Toy Train Depot, New Mexico
Model railroad museumTrain ridesOpen Thursday to Sunday, with park train rides through Alameda Park
The Toy Train Depot is Alamogordo's little railroad: a mile-long 16-inch gauge train ride through Alameda Park, plus a historic depot packed with model railroads, toy trains and rail history from southern New Mexico.
- Mile-long park train ride
- 16-inch gauge trains
- Depot built in 1898
- Layouts from G to Z scale
- Red caboose for parties
- Open since 1988
Toy Train Depot at a glance
- Hours
- Thursday to Saturday 11 am to 4 pm; Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm; closed Monday to Wednesday
- Admission
- Train ride $6, museum $6, ride and museum combo $10; under 4 free with an adult; annual pass $50
- Train rides
- Mile-long 16-inch gauge park train; first train about 11:30 am (12:30 pm Sunday), last about 3:30 pm
- Seasonal events
- Senior Thursdays, Snoopy Fridays
- Plan for
- About 1 to 2 hours
- Best for
- Young train fans and families with grandparents
- Best ages
- Toddlers to age 10
- Accessibility
- A ramp leads up to the depot entrance
Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.
Contact and directions
- Address1991 N White Sands Blvd, Alamogordo, NM 88310(opens in a new tab)
- Phone(575) 437-2855
- Emailinfo@toytraindepot.org
- Websitetoytraindepot.org(opens in a new tab)
Follow Toy Train Depot
Look inside the book
Taking the kids to Toy Train Depot? Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Alamogordo.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
A depot that moved three times and a hobby that grew
The building at the heart of the Toy Train Depot started life as a working station. It opened in 1898 in Torrance, New Mexico, where the New Mexico Central met the El Paso and Northeastern. In 1912 it was hauled by mule train about seven miles south to Corona, where it served the Southern Pacific, and a baggage room was added in 1929. It stayed in Corona for decades and likely sat quiet for years after the trains stopped needing it.
In 1974 the Connor family bought the depot and moved it to Alamogordo to house their antiques shop, Depot Antiques. Its third life began on July 17, 1987, when John and Merry Koval bought the building and moved it from the White Sands Mall grounds to Alameda Park. John was a lifelong model railroader whose father had worked in the rail yards of Youngstown, Ohio. With Merry's encouragement and help from Jim Bowlin, then the city's Community Services Director, he decided to share his collection and know-how with the town.
In March 1988 the Kovals and a crew of volunteers started building the museum. The park train came next, first as a way to pay the bills, and it quickly became a favorite with locals and visitors alike. Volunteers laid the railbed through the mile-long park by hand. In 2007 the Alamogordo McDonald's donated a full-size caboose, which now hosts children's parties and helps fund the museum.
More than 30 years later, thousands of school children, families and visitors have ridden the train, toured the depot and pitched in as volunteers. The museum describes its job in three words: preserve, educate and entertain.
Riding the Alameda Park railroad
The park train has run through Alameda Park for nearly 40 years. It began as a way to raise money for the museum and turned into the part many Alamogordo families remember most. Volunteers built the railbed themselves through the mile-long park.
The trains run on 16-inch gauge track, about one-fifth the size of a real railroad. A true one-fifth scale track would be about 11.3 inches wide, so the wider rails add stability and safety for riders. Each engine is modeled on a real railroad: the yellow Union Pacific, the Western Pacific and B&O streamliners, and an 1865-style steam engine whose engineer rides on the tender.
As of October 2026, rides cost $6, or $10 with museum admission, and children under 4 ride free with an adult. Weather or maintenance can cancel runs, so call (575) 437-2855 before a long drive.
Help keep Alamogordo's little railroad running
The Toy Train Depot has been built and run by volunteers since 1988. Every ride, every caboose party and every gift shop purchase helps keep the trains on the track and the 1898 depot in good shape.
Donate: The museum takes donations online through PayPal. Make a donation to the Toy Train Depot.
Get an annual pass: For $50 a year, the pass doubles as a membership card. Buy a Toy Train Depot annual pass.
Shop: Train shirts and gifts are available in the Toy Train Depot online gift shop.
Volunteer: To help run trains, guide tours or work on layouts, call (575) 437-2855 or email info@toytraindepot.org.
Fly over the Toy Train Depot
See the depot, the station platform and the loop of track through Alameda Park from above. It is a fun way to show kids the route before they ride.
Three rooms of trains inside, a mile of track outside
Inside the depot, the old waiting room is now the ticket office and gift shop. The Station Master's Room tells what it took to run a small station on the lines that crossed southern New Mexico, with the building's original stamped tin ceiling and dispatcher's bay window still in place. The baggage room holds several big operating layouts, with trains in scales from G (garden trains) down to tiny Z and TT. The standout is an HO scale layout that interprets the historic railroads of Otero and Lincoln Counties, including the Alamogordo and Sacramento Railway, known as the Cloud Climbing Railway, and the El Paso and Northeastern.
