When my son was younger, a visit to the Carnegie Science Center was more like a mad dash though the exhibits. You can take your time to explore when it's an all adult excursion. The Carnegie Science Center has so much to absorb and stimulate new knowledge even for us older folks: Sky Watch, lectures, 21+ Nights (Day 217), the Rangos Giant Theater (Day 277) and traveling exhibits. Recently, my father and I climbed aboard during the Science Center’s train weekend.
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| Lego train exhibit with moving engines |
Refection
The train show brought back memories of my childhood train
set. I could never resist being the engineer that increased
the power, causing the train to accelerate faster and faster until it finally jumped the
track. The crash seemed as much fun as the speed. Model
trains have always been part of my life. My father filled our basement with his Cinder
Valley Railroad. I learned early on that making a miniature version of the world is an artform.
The Science Center had displays from over 10
train associations and clubs. Various railroad sizes were represented: the biggest
(O gauge), the smallest (N gauge) and the middle sizes (S and H.O. gauge.) Some displays were interactive. You could load
barrels on a boxcar, make a volcano erupt in smoke, move a crane and more.
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| H.O. gauge train, my father's specialty |
Every exhibitor seemed to enjoy bragging that their train type was the best for building a model railroad. We overheard a few visitors saying that the H.O. trains were their favorite. My father smiled from ear to ear since that was his specialty.
My father, now in his 80’s, sparked as he talked train talk
with the engineers. His joy made this day a memorable father/daughter one to treasure.
We even learned something
new -there is a Lego Train Association. We
had never even seen a Lego train before. The experience turned me into “train
nerd” as I spent an extended period of time asking, “How are they built? How
long does it take? Where do you get the kits? What is the cost…”
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| Giant Rangos Theater |
You can always climb aboard at the Science Center with the Miniature Railroad and Village which has a permanent home on the second floor. They add new buildings yearly so it’s always changing. There are even more trains in the movie, Train Time, currently showing in the Giant Rangos Theater.
The Science Center can spark that kid in us at any age. It can even produce special memories and you never know what new things you can learn if you just climb aboard.
Other Sources
https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/
https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/rangos-giant-cinema/
https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/vikings/
miniature railroad https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/miniature-railroad/
ski watch https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/planetarium/buhl-planetarium-skywatch/
https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/individuals-and-families/science-after-hours/