Thanks for your interest in the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club (TLRC). The club has been in existence since April of 1993. The TLRC is open to all railroad enthusiasts, whether followers of prototype railroading or modelers of HO, G, N or Z, fans of Lionel and American Flyer, standard gauge travelers, historians, artists, photographers, collectors of memorabilia, dreamers: anyone wishing to share in the topic of railroading. We appeal to both model railroad and prototype railroading interests.
The club has several admission free train displays (Train Shows) that are set up throughout the year for the public to view the model trains via portable modular layouts, we have no club house with a permanent layout. Typically, there are two train shows per year, the second weekend of April and in August.
We operate a large HO scale modular layout, plus G Gauge, N scale, On30 scale, Z scale, a Toy Train (American Flyer, Lionel, Marx, etc.) layout and host several unique layouts from the Southern California area. When not operating and conducting work sessions on our layouts, we try to schedule events/trips throughout the year that relate to prototype trains. Watch our website for announcements. Whether it is going to a train show, chasing real trains, or visiting historic train sites, these events are designed to be a social interaction among members of the club.
Our monthly business meeting is held in Tehachapi, California within the Tehachapi area, on the second Saturday of each month, in the freight room of the Tehachapi Depot Museum, 101 West Tehachapi Blvd, and start at 9:30am. In July, the monthly meeting is called a Crew Change Dinner where newly elected club officers are installed; the location of this event varies. In addition, for the December meeting, the club hosts a Holiday Dinner. Last but not least, we have a monthly newsletter (The Loop) that is e-mailed to all members. This newsletter includes the minutes from our last meeting, any up-coming events, and railroad-related articles submitted by our members.
We have annual dues.
Individual (An adult defined as at least 18 years or older)
Family (1 or 2 adults and immediate family members)
If you are interested in being a part of our club, please print and complete our membership application and mail it to:
Requests will be reviewed by the board and you will be notified of your membership acceptance and payment options.
Join In The Fun!
Most club tours utilize Metrolink’s SoCal pass. For the $10 cost of the ticket, we go from the Lancaster Metrolink station to downtown Los Angeles and ride the intercity Metro rail lines to explore Los Angeles Union Station, the Science Center, and other areas. These are a few examples of tours made this past year. We have also visited various local sites serviced by the local railroads such as the Monolith cement plant and the Trona Railway. Travels to Ridgecrest (7 ½” scale) and the Wrightwood (9” scale) area to ride scale trains have provided fun Saturday activities for the club members and their guests.
2026 Model Train Shows
April 11 and 12
August 15 and 16
Times:
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm
Location:
Tehachapi Education Center
126 South Snyder Avenue
Tehachapi, California
The town of Tehachapi celebrates various holidays with parades and you will find that the TLRC caboose is typically a feature of these parades, especially at Christmas time. The Friends of the Tehachapi Depot (FOTD) allows the TLRC to display the caboose at various FOTD and TLRC events.
Operation Lifesaver
We know that injuries and fatalities that occur at highway-rail crossings or on railroad property are a real, but often preventable problem. Few people realize that in America, a person or vehicle is hit by a train roughly every three hours, and that’s a reality Operation Lifesaver Incorporated (OLI) is determined to change. The Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club (TLRC) is also committed to railroad safety. To that end, we have pursued the necessary training to have a TLRC member become an Operation Lifesaver Authorized Volunteer. Having such a person on our staff enables us to help carry out the Operation Lifesaver vision of being the recognized leader in providing the public with rail safety education and ending death and injuries due to trespassing and collisions on the tracks. TLRC joins with Operation Lifesaver’s network of authorized volunteer speakers and trained instructors that offer free rail safety education programs. They speak to school groups, driver education classes, community audiences, professional drivers, law enforcement officer, and emergency responders. We encourage California citizens to become active rail safety advocates in their communities by sharing rail safety tips with their loved ones. We ask them to help save lives and share the message with five of their family and friends, and then ask those 5 to tell 5 and so on…. This is how our Save Lives Tell 5 campaign began. Community engagement increases rail safety awareness which can help us eliminate dangerous grade crossing and trespassing behaviors. Call 1-703-739-0308 for more information or visit the website: Operation Lifesaver
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