One of the Best Train Museums that we have visited. Located in a Train Depot, it is beautifully done with displays, artifacts, and Train Memorabilia from the past. Super friendly Staff who really show their passion for trains & the history that surrounds them. They have a nice gift shop where you can find a gift for the train enthusiast in your life, or pick up something for yourself. If you are lucky a train will pass through and you can sit on the platform and feel the history as it passes you by, go see the Tehachapi Loop to complete your visit to Train Town USA. read more

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What a fantastic find! We were driving from Bakersfield to Las Vegas when a sudden winter storm forced us to take a break in Tehachapi. Honestly, it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. We pulled into the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum to escape the snow and were immediately greeted by Diana at the front desk. She was so incredibly welcoming and warm, which was exactly what we needed after that drive! We ended up getting a tour from Paul, and he was phenomenal. His knowledge of the local railroad history and the famous Tehachapi Loop is next-level. He didn't just show us artifacts; he told stories that made the whole experience come alive. The museum is beautifully maintained and full of unique memorabilia--even if you aren't a huge 'train person,' the passion of the volunteers like Paul and Diana makes it worth the stop. It's free to enter, but we highly recommend leaving a donation to support this local gem. Total 5-star experience! read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

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Enjoyed some time in the downtown area today. Brought the grandkids to play on the little train slide they have. It's so cute over here and well-maintained. We usually let our granddaughter run around on the grass and play. Luckily, the Man working out front told us not to go on the grass. I guess people are letting their dogs go to the bathroom and not clean up after them. So disappointing, it's such a beautiful area. We were glad for the warning, though. 10/24/25 read more

It's a small museum/depot with really nice docents. On Saturday we got to see a train pass by about every ten minutes, which is rather thrilling. It is free but they appreciate donations. We purchased a book and a t-shirt in their gift shop. What was a pleasant surprise was the location in general-- it is in downtown Tehachapi, which is very cute. We walked to a few interesting shops and had lunch, all within walking distance of the museum. read more

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Great little museum in downtown Tehachapi. Don't be fooled by the size. This museum is packed with lots of artifacts, history, and displays. There are friendly and knowledgeable docents on hand. Entry is free - but a donation helps keep the place going. Please donate. Plenty of parking, as an added bonus the BNSF and UP railroads give you a free show every few minutes right out the back of the building. read more

What a quaint little museum. It took us a couple of days to catch it open but it was worth the wait. We were greeted by the cutest little older couple. They told us we could have a guided tour or just tour ourselves. We decided to walk around ourselves and enjoy taking our time. It is the history of the rail way from the I believe late 1800's to the early 1900's. If you are a train enthusiast definitely a place to see. They have all types of old memorabilia spread out over 3 floors. It was very interesting to read about the loop which makes up Tehachapi. To see how history and progress changes life. If you're ever in Tehachapi and are in the old town downtown area check this little gem out and make a small donation to help with the preservation. read more

My son LOVED this place. Very kind tour guide that gave us a lot of history. A few interactive displays for the kiddos and of course the best part is every so often a big train will go by outside. There's a really cute gift shop too. read more

Even if you're not visiting the Tehachapi Loop you should definitely visit the museum. Having been a mainliner (someone who works on the crew of mainline train) for a year and a half as a switchman, brake man, and finally a conductor I found it fascinating. Now you know something more about Mark D...lol The evolvement of the locomotive design is very interesting. I learned why the locomotives cab changed from the rear to cab forward. As railroads went through tunnels the smoke was basically killing the crew. So they designed cab forward locomotives or engines. The docents there were all actual railroad employees and very knowledgeable and friendly. Lots of memorabilia from early railroading to now. Well quite a bit for a small place. Admission is free and donations are welcome. Parking is in a large general purpose lot. Walk about two blocks towards town. read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

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Museum was closed when we stopped here but we looked around outside. There was a nearby park; public bathrooms also closed. We got pastries at bakery down the street. read more

