Onsite railroad museum

Scottsdale Railroad Museum

About 0.1 mi onsite

A free onsite railroad museum spanning the 1894 Peoria Depot, full-size cars, Arizona’s Merci Car, Magma steam locomotive No. 6, and a preserved machine shop.

The place

About Scottsdale Railroad Museum

Scottsdale Railroad Museum is the historical anchor of McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Its entry point is the 1894 Peoria Depot, a former Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway station that remained in railroad service until 1972 and moved to the developing park in 1974. The restored depot now holds artifacts and interpretation connecting Arizona railroads with national and international stories.

The collection extends across the grounds. The Roald Amundsen Pullman car was built in 1928 and used by presidents from Herbert Hoover through Dwight Eisenhower; the park also preserves Arizona’s Merci Car from the French Gratitude Train, a former Santa Fe dining car later converted to baggage-express service, Magma Arizona Railroad 2-6-0 No. 6, and the compact Gabe Brooks Machine Shop with original equipment. These are museum objects, not a promise of public interior access or operating excursion equipment.

The museum follows a narrower calendar than the Paradise & Pacific and Model Railroad Building. It is normally open October through May and closed June through September, while other park attractions continue on their seasonal schedule. Build the museum into a cooler-month visit, verify day-of access to individual cars or exhibit spaces, and call ahead if steps, narrow clearances, or transfers materially affect the trip.

What stands out

Peoria Depot

A surviving 1894 railroad depot serves as the museum entrance and an Arizona rail-history exhibit space.

Presidential Pullman and Merci Car

Two full-size cars connect the park to presidential travel, wartime diplomacy, and France’s postwar Gratitude Train.

Arizona steam and shop history

Magma Arizona No. 6 and the Gabe Brooks Machine Shop preserve mining-railroad and precision-machining stories.

Pair it with the train

Why it belongs in a McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park trip

The museum sits on the same grounds as the Paradise & Pacific and adds the full-size railroad history the miniature ride cannot provide. Visit it before or after the train without moving the car, but protect the ride time because museum hours and individual exhibit access differ.

Before you go

Plan your visit

  • AdmissionThe official visitor page lists museum admission as free.
  • Seasonal hoursNormally 10 a.m.–4 p.m. January–May and October–December; closed June–September, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day; 2 p.m. close Christmas Eve.
  • Access caveatThe official museum page does not publish a building-by-building wheelchair route or guarantee interior access to every car. Call before relying on a specific exhibit.
  • What is outdoorsMagma Arizona No. 6, rolling stock, depots, and small historic structures are distributed around an active public park; weather and surfaces matter.
  • Time budgetAllow roughly 45–90 minutes for the museum cluster, longer for detailed rail-history interest. This is planning guidance, not an official timed tour.
  • Pair with the rideThe paid Paradise & Pacific boards elsewhere onsite. Keep the ticketed departure first and use the free museum around it.

Free onsite rail attraction

Add McCormick-Stillman Model Railroad Building

Continue indoors for club layouts, multiple scales, hands-on animation, and ramped viewing on the broader attraction schedule.

View the guide →

Useful answers

Frequently asked questions

Is Scottsdale Railroad Museum free?

Yes. The official visitor page lists the museum as free; the Paradise & Pacific ride is separately ticketed.

Is the museum open in summer?

No. The current schedule lists the museum closed June through September, even though the broader park and several attractions remain open.

Can I board the Roald Amundsen Pullman car?

Do not assume every car interior is open on every visit. The museum page identifies the car as part of the collection, but current access should be confirmed with the park.

Does the museum operate the Paradise & Pacific?

Both belong to the same City of Scottsdale railroad-park destination, but the museum is a free historical attraction and the miniature railway is a separately ticketed public ride.

Is the whole museum wheelchair accessible?

The park does not publish a blanket building-by-building guarantee for the museum cluster. Call 480-312-2312 about the exact exhibits and route needed.

Trust and accuracy

Sources

Source checked 2026-08-14. This free guide has not yet been confirmed by the venue. Current hours, prices, services, and accessibility can change; confirm time-sensitive details directly.