About the Museum
The Twin City Model Railroad Museum (TCMRM) started out in 1934 with a group of modelers forming the St. Paul Craftsman Club and building an O scale layout. They started out in the back room of a Grand Avenue business, but soon moved to a large room at the then busy St. Paul Union Depot. With the closing of Union Depot in the late 1970's, the museum moved around several times to temporary homes.
Thanks to a grant from the Wilder Foundation, the museum moved into Bandana Square, now formally organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit under the name Twin City Model Railroad Museum. The museum built an exquisitely detailed panorama of Twin Cities railroads in the 1930's through 1950's in O scale, and also included numerous other displays in various other scales.
The original intent of establishing Bandana Square as a thriving retail center did not pan out. As a result of changes in ownership and substantial increases in cost, the museum was forced to move out of Bandana Square in 2016. After being homeless for a time, the museum found a new home in its current location on Transfer Road.
The museum currently has over 11,000 square feet of displays and interactive layouts including the original world-class O scale layout depicting the Twin City area in the 1950's. There are numerous other layouts depicting various scales, manufacturers, and historical eras. The museum includes a number of "kid friendly" interactive layouts. The museum also houses numerous artifacts and model railroad collections.
Visit TCMRM's web site for more information.