This is a cool little museum in a cool little town. I stopped in on a cold and cloudy day in early March. I had parked down the street and walked to explore some other areas as well. I love trains so walking down the street next to the tracks was a good work up to the museum. Inside there is a lot of history packed into a rather small space. They had to rebuild several years back after the original depot burned down. It is unfortunate but they did a great job. It still feels and smells like an old depot. I love it. And love the history. The people are friendly in here. Be kind and talk to them a bit. Buy a souvenir. I bought a shot glass to add to my collection. This is a place of local history. Support local even if you are a visitor. You may learn something and even enjoy yourself. read more

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Amazing place!!! Very historical and educational on trains and the train loop built in tehachapi. Just visiting was amazing.

Do not come to this place. It's been closed since March. Just drove 160 miles to find out!!! How disappointing. This business site or phone recording should have been updated by now. read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - Closed. - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

Tehachapi, California Nice train depot from 100 years ago turned museum. This location has been burned down and re-done to preserve history. The museum showcases the typical passenger, and industrial/trade motifs with spaces designated to safety and a general timeline of events. Portion is also devoted to lifestyle, the "Loop" and why it is needed, and the four influential men in rail history. Great spot to scope out while here. Access/Roads: A Paved. Located in DT Tehachapi. Parking: C Street parking only. Can be an issue during local events. Distance: C Appx 120 miles north of DT Los Angeles. Appx 60 miles east of Bakersfield area. Costs: A Free. Tehachapi Area sites (listed below): Tehachapi Mountain Park/Recreation Park Tehachapi Heritage Museum Errea House Museum Tomo Kahni State Historic Park and Tehachapi Loop Railroad Overlook. www.cleeshyun.com IG cigarcpa read more

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Educational and informative. Those are the first two words that come to mind when remembering our time at the Tehachapi Depot Museum. I believe the museum is staffed by volunteers. The gentleman who toured us around was terrific and answered all our questions. Even though I am not a railroad aficionado, I still enjoyed our time here. This museum is a terrific place to drop by when you are in Tehachapi. Admission is free. They have a little gift shop that stocks some nice merchandise. Defintely worth the time if you have at least 30 minutes to an hour to spare. read more

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Me and my husband happen to stop by tehachapi for a quick brunch (they have a lot of awesome places to eat over there!) We went over to the public bathroom and met Doug Pickard at the park. The museum was actually closed for the day but he invited us anyway. The museum is pretty cool! It was very nice to learn about the history of the once famous rail road track. They have some legit antique equipments used back in the days such as scales, old luggages, chinas used in the dining on the train etc. We also got to ring the bell! What we love most about this museum is it is very evident how the staff love this place, it is very well maintained and very clean. They take so much pride on this place. Overall, we really enjoyed meeting Doug, he is a very nice and genuine guy and he even signed the calendar that we bought! read more

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I strolled through this museum on a whim this morning, as it was on the way to the Tehachapi Apple Festival. It's a quaint little museum, with quite a bit of history on the railroad that goes through Tehachapi. Nicely maintained museum + grounds...can't believe it's FREE too. :) Anyone who has a good 30 minutes would appreciate coming here to learn more about the history of Tehachapi and see some great railroad / train artifacts! There's also a nice patio in the back of the museum for folks to sit and watch the train go by! :) read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - Model train upstairs - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

Very cool little museum. Kids will love it. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The back door opens right to the railroad tracks where you can watch the trains pass. Support this little museum if you get the chance. read more

I've been here once with my wife. The train guy was informative and gave us a tour. I'd recommend going here at least once.

