The sounds of whistles blowing, bells ringing and lights flashing greet visitors as they walk into the Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Museum. For more than 40 years, this classic model train museum has been enthralling young and old alike.
The museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the hobby of model railroading through interactive model train layouts, displays and exhibits.
Don Drakulich, one of the founding members of the museum, said he has witnessed positive changes since the organization was founded in 1980.
“The big thing for me is the people coming in,” he said. “It gives the public an idea of what toy trains were and are about.”
He said when people visit the museum, they get excited about the different model trains running. Many were unaware a place like this existed in Tucson.
According to the museum’s website, the Gadsden-Pacific opened its first location at the Foothills Mall in 1988. Ten years later, the museum relocated to its current location on North Miller Avenue, where there are displays of model train “gauges,” ranging from the largest, G-gauge, to the smallest, Z-gauge.
Volunteers, young or old, are responsible for keeping the museum up and running and share a committed passion for model trains and for keeping them alive for future generations.
“I wanted to be able to speak with and connect with others who shared a passion for this hobby,” said Jared Ruiz, 27, who joined the museum just over a year ago. “I got into it from my grandfather who collected trains.”
Ruiz added that other volunteers continue to join, which he said is encouraging, since many people consider model railroading to be a “dead hobby.”
Don Drakulich (right) and Jared Ruiz inspect a section of track on the museum’s O-Gauge layout on Jan. 25, 2026.
At the museum, children of all ages enjoy each layout’s interactive buttons for them to press. One of the interactive displays showcases fuel being loaded into a tank car through the use of electronic animation activated at the touch of a button.
It brings volunteers like Drakulich and Ruiz joy to watch the faces of the young, and the young at heart, light up every time they see a model train racing by, they said.
“What’s really stood out to me is the number of people here who are clearly just having a good time,” said Paige Webster, who was visiting the museum for the very first time with his partner, Marley Webster. “Ever since we showed up, it’s been crowded all the way through.”
Paige Webster (right) and his partner Marley Webster look on in wonder at the museum’s HO-Gauge layout during a visit to the Gadsden-Pacific Toy Train Museum on Jan. 25, 2026.
Webster said the children running around and following the model trains at the museum seemed to be having the best time out of everyone.
While the museum currently relies entirely on volunteers to keep the organization running, plans are in the works for a fully-paid staff funded through donations and gift shop purchases, according to the museum’s website.
If all goes according to plan, the museum should have a clear track ahead for generations to come.
“Trains have an important place in our future, figuring out where we go from where we are now,” Webster said.
The museum is located at 3975 N. Miller Ave. and is open every Sunday from 1- 4 p.m.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
