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Our Museum

History of the Building

The Kovals bought the Depot building on 17 July, 1987 and had it moved from the grounds of the White Sands Mall to its current location in Alameda Park.  This is the third role for the historic building.  It was originally built in Torrance, New Mexico where it served as a depot for the New Mexico Central Railroad.  In 1912, the depot was moved by mule train 7 miles south to Corona and put in service to the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The baggage room was added in 1929.  The depot likely sat idle for many years until the Connors bought it in 1974 and moved it to Alamogordo to house their antique furnishings business, Depot Antiques.

Exterior image of Toy Train Depot Museum in Alamogordo NM
Toy Train Engine Illustration
Museum Interior - Model Train Tracks Exhibit Toy Train Depot Alamogordo NM

Model Layouts

The Kovals and many volunteers began assembling the museum in March 1988. Layouts feature a variety of different scales from the larger Garden (G-scale) trains all the way down to the tiny ‘z’ and even ‘TT’ scales. The most noteworthy layout is done in Half O (HO – 1/87th of life-size), yielding the artists’ interpretation of historic railroads in Otero and Lincoln Counties, including the Alamogordo and Sacramento Railway (also known as the Cloud Climbing Railway) and the El Paso and Northeastern.

Operating the 1865 Steam Locomotive - Toy Train Depot Alamogordo NM

Park Ride

The park train ride was originally added as a revenue generator, but it quickly became a favorite of residents and visitors to Alamogordo. The railbed was laid through the mile-long park with the help of many local volunteers.

Toy Train Depot Red Caboose

Caboose

The full scale Caboose was donated to the museum by the Alamogordo McDonald’s in 2007. It serves as a venue for children’s parties and helps generate revenue to sustain the museum.

Track Stencil
Stencil outline of locomotive

Role in the Community

The Toy Train Depot has had a home in Alamogordo for more than 30 years. Thousands of local school children, community members and visitor have ridden the train, toured the museum, and volunteered to operate or restore various portions of the museum and rides. To members of the community, the Depot is a part of their lives and their home. Looking to the future, the Toy Train Depot is teaming up with Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, Otero County Tourist promoters, the Small Business Development Center, and other members of the community to build on the synergy of these related functions. Together, the Toy Train Depot and community of Alamogordo have a bright and promising future.