Awesome museum, that is beautifully curated. The docents were amazing and very knowledgeable. Our docent for the day was Terry Elliers. He was simply amazing. The displays, interactive elements, and live freight trains passing by made this an awesome stop. I definitely recommend stopping in. All ages will love this, but especially the children. read more

Wow.... so much history. This place is awesome. If you are in Tehachapi, do yourself a favor and stop in here! Come learn about the "LOOP"! read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - Wow.... so much history. This place is awesome. If you are in Tehachapi, do yourself a favor and stop in here! Come learn about the "LOOP"! - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

If you are nuts for trains and/or rail travel, you will love this little place. It's certainly cute and well done. if you aren't that curious about trains or rail travel, this is a quick moderately interesting stop. I definitely fall into the second category, but there really isn't (let's be honest) a lot to see in Tehachapi, so we did do a quick walk through this little museum. As a foodie, the only thing I found of real interest was the display of vintage rail dining car menus. Still, it's free. And even if you don't find trains fascinating, there are worse ways to spend half an hour. Friendly staff too that will answer any questions! And although I am not a fan of children and don't generally recommend any place for 'em to go... I don't think this will hold the interest of any except the most hard core "choo choo" obsessed child. read more

Finally had a chance to check out this museum. Surprised to find out it's free to explore. Very clean and nice little museum with cool artifacts and lots of information about the Tehachapi Loop. Volunteers are very friendly. Little souvenir shop has cool items for sale at reasonable prices. Found a really cool shirt here that has a black and white print on it. When you go out in the sun the printed picture turns in full color! Too bad they didn't have our sizes when we came or we would have bought one. Totally worth the time to come check out this museum if you are in the area and have time to spare. read more

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Amazing!! For train buffs and regular folk alike. Friendly informative and fun. Worth the trip!

The Tehachapi Depot Museum is really built with love and care. The team that has detailed this museum have made it one of the cleanest museums ever. The volunteer staff just loves this place to life. Every exhibit is so clean and the details have been carefully watched. For the history of trains, lots of train artifacts, and a train station that is the way you wish all train stations could be drop in and look over this on your wa between here and there. The bakery next door is great too! I like to come through and stretch the legs, have a nibble and learn something new about train history around Tehachapi and California read more

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On our way home to Las Vegas, I really wanted to stop by this museum in beautiful Tehachapi. The museum is small, although it is beautifully done inside and out. Our visit here lasted about half an hour. We had a nice gentleman, whose a volunteer at the museum (as is everyone who works there) who delightfully took us on a tour without us having to ask! He was not only knowledgeable about every single item in that museum, he was also very easy going and added so much to the great experience we had here. I walked out of there with not only more information concerning trains, but more appreciation of how trains ran back in the day! The museum requires no payment for entry, or an appointment. I happily went shopping in their little store and for $16, walked out with a pin, a mug, and a keychain. I recommend this museum to anyone whose passing by! read more

I am so glad they got the depot back up after a bunch of jack-offs burned it down playing with fireworks. Way to go idiots. The building itself is a replica but luckily they have a lot of the original relics inside. It's a quick little tour of history. The grounds outside are very nice too. I took my girlfriends here recently for a quick getaway and they were totally into it. Yah, we're nerds. So what? If you know someone or have kids into trains, this place is definitely cool. It also shows some great views of the historical "Tehachapi Loop." Yee Haw! read more

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As a free little museum, it was a great place to explore for a while. Not a lot going on, but it was interesting to check out the train history of the region and to see some artifacts. The site itself is very nice and I would suggest exploring the rest of the town a little bit for some antiquing and food. When we were there, a great little band was playing some western music and just hanging out. Very nice! read more

Interesting to find out that the route of the railroad line from San Francisco to Los Angeles made this small town of Tehachapi. The museum has a cool timeline of its existence first as a train depot and served as passenger cars until 1972. Now its all freight cargo. There are cool pictures and old artifacts as well as a gift shop. Approximately 34 trains pass here daily. Worth checking out if you are passing by. read more

Tehachapi Depot Museum - WWII soldiers departing to fight in the Pacific. - Museums Near Me - Tehachapi, California

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A charming pit stop. My son loves getting a chance to ring the big train bell, and with all the freight trains that pass through, stepping outside on the loading dock to watch a train pass by is a nice perk. We'll usually follow up a visit here with a picnic at the loop, which makes for a fun afternoon train adventure. read more

