National Toy Train Museum

National Toy Train Museum

The museum in 2010
Established 1977
Location 300 Paradise Lane, Strasburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Coordinates 39°59′15″N 76°09′07″W / 39.9876°N 76.1519°WCoordinates: 39°59′15″N 76°09′07″W / 39.9876°N 76.1519°W
Type Toy museum
Visitors Closed in January, February, and March. Reopening in early April, 2015.
Owner Train Collectors Association
Website nttmuseum.org

The National Toy Train Museum (NTTM), at 300 Paradise Lane, in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, USA, is focused on creating an interactive display of toy trains.[1] Its collection dates from the early 1800s through current production. The building houses the Toy Train Reference Library and the National Business Office of the Train Collectors Association. It is located just around the corner from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.[2]

The NTTM is owned and operated by the Train Collectors Association (TCA) and serves as it's headquarters.[3] The museum's mission is to promote train collecting and to preserve the heritage of toy trains. Founded in 1977, part of the museum's ongoing appeal is that it brings children and adults together. The museum features five working train layouts and a Toy Train Reference Library with reference and archival materials serving model railroaders.[4][5] The nearby Choo Choo Barn "features a more than 1,700-square-foot model train layout with 22 operating model trains and more than 150 animations".[6]

In August 2012, the National Toy Train Museum was one of twenty locations invited to participate in an international virtual celebration of Swiss contributions to railroad technology. The Skype talks, in which "engineers, historians, museum curators and other experts present Swiss trains and other Swiss train technologies and answer questions from the public" were accessible by computer and at the participating locations.[7]

The museum is open on a seasonal basis and a minimum admission fee is charged, though TCA members are admitted free. It is closed in January–March each year.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Things To Do in Lancaster County discuss the National Toy Train Museum on page 8.
  2. ↑ "Railroad Museum of PA: Model Trains". Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  3. ↑ Smolka, Bo (2005-03-17). "For railroad buffs, Strasburg, Pa., is choo-choo heaven". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  4. ↑ Raffaele, Martha (2002-12-02). "Train exhibit has kept hobbyists on track for 25 years". USATODAY.com. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  5. ↑ Stoneback, Diane W. (2011-07-09). "Make Tracks for Strasburg: Lancaster County Town is train lovers mecca". Morning Call. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  6. ↑ Galucci-White, Gina (2011-10-23). "A Train-Tastic Town". The Frederick News-Post Online (Frederick, MD). Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  7. ↑ Bonzom, Marie-Christine (2012-08-11). "Virtual celebration : Online gathering rides on Swiss train technology". swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  8. ↑ "TCA - Train Collectors Association Members Home". Retrieved 2012-11-25.

External links