PA Museums

Western PA Model Railroad Museum | A Visitors Guide

Exploring the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia PA.

If you’re looking for information about visiting the Western PA Model Railroad Museum near Pittsburgh, you’re in the right place!

The exterior of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia. The building has a white façade with the museum's name prominently displayed in dark letters. Decorations including a snowman figure and festive garland with red ribbons wrapped around the lamp posts suggest holiday season adornment. — The exterior of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia.

Located in Gibsonia (Allegheny County), the museum is dedicated to preserving the railroading history of western PA through the use of a massive HO scale model train layout, said to be one of the largest in the United States.

A detailed miniature model train display at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum. The scene features a vintage-style locomotive traveling through a lush, hilly landscape dotted with trees and a red barn in the background. The realism of the vegetation and the careful placement of the train on the tracks contribute to the authenticity of the model, which is likely part of the museum's Christmas Open House exhibit, capturing the charm and intricacy of model railroading. — A small section of the 4,000 square foot train display at the museum.

The layout accurately recreates the rail route between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland as it would have appeared in the 1950s, the heyday of freight and passenger train service between the two cities.

A complex model railway scene at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, featuring a miniature version of Cumberland Narrows with a train passing through a detailed industrial and residential area, complete with a bridge and lush greenery on a hillside. — Model train passing through Cumberland Maryland , with the Cumberland Narrows in the background.

Each year, between mid-November and mid-January, the museum holds an annual holiday train show entitled “A Railroad Journey in Miniature”, where visitors can come and enjoy 2 floors worth of model train layouts and railroading memorabilia.

A vibrant and colorful miniature train layout at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum, bustling with activity. The layout includes multiple train tracks, various model trains, and a range of detailed buildings and landscapes, creating a lively small-town scene. In the background, a visitor leans over a railing to get a closer look at the exhibit. The walls are adorned with framed pictures and shelves displaying train memorabilia, adding to the rich atmosphere of the museum. The scene is a testament to the hobby of model railroading and its ability to capture the imagination. — A vibrant Christmas train layout at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum.

Hours | Directions | Admission Fees

The Western PA Model Railroad Museum is located at 5507 Lakeside Drive, Gibsonia, PA 15044.

In 2023, the Holiday Train Show takes place on weekends from Saturday November 11th thru Sunday January 14th.

A vast display of model railroad cars at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, with a collection of more than 350 detailed locomotives and railcars arranged on multiple tracks, featuring various types of freight cars, and a backdrop of industrial and natural landscapes. — The Holiday Train Show display features more than 1,000 model railroad cars.

The museum is open Friday evenings from 6pm – 9pm, and Saturday/Sunday from 11am – 5pm.

Interior view of the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia featuring a mannequin dressed in a conductor's uniform standing by a red door marked 'Gift Shop', a decorated Christmas tree, and a model train running along a track on the floor. — Gift Shop entrance at the museum.

The museum is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day – CLICK HERE to see the entire schedule on the museum’s website.

A brightly lit interior view of the Western PA Model Railroad Museum. The scene features a detailed miniature railroad layout depicting a vibrant town setting with buildings, roads, and greenery, encased within clear protective panels. The museum's walls are adorned with framed black and white photographs that add historical context. A set of yellow stairs with handrails provides access to an elevated viewing platform for better observation of the model display. The overall atmosphere suggests an engaging exhibit dedicated to the history and enjoyment of model railroading. — The upstairs train layout features numerous elevated viewing platforms for better observation of the model display.

Admission prices in 2023 are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12, payable at the ticket window in the museum’s ground floor lobby.

Lobby area of the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, featuring a ticket window with 'GIBSONIA' signage, festive garland decorations, a library door to the right, various train-themed books on display, and model train tracks running above. — Museum lobby and ticket window.

What You’ll See at the Museum

The entrance to the Western PA Model Railroad Museum is on the ground floor, where you’ll find a variety of Christmas train layouts, model railroading memorabilia, and a well-stocked gift shop.