Small, but free and very cool. My son and I love trains, so we decided to check out the loop (no luck there) and then hit the museum. The docents are friendly and very into their job. Most of their interesting artifacts and stories aren't too exciting for very young children, but are great for kids from 8 to 80. read more

I recently was in Tehachapi, and after a great lunch at the Tehachapi Red House BBQ, my wife and I had some time to kill before returning home. I have always had a fondness for trains that began as a child watching steam engines moving boxcars behind orange packing houses late at night from my grandmother's rear bedroom window. Tehachapi has a long history with the railroads and is home to the famous Tehachapi Loop. In 1876 the railroad was attempting to cross the Tehachapi mountains but was stopped when they encountered an elevation gain that was too steep for the trains to climb. An ingenious solution of laying the track in a pigtail loop to gain elevation and and pass over the mountains was constructed. The "loop" is recognized as one of the engineering marvels of the day. The loop is still in heavy daily use. Knowing these facts we wondered into the Tehachapi Depot Museum intending to stay for a few minutes not knowing what we would find. We were greeted by Allen, a docent, who offered to give us a guided tour. We soon learned we were in for a rare treat. Little did we know we were about to be given a "Huell Houser California Gold" personal tour. Our docent led us through each room, display case and exhibit with fascinating commentary, stories and facts that keep us enthralled. No dusty piles of old junk here. The exhibits were carefully cared for and displayed with a theme for each section. The displays were varied so they would not lead to boring repetition. During our tour the docent would pick out special odd items and ask us if we knew what the item was or why the early train pioneers used them. While I knew some of the items, many I did not and we learned fascinating facts about railroad history and equipment. Our intended short visit turned into a marvelous long session that lasted until closing time. The Tehachapi Depot Museum is a real treasure that is made exceptional by dedicated and knowledgeable docents. Next time you pass through Tehachapi, stop for lunch and visit the museum. It's free and you will not be disappointed. I'm sure a docent will give you a tour that will make your visit memorable. read more

For a FREE museum this one was alot of fun, it is small but they have so much information about trains. I enjoyed the displays and the employees are very nice. They told us to go outside as the train was coming and waive. They waived back and honked their loud horn. We told them we were visiting for the first time they advised us were to go, we did take their advise and went to see the Tehachapi Loop and Windmill Farm. read more

The original depot unfortunately burned down, so the building is a replica. Outside of the depot has plenty of tables and benches so it's a nice place to sit and have a sack lunch. There's also public restrooms in the park area. Without many artifacts, there's not much to see inside the museum. But hey, it's free so I can't complain too much. read more

One wall of the depot was saved from the fire caused by fireworks. The rest is a replica. This is a free museum so you really can't complain about the place. Very helpful and friendly docents. Take a tour or explore on your own. Pleasant little museum. read more

What is there not to love?? It's free, educational and historic, lovely and friendly people and just awesome.

Nice little museum, the guy giving the tour was very knowledgeable. See how the 1900 train depot toilets looked like. Its free, take advantage of it! read more

5 stars because if the phenomenal volunteers running it. Very informative and nice. Just good people overall. Very friendly to children which helps to keep them interested and included. The depot also have a souvenir shop that's reasonably priced. Small but to think that all of the stuff inside has been given to them from locals after the fire of the original it's pretty impressive. Very clean and well kept facilities. read more

Great place to learn about the railroad history of Tehachapi. Informative docents, friendly and welcoming. Tour the local murals. Lots of friendly people. read more

The docents were very good and knowledgeable. The museum itself is very quaint and they have a small selection of interesting historical artifacts. We brought two very young children, and while my son loves trains, this only kept his attention for so long. We also happened to arrive along with a number of other people, so our tour was crowded. I think if we had gone on a less busy day, we would have enjoyed the tour and museum much more. read more