Public Model RR Layouts, Phoenix AZ | PhxRail.org

(This page last modified 4/10/2022)

Organization Of This Page:

About This Page: (for out-of-town visitors)
• This Page 1 shows Phoenix-area model railroad layouts that you can VISIT — organized by CITY.
These layouts include Z, N, HO, O, G scales, and up to the “ride on” sized amusement park trains.
• Page 2 lists these same layouts, but organized by SCALE (instead of by City)

CONTENTS – below on this page:
• Section A below lists the layouts that are open to the public at least ONCE PER WEEK — organized by CITY.
• Section B below lists additional layouts that are open to the public, but LESS than once per week.
• Section C below lists the remaining model RR groups, that do NOT have a permanent layout.
• Section D below lists the Arizona layouts and model RR clubs that are OUTSIDE the Phoenix area.
• Section E below has archive info about several CLOSED stores.
• Section F below links to other websites that have lists of Arizona MRR clubs.

Section A. — Clubs, Parks, & Stores — Viewable At Least 1 Day Per Week:

1. Anthem: Daisy Mountain RR  (ride-on train) in the community park, DaisyMountainRailroad.com
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2. Apache Junction: Obies Trains, ObiesTrains.com –  Model railroad store, has N gauge layout, plus small HO and O gauge layouts.  CLICK HERE to view several photos in the PhxRail Picasa album.
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3. Apache Junction: Superstition Mountain Museum Railroad, SuperstitionMountainMuseum.org/attractions/smmrr-railroad  | The new ’50’ x 60′ layout opened Nov 2016, & operates several days a week in winter.  The original small 12’x12′ layout is operated year round .  Volunteers are Wanted to help operate these railroads. |  Museum’s Youtube video | More photos are at DutchmansGulch.wordpress.org.
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4. Chandler: Desert Breeze RR  (ride-on train) in Desert Breeze Park, DesertBreezeRR.com – Photos at ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/desertbreeze/newdesertbreeze.html
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5. Fountain Hills: Burlings Ton of Trains   – Store, operating layouts under construction, vast amounts of trains in all gauges to look at. TonOfTrains.com and Facebook page .
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6. Gilbert: Freestone RR, in Freestone Park – FreeStoneRR.com , photos at ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/freestone/freestone.html  (ride-on train).
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7. Gilbert: Gilbert Model Railroad Club, HO ga. layout,  GmrcTrains.com – 3rd Tue is “run night”.
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8. Glendale: The railroad groups at this Railroad Park are described by 6 different websites as follows:
   
   ** Adobe Mountain Desert Railroad Park, AdobeMtnDesertRRpark.com, Open to public on Sat’s & Sun’s.  Includes 1-1/2″ live steam, indoor & outdoor G, HO, and N gauges
   
   ** Arizona Model Railroading Society,  AzModelRR.com and facebook.com/azmodelrr
   
   ** Arizona Model Railroading Society‘s N gauge layout, AzModelRR.com/n-scale-division
   
   ** Arizona Model Railroading Society‘s HO gauge layout, AzModelRR.com/ho-scale-division
   
   ** Arizona Model Railroading Society‘s Largescale outdoor layout, https://www.AzModelRR.com/g-and-o-scale-division
   
   ** Sahuaro Central Railroad Heritage Preservation Society & Museum’s indoor Largescale layout, open to public on weekends, Several Layout Photos Here.
   
