Of the 18 museums in Balboa Park, only one is in a basement. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is the successor to a rich history of model railroading in the park.

That history began in 1935, when a pioneer model railroader named Minton Cronkhite built a 40-by-70 foot model railroad exhibit for the California Pacific International Exposition.

Fast forward to 1981, when both the San Diego Model Railroad Association and the La Mesa Model Railroad Club were searching for new homes. They petitioned the city of San Diego for space and got the 27,000 square foot basement of the Casa de Balboa.

But the museum’s size isn’t the only thing that sets it apart.

“The Model Railroad Museum is very unique when it comes to how museums function,” said Michael Warburton. He took over as executive director of the museum a couple of months ago.

“All of the layouts that are in the museum are actually run by independent clubs. And so these clubs represent different types of trains, different scales, and even different philosophies around modeling,” Warburton said.

Besides the museum’s original tenants, there are two other clubs running exhibits there. One is the San Diego Society of N Scale, focused on some of the smallest model trains. The San Diego 3-Railers is the other club, operating toy trains and other accessories in a room called the Toy Train Gallery.

That corner of the museum is a veritable extravaganza of sights and sounds. There are trains, of course, but there are also incredibly detailed buildings and even a drive-in theater!

That, and everything else here is thanks not only to museum staff, but also the hundreds of volunteers who show up week in and week out to engage in their passion of running the rails.

They include Benji Foust, a member of the La Mesa Model Railroad Club. At 23 years old, he is living proof that model railroading is not a hobby limited to the older set.

“This is a semi-prototypical model of the Tehachapi Pass, which is here in California,” Foust said while showing his club’s model of the rail line that runs through the Tehachapi Pass, linking Bakersfield to Mojave.

Like the real life rail line, this model is a marvel. It’s a two-level HO scale layout with a total of more than 30 scaled miles of mainline track. In layman’s terms, that means they’ve recreated a 30-mile stretch of that line, in a scale 87 times smaller than the real track.

The standards are exacting.

“Part of being part of this club is the prototype accuracy. We’re really diving into the actual specifics of what trains went over this layout, what cars, what engines, stuff like that. We’re getting into the time period of the cars and accuracy and all that,” Foust said.

The trains may be the centerpiece, but there is so much more that goes into making this museum special.

“Model railroading is such, I call it a super hobby, actually, because it incorporates so many different hobbies in one thing: painting, sculpture, electronics, wood working, all kinds of things that come together in this one super hobby,” Warburton explained.

The museum works to spread enthusiasm about model railroading beyond its walls. A big part of that is education.

“Schools can come here and do programs and projects here. We can also go to schools and do programs and projects. We have adult clinics that we do as well,” Warburton said.

But at the heart of it all is the fascination with and the enjoyment of trains.

“Just being able to work here and watch my train go around the layout is a pleasure,” Foust said as he worked the control of the massive Tehachapi model railroad.

And then there’s the joy of watching others watch the trains.

“The reaction of kids just being so excited to see the trains running and see them running over bridges and things like that … If we could bottle that excitement, it would be amazing, right?” Warburton said as a child screamed with glee watching one of the trains.

Bottle-able? Maybe not. But gett-able — definitely! All it takes is a visit to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, where it’s all aboard for a trip into a treasure trove of tiny trains.

A new center opened Monday to provide disaster recovery services to Western Alaska residents displaced by ex-Typhoon Halong who evacuated to the Anchorage area, state officials said.

Available services at the hub include help with state and federal disaster recovery aid applications, business and homeowner loan application support, social services, and tribal identification replacement, the State Emergency Operations Center said in a statement Monday. State officials said the effort is in cooperation with Calista Corp.

The Disaster Assistance Center, located in the Calista building at 1400 W. Benson Blvd, Suite 110, will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 14, according to emergency officials. Evacuees needing a ride to the center can contact Alaska 211 by dialing 211 or 1-800-478-2221, emailing alaska211@ak.org or visiting alaska211.org.

Similar services have been offered in Bethel, where some displaced by last month’s disastrous Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta storm have also sought shelter.

State emergency officials in an update Sunday said that there have been 1,280 applications for state individual assistance and 491 applications for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid. The federal aid became available after President Donald Trump’s Oct. 22 federal disaster declaration.

The deadline for those seeking state aid is Dec. 9. It is Dec. 22 for anyone applying for federal assistance.

• The Cincinnati Bearcats will face the Arizona Wildcats at noon on FS1 following their bye week.
• This marks the fifth daytime kickoff for the Bearcats this season and the third at noon.

For the fifth time this season, the Cincinnati Bearcats will have a daytime kickoff, and for the third time boot will meet ball at noon.

After the coming bye weekend, UC is back in action at Nippert Stadium against the Arizona Wildcats. Monday, Nov. 3, the game was announced as another “Nipp at noon” to be televised on FS1.

Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert

The Bearcats are 5-0 at home, taking a pair of noon games from then-ranked Iowa State and UCF, a pair of 3:30 starts from Bowling Green and Northwestern State and a 4 p.m. start from Baylor Oct. 25.

UC is coming off a disappointing showing at Utah, where they lost 45-14 in a game that was the equivalent of a 10:15 p.m. start in the Eastern time zone. Now, they’ll entertain Arizona from the Mountain Time Zone, meaning the kickoff for those watching in Tucson will be 10 a.m.

Still no ‘Nipp at night’ for Cincinnati Bearcats fans

Though fans enjoy the night atmosphere and teams like Utah thrive in it, UC has not had a night home game this season. The previous two seasons, they have had but three. In 2023, UC lost to the Miami RedHawks in September and to Kansas in the November season finale. Last season, they didn’t have a home night affair until the snowy season-ender vs. TCU.

After Arizona, Big 12 leader BYU is scheduled to come Nov. 22. That could be an evening possibility, but the time has yet to be released by the Big 12 and could be determined by how each team fares. BYU is at Texas Tech this weekend for ESPN College GameDay. The regular season ends in Fort Worth against TCU Nov. 29 at a time to be determined.

Cincinnati Bearcats at night under Scott Satterfield

This season, in road night games, they are 1-2 with the Nebraska loss in Kansas City, a win at Oklahoma State and the Nov. 1 defeat in Utah.

In UC’s first Big 12 campaign in 2023, they had six night games, but just two at home. They won at Pitt, lost vs. Miami University, lost at BYU, lost at Oklahoma State, won at Houston and lost vs. Kansas. That’s 2-4 overall.

Last season, it was a loss at Texas Tech, a loss at Colorado, a loss at Iowa State, a loss at Kansas State and a loss vs. TCU to put them 0-5 under lights.

Despite the popularity of football under a darkened, fall sky, the Bearcats are just 3-11 with the moon in view the past three seasons.

What about Arizona?

The Wildcats are 5-3 after crushing Colorado 52-17 Nov. 1. They are 3-3 in the Big 12 with the win over the Buffaloes and victories in Tucson over Kansas State and Oklahoma State. They lost at Iowa State, at home to BYU in double overtime and at Houston.

UC and Arizona have never met in football.