Shelves and cases hold toy trains that delighted children a century ago, plus models, photos and artifacts on how locomotives, railroad management and passenger travel changed over time. Outside, the park trains wait under a covered station platform. They run on 16-inch gauge track, about one-fifth scale, on a loop of roughly a mile through the grass and shade of Alameda Park, pulling auto racks, tank cars, boxcars and flat cars behind models of real railroad engines.
Don’t miss
- The 1865-style steam engineA red and green wood-burner look-alike with a balloon stack. The engineer rides on the faux tender to drive it.
- The Western Pacific and B&O streamlinersTwo classic diesel paint schemes, rebuilt at park scale, that pull families around the loop.
- The yellow Union Pacific trainModeled on full-size Union Pacific passenger trains, it is the brightest thing in Alameda Park.
- The Otero and Lincoln County HO layoutAn artist's take on the Cloud Climbing Railway and the El Paso and Northeastern, the lines that built Alamogordo.
- The red Toy Train Depot cabooseA full-size caboose donated by the Alamogordo McDonald's in 2007, now the party car out by the crossing sign.
- The original depot detailsLook up at the stamped tin ceiling and out the dispatcher's bay window, both still in place since 1898.
Photos from the Toy Train Depot
Photos courtesy of the Toy Train Depot.
Tap any photo to see it larger, with the story behind it.
Made for little engineers
This is one of the easiest train days in New Mexico for small kids. The park ride is gentle, about a mile long, and riders sit low on open cars with a clear view of the engine. Children under 4 ride and visit free with an adult. Inside, the layouts run at kid height behind glass, and the toy trains on the shelves look a lot like what grandparents played with.
Alameda Park has plenty of grass and shade for a snack break between the ride and the museum. Senior Thursdays give visitors 55 and over half-price tickets, which makes it a nice outing with grandparents, and Snoopy Fridays add some extra fun at the end of the week.
Plan your visit: tips for Toy Train Depot
- Buy the $10 combo to ride the train and tour the museum.
- Day tickets are sold on site; annual passes can be bought online.
- Call (575) 437-2855 before you go, since weather or maintenance can cancel train runs.
- Arrive before 3:30 pm to catch the last train of the day.
- Visitors 55 and over get half-price tickets on Senior Thursdays.
Volunteers keep the trains rolling
The Toy Train Depot has been a volunteer effort since the Kovals opened it, and volunteers still run the trains, lead tours on request and keep the layouts working. Ticket sales, the gift shop, caboose parties and donations all help pay for the trains and the historic depot. The $50 annual pass doubles as a membership card.
More rail history in southern New Mexico and El Paso
Head south about 86 miles to ride the restored El Paso Streetcar cars, or north about 130 miles to the Belen Harvey House Museum. In Albuquerque, about 154 miles away, the Wheels Museum is another good stop. For more ideas, see every train museum in New Mexico.
Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive
I love that the engineer on the little steam engine rides right there on the tender, close enough for kids to wave and get a wave back. In our book, Mr. Conductor in his blue uniform holds out a hand to welcome Rally aboard, and that small kindness is what kids remember. If your little rider wants to keep the fun going at home, our free train coloring pages are ready to print.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.
Get the free coloring pages
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)More for train families
- Train museums in New Mexico: every museum by town, with a map
- Train museums in every state: search by town or near you
- Christmas train rides in New Mexico
- Halloween train rides in New Mexico
- Every Amtrak route with kids
Work or volunteer at Toy Train Depot?
We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.
Sources
Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.
Toy Train Depot Alamogordo: 20 questions families ask
What are the Toy Train Depot hours?
As of October 2026, the Toy Train Depot is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm. It is closed Monday through Wednesday. Weather or maintenance can cancel train runs, so the museum suggests calling (575) 437-2855 before you head over.
How much does the Toy Train Depot train ride cost?
As of October 2026, a park train ride costs $6 per person, museum admission is $6, and a combo ticket for both is $10. Children under 4 ride and visit free with an adult. Day tickets are sold on site at the depot, so there is no need to book ahead for a regular visit.
When does the first and last train leave at the Toy Train Depot?
As of October 2026, the first train leaves at about 11:30 am Thursday through Saturday and about 12:30 pm on Sunday. The last train leaves at about 3:30 pm. Trains run through the afternoon in between, so plan to arrive by 3:30 pm if riding is the main reason for your visit.
Where is the Toy Train Depot in Alamogordo?
The Toy Train Depot is at 1991 N White Sands Blvd in Alamogordo, New Mexico, inside Alameda Park along US 54 and 70. Look for the red Toy Train Depot caboose and the railroad crossing sign near the road. The blue and white depot building sits just behind it, next to the park train station.
How long is the train ride at the Toy Train Depot?
