All Aboard!

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By Stephanie Seaberg, Resident Since 2010

CHOO-CHOO!!!! All aboard the Danville Express!

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is bustling with trains, and this is your one-way ticket to an experience you’ll never forget! The museum is a long standing town fixture with so much to offer families looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon and beat the heat. If you’re not familiar with the museum, chances are you have been to it and didn’t even realize it. It’s at the epicenter of the ever so popular farmer’s market in Danville, which takes place every Saturday morning, near the Lunardi’s parking lot.

The summer exhibit, which runs until the third week of August, is a jaw-dropping miniature train display that would make even Walt Disney jealous. This is truly an exhibit that will appeal to the young and the young at heart. Dan Dunn is the Director of the museum and has seen his share of visitors over the years. “It never surprises me how many folks in their 80s come to see us. They’re train collectors themselves or used to work on the railroads. It’s a fun family activity” The model trains have been exhibiting during the summer for many years now, but each year always offers something different.

This summer we can look forward to seeing a diorama model of Danville with up to 4 moving trains operating at the same time. Every inch of the diorama, including the houses and buildings, are handmade by volunteers at the museum. It’s impossible to ignore the tiniest detail that went into making all the buildings look as realistic as possible. There is even a diorama of Elliott’s bar on the corner, from when it was fairly new.

This year is the 150 year anniversary of the ‘Golden Spike’, which marks the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Pictures from the ‘Golden Spike’ will be on display along with pictures of ‘Women Working on the Railroad’. “Inclusion of historical houses makes it all very personal” says Dunn. Toy train engineers volunteer their time and skills managing the O-gauge models and love to answer any questions that visitors might have. Antique Trains from as far back as the 1950s are on display, along with some of the more modern locomotives with plenty of high tech gadgets to mesmerize any audience.

Want more trains? You can also take part in a model train lecture at the Veterans Memorial building just a block away. This is a fun place for rail buffs to meet and mingle. (Date and time to be determined. Call for more details) The museum also offers displays of fascinating Railway photos from the 1890s, where you can learn about how Hartz Avenue got its name and when the Iron Horse Trail became a part of Danville. One of the other big draws of the museum is the price - $15 buys the entire family a summer long pass. The museum has seen families return over and over, often discovering something they didn’t notice before. So, what are you waiting for? Climb aboard!

Museum of the San Ramon Valley 205 Railroad Ave. CA, Danville 94526 Family passes $15 - good all summer long Tuesday- Saturday 10 AM to 1PM Sunday- Noon to 3PM

Stephanie Seaberg has lived in the East Bay for the last 30 years, and is a SRVHS Alumni. Steph is a play-writer and director for Theater Performance Workshop, KAOS Camp, and Golden Oak Montessori. Steph lives for cooking, theater, photography, travel, and singing.