Niles Depot Museum, Fremont

About Niles Depot Museum

The Niles Depot Museum in Fremont houses historical artifacts and exhibits within a restored depot and freight house. Visitors explore the museum during designated open days throughout the year. The Tri City Society of Model Engineers maintains and operates detailed model train layouts on the premises. The HO scale layout depicts the Southern Pacific mainline from Niles to San Jose, featuring industries across Niles, Newark, and Union City, along with Southern Pacific and Western Pacific lines through Niles Canyon to Pleasanton and Livermore. The layout includes a model of San Jose Cahill Street Station as a passenger terminal and a section representing the BART line through Fremont. An N scale layout shows the SP and WP mainlines from Niles to Oakland with intermediate communities including Decoto, Alvarado, and Hayward. The museum also participates in the Passport to Adventure Program, one of ten local history organizations in the Tri City area. Model train events are held on the patio behind the depot.