Inside the Western PA Model Railroad Museum, visitors are engaged in viewing and interacting with various train displays. The space is well-lit with a terracotta-tiled floor and white walls adorned with framed photographs and informational displays. To the left, a small gift shop with a red façade invites guests, and a life-size figure dressed as a train conductor stands by the door. A child plays with a train set, while other visitors observe a large train layout behind a protective railing. A Christmas tree and festive decorations suggest a holiday season setting for the museum's exhibits. — Ground floor of the museum.

Other amenities on the ground floor include a library, restrooms, and a snack bar.

Interior view of the snack bar area at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, featuring tables and chairs for visitors, a snack bar counter with a selection of refreshments, and a model train display running along the room's upper perimeter. — Snack bar area on the ground floor of the museum.

The model train layouts on the ground floor have a whimsical, holiday vibe to them, certain to appeal to younger railfans in particular.

An intricately detailed model train layout at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum, adorned with holiday-themed decorations. This exhibit includes miniature houses, a gazebo, and evergreen trees dusted with 'snow,' creating a festive small-town winter scene. A model train track loops around the display, with a stone tunnel adding a realistic touch. The wall behind the exhibit features a variety of framed train-themed artwork and photographs, contributing to the rich ambiance of the museum. — Christmas village and train layout on ground floor of the museum.

The Second Floor

The second floor of the museum is where you’ll find the main attraction – a 4,000 square-foot, historically accurate representation of the rail route between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland as it would have appeared in the 1950s.

Staircase at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia with a sign reading 'TO ALL TRAINS' at the top, leading to an upstairs exhibit, featuring a wooden handrail, a security camera, and informational poster on the wall. — Stairs leading upstairs to the main exhibit at the museum.

Dubbed “A Railroad Journey in Miniature”, the construction of this layout has been a labor of love and an ongoing project since 1988.

An array of black and white photographs and a sign displayed on a wall. The sign reads "A RAILROAD JOURNEY IN MINIATURE" with an arrow pointing to the right, indicating the direction to an exhibit at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum. The photographs depict various scenes related to railroads and workers. — Entrance to the “A Railroad Journey in Miniature” exhibit on the second floor of the museum.

Your walkthrough begins in a miniature version of Pittsburgh.

Interior view of the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, displaying a miniature model version of Pittsburgh with detailed buildings and train tracks, viewed from a walkway with protective railings and informational displays on the walls. — Pittsburgh skyline in miniature.

You’ll immediately recognize some of the landscape features, even if the time period depicted is from 70 years ago.

A model replica of the Duquesne Incline as part of a train display at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum. The incline ascends a steep, tree-covered hill with detailed landscaping, leading to a row of colorful houses at the top. A train emerges from a tunnel at the base of the hill, passing by realistically modeled industrial buildings labeled "P&LE RR," referring to the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. The miniature scene captures the historic and iconic features of Pittsburgh's transportation heritage with great attention to detail. — A model replica of the Duquesne Incline.

The layout features more than 6,500 feet of track, more than 1,000 train cars and locomotives, and nearly 300,000 hand-made trees!

A model train emerging from a tunnel on a detailed miniature landscape at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, with lush greenery, rocky outcrops, and a realistic 'Harrison Coal' building in the foreground. — A model train emerging from a tunnel on a detailed miniature landscape.

As you make your way around the exhibit space, you’ll see many more western PA landmarks, like the Ohiopyle Low Bridge.

A detailed miniature model at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, showing a train crossing the Ohiopyle Low Bridge over a rocky riverbed, surrounded by a realistic landscape with buildings, vehicles, and figures to recreate a vibrant town scene. — A detailed miniature model at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, showing a train crossing the Ohiopyle Low Bridge over the Youghiogheny River.

If you’ve ever biked the Great Allegheny Passage, this model railroad shows you what that route originally looked like before the trail replaced the rails.

Model replicas of historic buildings from Ohiopyle, PA, at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, with a photo of the actual Ohiopyle buildings displayed below the model versions. — Model replicas of historic buildings from Ohiopyle, with a photo of the actual Ohiopyle buildings displayed below the model versions.

