Kids get on board DuPage Children's Museum's train exhibit

On the opening day of the new “Trains — Get on board!” exhibit at the DuPage Children's Museum, a model train had come off the tracks when staff member Marcia MacRae overheard a father suggest to his youngster that they go look at something else until the train was repaired.

“No!” the child screamed.

“The train had stopped. They (the children) didn't care. They wanted to stay there,” MacRae said. “I guess I knew they would like it. My big surprise was I didn't anticipate the passion and excitement at that level.”

MacRae shouldn't have been too surprised.

About a decade ago, a previous model train exhibit had been taken down the year before when a mother walked up to her and said accusingly, “You took the train out. My child misses the train.”

Now with the new display, children can climb the control tower and watch real trains go by on the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe tracks just outside the museum parking lot while exploring other aspects of the exhibit.

“Children love trains,” said MacRae, the interdisciplinary arts specialist who put the exhibit together. “We know this because if a train goes by (outside), children run to the window. We've watched this for years.”

Sure, MacRae initially had a few other ideas for what the exhibit that opened Sept. 12 on the second floor of the museum could be. But those topics were dispelled quickly in interviews she did with parents and children.

“It was very clear. Trains,” she said.

Multifaceted trains

MacRae can't explain exactly what fascinates children so much about trains, but she does know that a train exhibit is a wonderful way to weave together learning about transportation, math, science and art in a fun way that doesn't seem at all educational.

That enlarged Metra schedule on the wall under the clock tells when real trains will go by in Naperville. The play engine and two passenger cars big enough for children and adults to board bear more than a little resemblance to Metra trains, too.

Passengers can buy their rides at the ticket booth. On board, the child engineer pulls levers and presses buttons to work the bell and horns. A whisper tube lets the engineer talk with the control tower.

The two O-scale model trains running around the tracks in the center of the display pass buildings and scenes that require knowledge of city planning. Pictures and photos depict trains ranging from traditional to sleek bullet cars. A chalkboard area and art table let kids draw their own versions of trains.

They also might try on an engineer's hat or jacket, or look at several books on trains from around the world.

Joshua Yeates, a 5-year-old from Naperville, didn't mention any of those particulars as he gazed at the model cars going around the tracks. Asked what he liked about the exhibit, he simply said, “the trains.”

“He is mesmerized by trains. We go all over for trains,” said his grandfather, Richard Anselmini of Downers Grove. “He wanted to take me to see the trains.”

Abbie Martinson, 5, of Woodridge, who was visiting the exhibit with her mom and younger sisters, knew what she liked.

“The trains move by themselves,” she said. “I like the handcar that follows it.”

An experienced train rider, Abbie enjoys taking the Metra into Chicago and spent eight hours on a train going to see her grandmother in Minnesota, said Abbie's mom, Katie Martinson.

“She likes the difference between cargo trains and passenger trains,” Martinson said. “We haven't ridden the cargo train yet.”

Future on track

With a Metra train stop at the edge of the museum parking lot, MacRae encourages visitors to get the full train experience.

“People should come here by train,” she said. “It's the perfect way to get here.”

The full exhibit is expected to be up at least a year. During that time, special programming will be associated with it, such as art classes that let children add to the model train scenery.

“People — not just children, but people — love miniatures,” MacRae said.

Putting together the exhibit has been an education, MacRae said. She credits the Great Midwest Train Show, held monthly at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, and the Elmhurst Model Railroad Club, which donated model train cars and scenery, with helping out.

The train exhibit opened after the museum had been closed for two weeks for its annual shutdown. Opening day brought 60 more people than opening days of the two previous years, and parents seem be more eager to buy memberships so their children can return again and again, MacRae said.

She suspects that the father who warned her that the museum will never be able to take down the train exhibit might be right.

“Even if it's a smaller scale in the future, there needs to be something train-oriented,” she said.

If you go

What: “Trains — Get on board!” exhibit

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday (to 8 p.m. third Thursday of the month), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: DuPage Children's Museum, 301 N. Washington St., Naperville

Museum admission: $9.50 ages 1-59, $8.50 ages 60 and over, free for members

Info: (630)-637-8000 or <a href="http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org">dupagechildrensmuseum.org</a>