CONNEAUT —  Diana Skestos watched the tiny train with a determined focus.

Around and around the track they went, the twin engines criss-crossing the miniature landscape of plastic houses and tiny railroad stations. Seeing the 6-year-old’s serious face,  Ron Brundage pressed a tiny button on a remote control.

“ALL ABOARD!” came a voice from out of nowhere. Diana rewarded him with a startled smile.

Today is the final day of the season for the Conneaut Railroad Museum on Depot Street and families are getting in one last climb on the engine, one last toot of the whistle for the summer.

“I think we had a surprisingly good season,” museum employee Judy Nathay said. “We get people in here ages 4 to 95 years old or even older. People love railroads. So many people around here have worked on railroads, but there are just a lot of ‘railroad buffs’ out there who travel to these museums.”

Nathay said it isn’t uncommon to meet people from California, New York, Florida and Texas at the museum. Occasionally, she said, people visit from England or Germany.

Brundage, president of the museum, said he is happy to see people come to the museum from near or far.

“People seem to be staying closer to home this year and we are happy to welcome anyone and everyone into this very special museum,” he said.

Julius Skestos, 8, said he loves to climb up the stairs to the different railroad cars, exploring the nooks and crannies along the way.

The Skestos family is from Granville, Ohio. They own a home in Conneaut as well and treat their trips north as miniature adventures, dad Jason Skestos said.

“The train station is a must-stop place for us in the summer,” Jason Skestos said. “We wouldn’t miss it. We have been to a couple of other train museums and to me this one outranks them all,” he said.

Across the street, the Conneaut Area Historical Society was preparing for the end of the season celebration, to be held today.

“We are growing,” volunteer Betty Elliott said. “This was a great year.”

The museum collects historical items and photographs for display, Elliott said, and needs even more for its exhibits.

“Everyone should look in their attics and basements to find these local historical treasures,” she said. “They are out there in dusty boxes and dark corners. History deserves to be on display for everyone to see.”

The museum volunteers and historical society members are excited over the loan of a 1924 Ford Model T car owned by former Conneaut Mayor Richard Perkio. The car will be a part of the museum displays for some time, Elliott said.

Marjorie Hawke Smith said she recognized several items at the museum from her father Harry Hawke’s Conneaut store The Magic Door.

The Magic Door, once located on Broad Street, was an exciting place to grow up, Smith said.

“My father had a Model T car just like the one here,” she said. “I was 14 years old and my brother taught me how to drive the standard shift. He wouldn’t let me drive it around, though, but eventually he told me ‘if you can start it, you can drive it.’ A girlfriend of mine turned the crank and I got it started and off we went. We waved to him as we drove by.”

Smith was joined by her daughter, Sandra Rollman, who insisted they see the museum before it closed for the summer.

Today the museums will host a Labor Day Car Cruise from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Mill Street parking lot shared by Crazy Dave’s Sugar Bowl restaurant and the Conneaut Area Historical Society. Donation will be accepted for car entry and all proceeds benefit the museums. Children can enjoy the bounce house and food will be available. Ken Springwirth will sign copies of his new book “Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroads” at the railroad museum from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.