Massive model train set shows Arizona of the 1950s
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A four-story model train set depicting parts of Arizona, at the Capitol Museum. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Model trains and Arizona history are colliding at the state Capitol in a project that takes people back to the 1950s, when the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads dominated the state.
Driving the news: Volunteers with the Arizona Railroad Historical Society have been working on a train model that fills the better part of a second-floor room of the old Capitol.
- It has eight independent loops of track, stacked into four levels, with exquisitely detailed landscapes representing various points of interest from along the tracks, as they looked about 70 years ago.
- Work began on the project around June 2018, with an interruption for the pandemic in 2020. The estimated completion date is set for the summer or fall of 2024.
- The model is about 65% done, Craig Faris, the society's vice president, tells Axios. He said about 50,000 man-hours have gone into the model so far.
Details: The landscapes and buildings represent just about every corner of the state, with the railroad beginning in Yuma and winding its way to Williams, the terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway.
- The Williams area and the Grand Canyon are still under construction.
- The landscaping includes wildlife, such as a coyote stalking a herd of antelope and a tiny jackalope sitting near Picacho Peak.
- They're also designing a lighting system that will mimic a 24-hour cycle every 20 minutes, so visitors will be able to see it lit up at "night."
1 trip down memory lane: Historic structures, some of which no longer exist, are depicted along the rail line, like the old Tovrea Stockyards on Washington Street in Phoenix or the fruit-processing buildings that were an important part of Tempe's economy.
- They're planning to add other bygone landmarks, like the old Bill Johnson's Big Apple on Van Buren Street, which opened in 1956 and closed in 2015.
- Other historic sites that still exist are shown as they were in the 1950s, like the Capitol, Phoenix Union Station and Hayden Flour Mill.
What they're saying: While most model railroads are about the trains, Jesse Poole, the society's former president, told Axios that the model at the Capitol, which he designed, is about using the railroad as a medium to display Arizona's history.
What's next: The society's lease at the Arizona Capitol Museum is up in spring 2024, but Faris says they hope to extend it.
Jeremy's thought bubble: I stopped by to get a few quick photos and ended up staying for a lot longer than I expected while Poole showed me around. I was very impressed, and I'd love to come back with my kids. He even let me run one of the trains!