The Salisbury Viaduct, another prominent feature of the Great Allegheny Passage, is portrayed in HO scale on the layout.

A highly detailed model train display at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, featuring a train crossing the Salisbury Viaduct over a tree-dense landscape with a river below and a backdrop of a small residential area. — Model train crossing a scale model version of the Salisbury Viaduct.

Eventually you’ll end up in the scale model version of Cumberland, Maryland – southern terminus of the Great Allegheny Passage as well as the end of this layout.

An elaborate model train setup at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, depicting a bustling miniature town modeled after Cumberland, Maryland, with intricate buildings, a bridge, and a train passing through the center. — Downtown Cumberland, MD depicted in the layout.

The attention to detail is astounding – from tiny figures going about their daily lives in miniature towns to the realistic sounds of the trains chugging along the tracks.

A close-up view of a model train and miniature figures at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, featuring the Mon Valley System with a detailed scene of workers outside McCoy Manufacturing Co., against a backdrop of trees and a reflective glass case. — Daily life in a miniature town.

The layout showcases not just trains but also intricately designed landscapes, towns, and scenes that capture the essence of Western Pennsylvania’s history and geography.

A detailed miniature scene at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, showcasing an HO scale model train layout with a red barn, surrounding greenery, a winding road with vehicles, and a train coming around a bend. — Western PA farm scene on the main layout.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are a model train aficionado, a history enthusiast, or just looking for a unique family outing, the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of model railroading and the rich railroading history of the region.

A close-up of a meticulously detailed model train setup at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum. The scene features a miniature B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) locomotive with a black engine and coal car pulling a line of freight cars through a scaled-down industrial town. The town includes realistic buildings such as brick houses, industrial facilities, and a factory with a tall smokestack. The layout also features a riverbed parallel to the tracks and tiny figurines that bring the miniature world to life, all showcasing the museum's commitment to capturing the essence of a bygone era in railroad history. — The intricate details of the layout showcase the museum’s commitment to capturing the essence of a bygone era in railroad history.

It’s a celebration of history, art, and engineering, all rolled into an engaging experience that captivates visitors of all ages.

A scenic model train display at the Western PA Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, representing the Ohiopyle High Bridge, with a model train crossing a bridge over a river, flanked by dense greenery and a winding road, beside a lone house on the hillside. — A model train crossing the layout’s replica of the Ohiopyle High Bridge.

So if you haven’t “been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt” yet, make plans to visit The Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum during their Holiday Train Show this year!

A gray souvenir t-shirt from the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Gibsonia, PA, featuring a colorful graphic of a train on a bridge with the museum's name in bold lettering above and the location below. — Souvenir t-shirt from the museum’s gift shop.

The Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum in Blair County celebrates the lives of both railroad workers and railroading communities in central Pennsylvania.

Exterior of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum in Blair County Pennsylvania. — The Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.

The Horseshoe Curve, considered one of the “engineering wonders of the world” at the time of its completion in 1854, continues to offer railfans an up-close opportunity to experience the thrill of trains passing by along this 2,375 foot-long curved stretch of tracks.

A young railfan waves to a passin Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve. — A young railfan waves to a passing Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve.

The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad built across the Allegheny Mountains, allowing for canals on the eastern and western sides of the state to be connected, cutting the travel time between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia from weeks to just days.

Exploring the Allegheny Portage Railroad near Altoona Pennsylvania. — Incline along the Allegheny Portage Railroad near Altoona.

The East Broad Top Railroad in Huntingdon County is once again offering steam train excursions, shop tours, and visits to the “roundhouse”, after a decade-long hiatus.

Steam-powered locomotive service returned to the East Broad Top Railroad in February 2023. — The East Broad Top Railroad in Huntingdon County.

The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe, PA is consistently ranked as one of the best sightseeing trains in the northeastern United States.

Fall foliage around the train station in Jim Thorpe, PA. — The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.

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