   ** Maricopa Live Steamers – MaricopaLiveSteamers.com -part of Adobe Mountain Desert Railroad Park.  Has about 14 miles (yes, that’s fourteen!) miles of 1-1/2″ scale live steam track, open to public on Sundays.
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9. Litchfield Park: Wildlife World Zoo‘s 5/8-mile long miniature ride-on train – WildlifeWorld.com/rides , more photos at ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/wildlife/wildlife.html
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10. Mesa: Banner Desert Medical Center 1/2:  Arizona Big Train Operators permanent indoor display layout inside the Cardon Children’s Medical Center, inside Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa,  Photos at AzBigTrains.org/cardonrailroad.html .  You should be able to view this layout 24 hours a day, as it’s in the public part of the hospital.  The 3 trains run when you push a button. Note: Expect to get LOST, as this hospital seems to be a huge MAZE.
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11. Mesa: Banner Desert Medical Center 2/2:   ‘Trains For Kids by Isabelle‘ –  Facebook.com/TrainsForIsabelle – John Macrone’s outdoor largescale layout at Banner Desert Medical Center for the kids. 
    An archive page showing original layout is at TrainsByIsabelle.blogspot.com .  You should be able to view this layout 24 hours a day, as it can be viewed from the public part of the hospital. (Note as of May 2017, this part of the hospital is inaccessable due to construction.)
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12. Mesa: Valle Del Oro,  Garden Railway Club, Youtube Video. This layout is inside the gated Valle Del Oro RV park, but you can usually view it on Thursday morning during their “Country Store” hours.  Click here to view several layout photos.
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13. Phoenix: Arizona Railroad Historical Society, located on the second floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum, HO layout, open Wed & Sat. mornings: azrhs.com , 90 second video at youtu.be/FSXRitDjjDs .  (Uses NCE DCC command control.) .
14. Phoenix: Enchanted Island Express (ride-on train), in Encanto Park – EnchantedIsland.com/rides.php , photos at ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/encanto/encanto.html
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15. Queen Creek: Schnepf Farms RR at Schnepf Farms (ride-on train), SchnepfFarms.com , photos at ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/schnepf/schnepf.html
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16. Scottsdale: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, TheRailroadPark.com – This park is open 7 days a week (except Thanksgiving & Christmas), and includes a 15″ ga, 5/12 scale narrow-gauge amusement park train, 1-1/2″ scale live steam, and O, HO, N, and Z gauge layouts.
    * The railroad groups at this location are described by 5 different websites as follows:
    
    ** Z ga:  Z Guys Model Railroad Club – Zguys.club
    
    **N ga:  Sun N Sand NTRAK MRC – sun-n-sand.org
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    **HO ga:  Scottsdale Model Railroad Historical Society, ScottsdaleMrhs.org – operates a HO & HOn3 layout.
    
    ** O ga:  Paradise & Pacific RR – PandPrrClub.org – operates a large 3-rail O gauge layout.  Five trains and a trolley can be activated by the public using pushbuttons. Also facebook.com/PP-RR-716987928384711
    
    ** Scottsdale Live Steamers – ScottsdaleLiveSteamers.com – operates a 1-1/2″ scale, 7-1/2″ gauge ride-on layout.
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17. Sun City:  Sun City Model Railroad Club, HO layout, suncityaz.org/recreation/clubs/model-railroad-club-of-sun-city ,   Richard Haworth’s narrated ‘Update #4’ Youtube video describes the layout.  Layout can be viewed Tue., Thur, and Sat during winter months.
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18. Sun City West: Sun City West Model Railroad Club, HO, N, & G scale layouts,   sites.google.com/site/scwmodelrailroadclub (and also railroad.scwclubs.com.  Richard Haworth’s narrated Youtube video describes the layout.
    
    The HO and N layouts can be viewed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, and Fri.  The outdoor largescale layout operates Tue., Thur., and Sat during winter months — see the schedule page.
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19. Surprise: Sun City Grand, Grand Central Railroad Park, Outdoor largesacle  layout, GrandCentralRailroad.info and facebook.com/GrandCentralRailroad.  Richard Haworth’s narrated Youtube video shows this layout in operation.
    
    The outdoor largescale layout operates Thur., Fri., and Sat during winter months — see the schedule page.
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Section B. — Groups W/Layouts, Viewable LESS Than 1 Day Per Week:

20. Glendale: West Valley RR Historical Society – no website??, Youtube video
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21. Goodyear: Pebble Creek Model Railroad Club, pcmrc.org  – Public can see this layout on certain selected ‘run days’, see website for details.
    
