I have visited the annex only during the holidays because they set up a great holiday train display that will entertain all your young kids. Otherwise, the store is about the size of a large gift shop and does not offer exhibits like the full-sized museum in Downtown Brooklyn. Staff are courteous and helpful and they do cordon off an area outside for you to park a stroller if you visit for the holiday train display.

The New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store is a gallery based in Grand Central Terminal and one that features railroad exhibits and MTA subway theme merchandise. In June of 2023, I brought my wife and myself to visit the New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store. We enjoyed looking at the exhibits, learning about the history of the MTA and railway service in New York. When visiting the gallery, we also learned more the MTA’s most recently completed project, the Grand Central Madison, a commuter rail terminal for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). This project was years in the making and provides New Yorkers a more a convenient commute from Long Island to Midtown Manhattan and vice versa. If you enjoy learning about the history of the MTA, my wife and I highly recommend that you visit the New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store!!!

Great train display (it's right around Christmas/New year when we went)!!! Very small area though, so strollers are not allowed in. There is an area to leave them outside it, but it is not monitored, so if you have a stroller, have someone go with you that can stand outside and make sure it doesn't get stolen!!! Other than that, food/drink isn't allowed in either. They have a section that is essentially a gift shop with a bunch of train/transit stuff, and there is a smaller area that has some Thomas the train stuff for sale. There was a guy at the door that would tell you not to bring your stoller/food in who could have been nicer, but it was nice to have another guy that was basically dedicated to answering any questions that you might have! Overall, a great place to go with kids off any age! Plus there's all sorts of nice food right downstairs. Wonderful accessibility since it's right in Grand Central. What more could you ask for!!!

HIDDEN WITHIN GRAND CENTRAL, this convenient outpost of the Brooklyn-based NYC subway museum sells subway curios and gear. Most useless. But the venue does host modest exhibits that can be fun while awaiting the 6:12 to Stanford. Just now, there are grand photos of old subway cars repurposed as sunken homes for coral and fish. Whimsical, and worth a wonder.

I visited this museum one day after work during the holidays when they had a great train display of Grand Central and upstate New York with a lot of scaled-down trains, trolleys, and cryptids. It's free to visit, and easy to get to, so definitely worth a visit at some point in December.

Recently visited the Museum's Holiday Display (2023). Although you need to make reservations online at all times, entrance to the display is free before a certain date in mid-November and $5 per person after that date. I visited on a Friday evening at around 6pm and it wasn't crowded. The display itself was quite impressive with lots of fine details only true New Yorkers would notice and appreciate. There are a few running trains throughout the display. There are lots of MTA-related items to purchase both in the display area and the main store area. It is something nice to do in the area to kill a few minutes. Don't plan on spending longer than 5-10 minutes maximum there. Luckily there are lots of shops in Grand Central, including the Holiday Fair, and it is a major transportation hub...so lots of other reasons to be there. I'm not sure the $5 admission fee is justified for what it actually is...maybe more like $2-3 would be more appropriate.

Liked the holiday train here a lot. It was fun looking for the yeti

A holiday tradition that will amaze the children and even impress their parents. While it certainly doesn’t begin to approach the scale of the annual exhibit at the N.Y. Botanic Garden, this layout has unique features including a New York skyline and a replica of Grand Central. Plus it is compact and located within the the magnificent Grand Central terminal.

One of my favourite transit themed shops in the whole world!!!! Well designed merchandise with transit theme.

Incredibly impressive holiday train show that is free this year! There is even a tiny toy store w a tiny model train as part of the train set - adorable and clever. And look for the yeti! The people who are complaining that this is not a museum seem to be missing the fact that the place is literally called “museum shop,” as in gift shop. If you’re looking for the transit museum, that’s in Brooklyn. This is wonderful!

Hidden treasure in Grand Central Terminal, well worth a visit, a favorite NYC mini-museum. Great exhibits plus souvenirs.

Amazing place ,full of train history, highly recommended, excellent tour for kids and everyone else.

This place is 80% gift shop and 20% museum. If you are curious at the history of the NY transit system, then you'll enjoy this place. If you're like me and not a huge history buff, then you can visit for the aethetics and souvenir. Feel free to add this to your itinerary, it'll only take 15 minutes or 25 minutes if you are actively learning about the history. Note that I only rate this 3 stars because I am not a huge history fan and am not interested in the transit system.

Nicely done and free. We came during the week and it wasn’t busy. My kids loved it. Just my toddler did a tantrum on the way out because he wanted to buy everything from the gift shop. There are a lot of beautiful toys and books for purchase.

Firstly one of the free entry place. It shows the history, 3D models and souvenirs to buy. I went on a weekday in Jan, so there was no crowd and visiting this place while waiting for other activity

A lovely MTA gift shop at Grand Central station near the dinning concourse Many creative MTA products that you can buy for yourself or someone who wants to have gifts as good memories or nightmares memories of MTA New York city

My son loves the museum. He knows how to navigate through the terminal with ease getting to the front entrance without issue. I get to see the joy in his eyes once he knows he's there!!! 😊😊😊Soon he will have a great collection of trains and I will have great memories!!!😊😊😊

I love the subway and the store’s MTA merchandise makes awesome souvenirs. In case you didn’t leave any room in your carry on, you can order online.

The Transit Museum and Annex at GCT serves as auxiliary location to the main museum in Brooklyn. While the annex does have some interesting exhibits from time to time, the main draw is the gift store. Well stocked with a variety of transit themed items. Conveniently located in Grand Central Terminal, the store is easily accessed by taking Metro-North or by riding the 4,5,6,7 or Time Square Shuttle subway line.

Very cute holiday train show.

I really love this Transit Annex with all the changing exhibits they have about the subway system and other trains and railroad and the model train show they have every holiday season and the books and other merchandise they sell there is worth a look and best of all it’s free though a donation is greatly appreciated

We came because they were selling tickets to a holiday train show. All it was: a miniature village with a train set. Fortunately, a donation was made and tickets are free. However, it is a colossal waste of time. One side for the “show” and one side for the store, so even if you bought tickets, you can get into the store for free and turn your head to the left and see the “show.” Festive holiday music was not even played. No flashing lights, just a single train set. The items on sale were wildly overpriced and you could get something of equal or lesser quality online. Such a waste of time.

If you like trains and/or the subway you’ll love it. Model electric trains run over, under, and through the landscape of New York State. Great attention to detail. Gift shop has many options for you or your train-loving friend. Model train is really a delight. Very crowded on weekends. Just remember that patience is a virtue, especially in regards to children.

Haven't been there in awhile Needed a card holder... they have something for everyone Lots of pictures of the city being built especially the transit system...we had to wait for a hour because we got there a hour before it opened..so we walked around the inside of Grand Central

It's a super tiny store more than a museum, but every Christmas they have a great model of NYC with some old Lionel train models on quite a few different tracks. They span quite a few years of service and are pretty detailed, great for both kids and adults interested in trains. They sometimes have extra model trains in display cases around the diorama based on old long haul train lines. Not sure I'd suggest coming here other than to see the models in December though, it's a small store with overpriced souvenirs.

Honestly, this year’s train show was a bit lackluster. Last time I went they had the model subway trains running around. Looks like they’re in the shop this year. Great to buy nyc transit memorabilia if you don’t want to go to their brooklyn location for it though.

Cute trains but very crowded. It’s a tiny place but cute.

Staff is always nice. They are well informed about the items and the place itself is always neat and well coordinated. My son and I come every month for his monthly reward.