Even if you are not a train fan this is the best museum I have ever been. The trains are in an excellent condition, very nice and detailed restored. The display itself is sometimes more than art! It has it all: You can go inside the trains, see different kind of transportations from the luxury and the poor. From the mail transportation to the goods. Even the old dishes from several routes are displayed and in one train you even the feeling that you are driving on it. It sets you back a long time ago. It is for every one very exciting. The museum is on 2 levels and they even have an area especially for kids. Very impressive. The cost is 8 dollars for an adult and absolutely worth it! For an additional 8 dollar you can go on a historical 40 minute train ride along the Sacramento river. Everthing is in a nice clean condition - even the bathrooms. It's suppose to be the biggest railroad museum in the world and it defenetely deserves the best one for sure too. We had a lot of fun!

EVERYONE in my family enjoyed this place. (And my children are in their 20's and older) Loved the ability to walk through some older train cars and see what they were like. Just a great place to visit and enjoy.

This is absolutely one of the best museums either of us have ever visited. My mechanically inclined husband already likes trains, so we knew HE would like it, but speaking as a person who does not normally get excited about mechanical objects (they don't have feelings, so who cares?), I can truthfully say I was blown away by how this museum charmed me and taught me all about the profound effect that railroads have had on America and on the everyday lives of Americans (hey--people having feelings and experiences! Now I care!). This is due to the extremely high quality of the interpretation. Our tour guide was warm, articulate and knowledgeable, and the signage on all exhibits was unusually well-written and thoughtful; both the live and written narration helped me connect the trains with every aspect of American life and appreciate their costs as well as their many benefits to our society. The highlight for me was walking through the sleeper car (loved the sound and motion effects) and the dining car. It made me think of my mother's journey across country to college in the 1940s, the very same era to which they have decorated these cars. The dining car has real place settings from all the most famous trains (made me want to have lunch!) and is staffed by a friendly, intelligent costumed "maitre d" type individual who wielded a funny little four note xylophone in one hand. She explained that this was the dinner bell that signaled dinner time--and played it for us. Such a gentle, lovely sound I have hardly ever heard. Great photos of Yosemite upstairs, along with a dazzling display of toy trains. I was delighted by the entire experience, as was my gearhead husband, who was thrilled on other levels. If you are anywhere near Sacramento, GO to this fantastic museum! Everyone in the family will love it. Bring the grandparents if at all possible--they will remember the good old days and be inspired to tell tales of their own train travel experiences. I saw this happen at least twice in the two hours I was there. Could easily have stayed a third hour. Lots of restaurants nearby, plus other fun things to do right in the same immediate neighborhood of Old Sacramento. GO!

This was one of the highlights of our recent vacation! The trains on display are real! They even have many of the older cars set up for you to tour through. The cars are set up to be as authentic as they were when they were in use! They even have one car the simulates the motion of being on a moving train!

It's definitely worth the price of admission. We could have spent the whole day there, but we only had a few hours. I'm actually anxious to go back again and spend more time going through the displays!