walk through. This. Event definitely seems like a talk of the town when it comes around. You see posters and banners throughout the town around this location. If you've never been or truely enjoy "models" of any sort especially trains. This for sure is your place to stop at next.

Cool spot! We've been to another model railroad society in West Contra Costa... That one seems like for the casual hobbyist, whereas walnut creek is definitely for the ENTHUSIAST model train builder lol. There's a control room that overlooks the whole layout, smaller sections that can be individually controlled. There's raised viewing platforms for children around the whole thing, and you can get a scavenger hunt from the kitchen area, too. If you stick around, they even have a "rainstorm!"

I love this place it's just all the detail and I like how they give you a scavenger hunt and you can find things and little Easter eggs!

Took our almost 2 year old this past weekend and had a good time. Adults are $5 and kids under age 6 are free. There is a lot to see! There are raised viewing platforms for kids and the staff is friendly. We spent about 45 minutes here and could have stayed longer. There is plenty of street parking plus a small parking lot in front. We took our newborn in a stroller. There were a couple other strollers inside as well. The space to walk around the exhibit is a little narrow so if possible leave your stroller in the car.

A couple of times a month, the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society throws open its doors to the general public. And we get to see one of the best miniature (1:87 scale) railroad layouts in the country, painstakingly built and maintained over decades by the WCMRS. If you have little ones, take them! It doesn't cost much (we paid $5 for an adult and two kids) and it's not very big so it's easy to navigate (should not take more than an hour). They have thoughtfully put up raised platforms so children can view the railroad and trains, and added a few fun kid-friendly events like the "Night Show." The "Night Show" is when they dim the lights to simulate sundown, add a bit of thunder, lightning and raindrops (I'm not kidding), and run the trains at night with signals glowing along the tracks and lights in the tiny communities the trains make their way through. We all loved the "Night Show." There is a small cafe and gift shop in the small room adjoining the main show room. Daniel O (the Yelper who diligently posts WCMRS open house events to the Yelp community) was manning the gift shop and sold us an awesome wooden train whistle (the kids haven't stopped playing with it), and a couple of his fellow society members served us freshly baked and warm-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies, which we enjoyed while seated on a comfy leather sofa. Thank you WCMRS for sharing your amazing work and passion for the railroad with the rest of us. We look forward to coming back in a few months.

Great place to bring children to see train models, and rail roads ! You can see little cities with trains running ! Kids are only $2 and adults $3 very entertaining to watch! The layout has a lot to see, very detailed! The staff are very friendly and helpful !!

The difference between men and boys, is the price of their toys.And so it seemed when I recently wandered into the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society in Larkey Park. I was here for Gayle's employer's picnic and the tracks were open. It's a huge model train layout and fun to watch and enjoy. I love railroads, both big and small, and this place is the real deal, foamer or not.

Dang! My camera's batteries died and I didn't have any spares. So I just got one pic of this fabulous train layout.I am a big rail fan--whether the trains are steam, electric, diesel, large, medium or teeny tiny.This sweet layout is run by a group of very dedicated volunteers who are true aficionados. The layout features several different train tracks running on different levels through flat lands, tunnels, mountains, country sides and little towns. Kids and big kids like me appreciate the details of cars, people, animals, buildings that can let you put yourself into this miniature universe.My husband got a big kick out of seeing the 5 or 6 dispatchers seated on the balcony seriously operating the trains with more precision than Amtrak.There is a refreshment counter and a small gift shop. We haven't been here for years. When our son was in his golden train years we went here often. But since he is a big, bad teen we hadn't been here for years. It was fun to return and be thrilled once again by the tiny choo-chooing.Hours are limited. Check their website for their schedule.http://www.wcmrs.org/

Absolutely one of the coolest model railroads that I have ever seen. I have always been into trains, especially N and Z scale and can appreciate how much work it takes to make such an amazing layout. Being in my 30's, I would love this place at any age and you can spend easily 30-60 minutes just looking at everything.Highly recommended to anyone who likes model railroads. One of the best in the country for sure.

ALWAYS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP!Do you have the skills to build and operate model railroads? I, most likely, do not. But if I did, I'd seriously consider becoming a member of this group and getting to build, construction and run model trains. This display is so awesome. It is really fun to walk around and even though the room isn't huge, you can spend a LOT of time looking at the amazing and fun details. I can't imagine how many hours have been spent in there, growing this mini community. Construction is currently in progress, making even more greatness to come.It's really inexpensive to check out ($3 for adults) and only open every other weekend or something like that (schedules are available on their website). The employees are super interesting to talk to. ONe woman/member lives in Martinez and totally gave us directions to her home. She has a large scale track that runs around her the outside of her property! It must be so much fun!!The only thing not cool about this place was my husband's sad face when I told him he cannot start building model trains at home too - inside or out!