Miniature Train Sets, Trains, and Railroad Museums
It has come to our attention that many of our clients are big boys with a fascination for big toys. Many of these big kids have sons and daughters who also like trains. Trains, train sets, and railroad museums fascinate many people. Did you know that the greater Houston area has over one-half dozen (6) different such museums and exhibits. We now offer a variety of such tours of various lengths. Let us know if any of them appeal to you.
All tours of 5 or more hours include a stop for lunch at each person’s expense.
Our Tours
- Tour A - 3 Hours
- Tour B - 3 Hours
- Tour C - 4 Hours
- Tour D - 4 Hours
- Tour E - 5 Hours
- Tour F - 6 Hours
- Tour G - 7 Hours
- Tour H - 8 Hours
Tour A – 3 Hours � This tour has many diverse stops. We will spend about:
- 30 to 60 minutes to visit G & G Model Shop, Inc. to look at its collection of miniature trains.
- 18 minutes on the children’s train in Hermann Park or 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes riding on the MetroRail. Allow 15 to 20 minutes to wait for a train.
- 5 to 15 minutes at the Amtrak Station.
- 10 to 20 minutes at the Ballpark at Union Station also known as Minute Maid Park. It was completed on March 1, 1911 at a cost of $5 million for the Houston Belt and Terminal Company. Seventeen trains went in and out of Union Station, making Houston the main passenger railroad hub for the southern states. The last train that departed from Union Station was on July 31, 1974. It was abandoned for the next 26 years, when the Houston Astros moved into the reinvented and renovated Enron Field, in 2000.
- 5 to 15 minutes visiting the site of an old roundhouse that is still used as workmen’s location for repairs on trains.
G & G is closed on Sunday, and opens at 11:00 AM Monday through Friday and at 10:00 AM on Saturday. This tour can be reduced to 2 hours at ¾ of the price as it still includes the cost of a train ride.
Tour B – 3 Hours � Visit the Rosenberg Railroad Museum in Rosenberg, Texas. This is 35 miles/56 kilometers from downtown Houston and takes about 40 minutes to drive there. It is southwest from Houston. The museum is only open on Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 PM and Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It has model trains, HO model train layout, a 1972 Mopac caboose, 1945 Santa Fe switcher diesel train, 1879 “Quebec” train, museum, gift shop, and the main building is located in a reproduction of an old turn of the 20th Century train depot. This tour can also be combined with Tour A for 6 hours at the price of the two tours combined.
Tour C – 4 Hours � This is the same as Tour A plus a visit to the Tin Plate Operating Society (HTOS) on a Saturday only. The HTOS is only open on Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. HTOS was found in 1988 and is run by volunteers. According to its website, the HTOS “is an organization of O-gauge train modelers whose principal interests range from true tinplate (pre & postwar) to near-scale 3-rail operation.” It primarily has Lionel and comparable trains. This tour can only take place on Saturday.
Tour D – 4 Hours � This tour is only available on the 4th Saturday of the month. It goes to the All Points North Model Railroad Club (APNMRC) in Conroe. The APNMTC is 43.7 miles/70.4 kilometers from Houston and the drive takes about 50 minutes. The layout is located in a 2,500+ square foot room.
Tour E – 5 Hours � Visit the Galveston Railroad Museum in Galveston. This is one of the five largest railroad museums in the United States. It opened in 1983. It is located within the old Galveston railroad depot. This is 49.7 miles/79.9 kilometers from Houston and takes about 1 hour to drive there. You have the opportunity to go on historic train cars such as cabooses, a post office car, dining cars, a lounge car, private business cars, a gondola, engines, a derrick, a tank car, box cars, sleeper cars, baggage cars, a refrigerator car, locomotives, and more. The oldest car is an 1880 caboose. Many of the cars are over 10 years old. See miniature train layouts, go through the old terminal and see the customized statues of train personnel, employees, and riders in the waiting area. It is open everyday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For a few dollars more, you can take a short 15-minute train ride on most Saturdays between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
Tour F – 6 Hours � This is the same as Tour E plus a trip to the railroad museum in Dickinson. It is located in the 1902 former train depot. It is 27.7 miles/44.6 kilometers from Houston and takes about 35 minutes to drive there. It is 22.3 miles/35.8 kilometers from the Galveston Railroad Museum and takes about 25 minutes to drive from Dickinson to Galveston. The Dickinson Railroad Museum is open Monday through Saturday at 10:00 AM and closes at 4:00 PM on Monday through Friday and at 2:00 PM on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.
Tour G – 7 Hours � This tour includes Tour E and a trip to the Texas City Museum. This museum has a fantastic model railroad layout that is only open on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Galveston County Model Railroad Club was found in 1989 and moved to its present location in 1996. The Texas City Museum is 14.4 miles/23.2 kilometers from the Galveston Railroad Museum and it takes about 20 minutes to drive there. The Texas City Museum is 39.9 miles/64.1 kilometers from Houston and takes about 45 minutes to drive there. This tour is only available only on Saturday.
Tour H – 8 Hours � This tour has 3 stops for railroad museums and miniature train layouts: the Dickinson Railroad Museum, the Texas City Museum, and Galveston Railroad Museum.