The park train runs on about a mile of track through Alameda Park. The trains run on 16-inch gauge rails, roughly one-fifth the size of a real railroad, and riders sit on open cars behind the engine. It is a relaxed loop through the grass and trees that young kids can enjoy without getting restless.
What trains can you ride at the Toy Train Depot?
The Toy Train Depot runs park-scale models of real railroad engines. There is a yellow Union Pacific train, Western Pacific and Baltimore and Ohio streamliners, and an 1865-style steam engine with a faux tender that the engineer sits on to drive. The trains pull auto racks, tank cars, boxcars and flat cars along the loop.
What is inside the Toy Train Depot museum?
Three rooms of the historic depot hold model trains, artifacts and memorabilia. The old waiting room is the gift shop and ticket office, the Station Master's Room shows how a small New Mexico station ran, and the baggage room holds several large operating layouts. Toy trains from the last century line the shelves.
What model train scales are on display at the Toy Train Depot?
The layouts cover scales from large G scale garden trains down to tiny Z and TT scale, with HO, O, S and N in between. The best known is an HO scale layout that interprets the historic railroads of Otero and Lincoln Counties, including the Cloud Climbing Railway and the El Paso and Northeastern.
Is the Toy Train Depot good for toddlers?
Yes. The park train is gentle and short, kids sit low with a clear view of the engine, and children under 4 ride and visit free with an adult. Inside, the operating layouts are easy for small kids to watch. Alameda Park has grass and shade for a break between the ride and the museum.
How old is the Toy Train Depot building?
The depot building opened in 1898 in Torrance, New Mexico, at the junction of the New Mexico Central and the El Paso and Northeastern. It was moved to Corona in 1912 to serve the Southern Pacific, then to Alamogordo in 1974, and finally to Alameda Park in 1987. Its stamped tin ceiling and dispatcher's bay window are original.
Who started the Toy Train Depot?
John and Merry Koval started the Toy Train Depot. John was a lifelong model railroader whose father worked in the rail yards of Youngstown, Ohio. In 1987 the Kovals bought the old depot and moved it to Alameda Park with help from Jim Bowlin, then Alamogordo's Community Services Director, and volunteers began building the museum in March 1988.
Can you have a birthday party at the Toy Train Depot?
The Toy Train Depot's red caboose hosts children's parties, and party rentals help fund the museum. Party prices and booking details are not posted online, so call (575) 437-2855 or email info@toytraindepot.org to ask about dates, guest counts and whether train rides can be part of the celebration.
Does the Toy Train Depot have a senior discount?
Yes. On Senior Thursdays, visitors 55 and over get half-price tickets. It is a good day for grandparents to bring grandkids, with a relaxed museum tour and a leisurely ride through Alameda Park. Senior Thursdays run during regular hours, 11 am to 4 pm, as of October 2026.
What is Snoopy Fridays at the Toy Train Depot?
Snoopy Fridays is a recurring Friday event at the Toy Train Depot during regular hours, 11 am to 4 pm, as of October 2026. The museum does not post many details about it online. Check the events page on toytraindepot.org or call (575) 437-2855 to find out what is planned before you go.
Does the Toy Train Depot sell an annual pass?
Yes. The Toy Train Depot sells an annual pass for $50 per person as of October 2026, and it doubles as a membership card. Annual passes can be bought in advance on the museum's website, while day tickets are sold only at the depot. A pass is a good value for local families who ride often.
Is there a gift shop at the Toy Train Depot?
Yes. The depot's old waiting room is now the gift shop and ticket office, with railroad memorabilia, souvenirs and hobby items. The museum also runs an online gift shop and an eBay shop, both linked from toytraindepot.org, so you can pick up something train themed even if you cannot visit in person.
Are there guided tours at the Toy Train Depot?
Volunteer docents give guided tours on request. Ask at the ticket counter when you arrive, or call (575) 437-2855 ahead of time for a school or group visit. Thousands of school children have toured the depot and ridden the train over the years, so the volunteers are used to curious young visitors.
Is the Toy Train Depot wheelchair accessible?
A ramp leads up to the depot's entrance from the walkway. The museum does not post detailed accessibility information for the park train or the exhibit rooms, so call (575) 437-2855 before your visit to ask about boarding the train and getting around inside with a wheelchair or stroller.
How can I donate to or volunteer at the Toy Train Depot?
The Toy Train Depot accepts donations online through a PayPal donation button on its website, and every ticket, party and gift shop purchase also helps. Volunteers have run the museum since 1988, laying track, running trains and building layouts. Call (575) 437-2855 or email info@toytraindepot.org to ask how to help.
What else is near the Toy Train Depot?
The Toy Train Depot sits inside Alameda Park in Alamogordo, so there is plenty of green space for a picnic before or after your ride, and the depot is right on White Sands Boulevard in town. For more rail history, the El Paso Streetcar is about 86 miles south, and the Belen Harvey House Museum is about 130 miles north.