Train Mountain

Fun train ride staffed by incredibly nice people! We took the train amidst the snow so it was beautiful. Accidentally dropped my glove and the staff picked it up and sent it to the next stop for me. Not only kids but also adults will enjoy the experience.

A Great place for the kids and was a big surprise when we went there. Another surprise is this place takes donation and no tickets. This is a perfect example what people can do with passion. They also have great food options

This is the largest model railroad in the world — some 26 miles of track.
This is 7−½″ gauge, so about ¹⁄₈ scale. These are «ride ‘em» trains.
The Klamath & Western is adjacent and really appears to be part of Train Mountain. It is open Saturdays (check schedule) for free rides, but a donation is really needed to keep the place operating. There will be a good ride, but not over most of the 26 miles — which takes many hours.
Train Mountain is a private club, but has recently been open for visitors on weekdays. The entrance is just a bit west of the entrance to the Klamath & Western.
If you visit, come in the main gate and go to the office. You’ll need to sign a release form. Then, you can take a look around. If there’s a train headed out with an extra seat and an agreeable train operator (most are very agreeable!), you can get a ride. As with the Klamath & Western, there is no charge on the Train Mountain Railroad, but a donation is really appreciated and needed to keep this operating. Your ride might be 30 minutes or four hours, so talk to the train operator!
The seating on the trains is really quite comfortable, so you can take a longer ride without «wearing out your rear.»
There are numerous routes through the railroad and quite a few scale model villages, industrial sites, lumber mills, etc. The scenery is great!
Note that in 2015, there will be the Triennial in which hundreds of trains will be at Train Mountain. If you want to participate in that, you’ll probably need to become a member of Train Mountain — see their website at
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During some weeks and weekends, there are «meets» which bring dozens of trains out. Again, you’ll want to check on membership and the schedule on the website.

I agree Train Mountain was great at Christmas time. It’s an event not to be missed, if you have kiddos to entertain.
They usually run trains from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sundays only. Those rides are longer than the Christmas route, but it’s much warmer also. During the summer the track side concession is open for refreshments, and there isn’t a fee to get on the trains. It’s not free, though… just by donation (honor system) to help them with track maintenance, upkeep, and improvements.
I have been visiting for many years and didn’t know there was an actual museum until our Christmas ride two weeks ago! I don’t know if the museum is open when rides are going (would make sense, though), but it’s worth checking out. They have a great gift shop, and it’s the ONLY place I’ve ever found a pink girl’s «choo choo» shirt! The concession stand also sells a few souvenirs. Oh, and you can also have picnics, bday parties, etc there.

This is truly an amazing place! We went on the Christmas train with the niece and nephew and were sincerely blown away by the entire experience. I can’t imagine how many volunteers they had. Clearly, there are a lot of train enthusiasts who are dedicated to bringing up another generation of kiddos who love and enjoy this amazing hobby/​mode of transportation.
$ 5 tix for adults, $ 3 for kids 7 – 12, kiddos under 7 are free. A 10 minute train ride took us to the North Pole where there were teeming pools of kids playing, making cards, making ornaments, watching Christmas shows, building stuff, etc. You can get free photos with Santa or pay $ 5 for a professional photo. The photo area was pretty dark, so if you want really good pics, definitely pay the money. Mrs. Claus has a kitchen area for food and a place for kids to decorate sugar cookies. A bag of popcorn is $ 1, nachos were $ 2.50, just to give you an idea. Definitely a bargain. After 60 – 90 minutes, I’m sure the kids would be content to move along to finish the ride. Oh yeah, free hot cocoa and coffee while you wait outside. They call all aboard and you line up and hop on a mini train for the ride back to the beginning. The total train ride is probably 10 minutes to the North Pole and maybe 5 minutes back, but they said you could go on the train as much as you want.
We went when it was snowing and the entire experience was otherworldly, like in a movie or something. I saw pics and it looks like kids would also enjoy this place during other seasons as well, although I am sure they change the theme. If you have kids, you would be doing yourself a major disservice by missing out on this place.