    ** Pebble Creek Model Railroad Club‘s garden layout – pcmrc.org/garden – Public can see this layout on certain selected ‘run days’, see website for details.
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22. Mesa: Leisure World Model Railroad Club – Located inside the gated 55+ Leisure World community in Mesa.  Currently has an O gauge MTH DCS layout with 300 feet of track and 18 turnouts. Plans are also underway for a Largescale outdoor layout, and a new O gauge layout.  More info is on the PhxRail.org Leisure World page.
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23. Phoenix: Ryan House.  This is a hospice-type care center for terminally-ill children.  (Please note that this layout is normally accessible only to residents and their family.)  They have an Eagle Wings Ironcraft elevated layout in rear patio.  Click Here to view photos in the PhxRail.org Picasa web album.  The Ryan House website is RyanHouse.org
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24. Phoenix: Thunderbird Model RR Club, HO Layout ThunderbirdModelRRclub.com & facebook.com/TMRRClub
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Section C. — Phx-Area Model Rr Groups – WITHOUT A Permanent Layout:

25. Arizona Big Train Operators,  AzBigTrains.org – meets 3rd Sat round robin at members’ backyard layouts
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26. Arizona Division of the Pacific Southwest Region of the NMRA, azdiv-nmra.org
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27. Arizona Lego User Group, CactusBrick.com – Builds temporary Lego display layouts
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28. Arizona S-Gaugers,  ArizonaSgaugers.com – Meets usually 1st Sat round robin at members’ layouts
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29. Grand Canyon Model Railroaders,  gcmrr.org – Meets 4th Sat at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in East Phoenix.  (Also other gauges.)
    
30. Grand Canyon State Model Railroaders,
    groups.yahoo.com/group/GCSMR – HO modular layout
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31. Ponderosa North Model Railroad Club, ArizonaRails.com/pncpage.html  – Round robin group
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32. Smallworld Miniature Club of Phoenix – PhoenixMiniatures.com
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33. Sun Lakes: Short Line Model Railroad Club, building N ga. modules, some info at sunlakessplash.com/short-line-model-railroad-club-welcome-2020
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34. Train Collectors Association, Desert Division, TcaDd.org – Meets 2nd Sat at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in west Phoenix.  (Also other gauges.)
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    SECTION D. — MISC ARIZONA LAYOUTS AND CLUBS, *O*U*T*SIDE THE PHOENIX AREA
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35. Flagstaff: Flagstaff MRC, flagmrrc.org
36. Prescott: Central Arizona MRC,  trainweb.org/camrrc
37. Prescott Valley: Prescott Valley NTRAK, (web page removed) ntrak.org/prescott_valley_ntrak.htm
38. Sierra Vista: Cochise & Western MRC, facebook.com/Cochise-Western-Model-Railroad-Club-1671854669734133
39. Show Low: Pine Shadow Largescale Group, layout under construction inside Pine Shadow community.  More details on PhxRail.org’s Pine Shadow page
40. Show Low: Silver Creek Model Railroaders HO Layout in the Show Low Historical Society Museum.  Trains run Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. More details on PhxRail.org’s Silver Creek page
41. Tuscon: Arizona and Southwest Model Railroad Society, TucsonNtrak.com (N ga)
42. Tuscon: Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum, gpdToyTrainMuseum.com
43. Tucson: Southern Arizona Society of Model Engineers,  sasme.org  (HO)
44. Tuscon: Tucson Garden Railway Society,  TucsonGrs.org
45. Yuma: Yuma Model Railroaders,  YumaModelRailroaders.org   (multi-ga)
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    SECTION E. — CLOSED STORES & DISCONTINUED PUBLIC RAILROADS
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46. Apache Junction, Memory Lane Collectibles: A collectibles store, with several model railroad displays in several scales.  Click Here to view several photos in the PhxRail Picasa album. CLOSED 12/2014.  Planning to reopen in No. Phoenix area.
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47. Mesa: Arizona Train Depot [CLOSED 2016] Model railroad store was at 755 East McKellips Road, Mesa, AZ.Website ArizonaTrainDepot.com is gone, Facebook page facebook.com/ArizonaTrainDepot, can still be viewed.
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    SECTION F. — OTHER LISTS OF ARIZONA RR CLUBS
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48. The “MASTER LIST” of Phoenix model and prototype railroad links is located on the late Mark Redmond’s “Arizona Rails” links page,  ArizonaRails.com/az_rail_links.html  .  Many of the links on this page have been copied from his page.
49. NMRA list of Arizona Clubs: azdiv-nmra.org/home/az-members/arizona-clubs
50. Sayre Brothers’, Guide to Arizona’s Miniature Railroads – ArizonaAndPacificRR.com/spot/guide.html  (part of Arizona & Pacific website listed above).
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module pieces (for ABTO spring auction)