Musée Rambolitrain
Municipal museum in Rambouillet devoted to toy trains and model railways, with a large 1:43 scale layout.
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About the museum
The Musée Rambolitrain grew out of a meeting between Jacques Visbecq, who had gathered about 4,000 pieces in his house in Rambouillet, and Alain Baldit, a model railway enthusiast. It also answered the town’s wish to add an original tourist attraction to its historic and natural heritage. It opened in 1984 and holds the “Musée de France” label.
The collection includes more than 4,000 pieces: tinplate and zamac toys, brass and bronze scale models, locomotives, wagons, tracks and scenery. It covers craft and industrial production from the 19th century to the 1950s and 1960s, which marked the end of the golden age of the toy train.
On the second floor, chronological display cases and a re-creation of vanished toy shops tell a century and a half of railway history through toys. The third floor houses a hand-built layout with 400 metres of track at 1:43 scale, whose scenery evokes the 1930s around a re-created Gare de l’Est station.
The museum is housed in a former middle-class town house on Place Jeanne d’Arc in Rambouillet. Its name comes from the name of the town’s inhabitants, the Rambolitains.
Highlights
- More than 4,000 toy trains and model railway pieces
- 400-metre track layout at 1:43 scale
- Re-created Gare de l’Est station in 1930s-style scenery
- Chronological display cases of toys from the 19th century to the 1950s
- Garden train demonstrations on some days
- Founded
- 1984
- Operated by
- Ville de Rambouillet
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3.50Under 18s, students, job seekers, recipients of social minimum benefits, people over 60, large families, holders of the Pass Destination Yvelines Hauts-de-Seine or of a “Ville d’art et d’histoire Rambouillet” ticket less than three months old |
| Children & teens | €3.50free up to age 2 · Free for children under 3, but a free ticket is still required. |
| Seniors | €3.50For visitors over 60. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · No free admission for people with disabilities, except a reduced rate for recipients of social minimum benefits (AAH). The companion is free if the disability card states so. |
| Students & apprentices | €3.50 |
| Groups (15+ people) | €5 per personGuided visit for groups of 15 or more: €5 per adult and €4 per child. |
| Guided visit, adult | €5Wednesday to Sunday, by reservation |
| Guided visit, child | €4 |
| Treasure hunt “La valise volée” (supplement to the ticket) | €0.50From age 6 |
| Baby visit, child | €2.50Accompanying adult at the usual admission rate |
Also free for ICOM members, journalists, tourist office staff and holders of an invitation. Payment by bank card, cash, check, ANCV, Pass Culture and Pass+ 78-92, or administrative payment order (mandat administratif).
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
The museum occupies a former middle-class house over two floors. There are three steps at the reception, followed by a staircase of 19 steps and another of 21 steps, so it is not accessible to wheelchair users. Folding stools are lent. Tactile and descriptive tours can be arranged on request, and an easy-to-read visitor guide is available. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 2 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Stroller-friendly: not available
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
Activity booklets for ages 3–6 and 7–12, a town treasure hunt from age 6, and monthly “baby visits” for children from 18 months until they start nursery school. Strollers are not permitted; a baby carrier is lent on request, along with a folding changing table and a bottle warmer. Birthday parties for ages 3–12: flat fee of €125 for 6 to 10 children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Sainte Thérèse Rambouillet (bus ligne A)
Rambouillet SNCF station is about 800 m on foot. Bus stops “Sainte Thérèse Rambouillet” (line A) and “Saint Lubin” (line C) are nearby.
By car
Paid parking
Paid parking in front of the museum.
Amenities & dining
- Coat check: not available
- Lockers: not available
No cloakroom or lockers: large luggage is not permitted.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visitor guides in French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Dogs are not admitted, except guide dogs. The free visit does not include the garden train demonstration, which is only offered from time to time. Groups (15 to 30 people) book by phone from Wednesday to Saturday; tours last 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. |
