Twin City Model Railroad Museum to mark 90 years at MN State Fairgrounds

Next Saturday, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds will belong to the trains — model trains, that is — and the people who love them.

In honor of its 90th anniversary, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum will hold a "hobby show and sale" on May 11 at the Minnesota State Fair’s Education Building.

The all-volunteer organization promises this will be "the first big event" in a series of special events throughout the year marking the milestone.

Scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the show will feature "toy train layouts in multiple sizes as well (as) vendors selling all scales of model trains, railroad ephemera, clothing, hobby tools, toys and more," the museum said in a news release Thursday.

Admission is $7, though kids 7 and under get in free.

The museum traces its roots back to the St. Paul Craftsman Club, a group that met to build a model railroad "in a back room of a Grand Avenue business" in 1934, according to its website.

It eventually set up shop at the St. Paul Union Depot and stayed there until the station closed in the 1970s, then moved between temporary homes until landing at Bandana Square. It moved into its present location , on St. Paul's Transfer Road, in 2016.

According to the release, the museum is home to "13,000 square feet of interactive toy train layouts, LEGO displays, children’s play tables, model railroad history exhibits, a 'Train Doctor', birthday party rooms, gift shop and more."

You can find hours and ticket information right here .