From the BBC News site this week, describing a new exhibition, “Playing Trains”, at the National Railway Museum in York:

What is it about toy trains that has continued to entertain children, admittedly mostly boys, for nearly two centuries? A major new exhibition is about to find out.

They ran to your own personal timetable. Engineering work at weekends was rare. And there were never leaves on the line, just the occasional bit of fluff from the living room carpet.

For decades, toy trains have enthralled generations of youngsters – and this coming March the National Railway Museum, in York, looks into why children love them so much, in its exhibition Playing Trains.

The NRM describes its exhibition thus:

Trains can be big. Trains can be small. They can be fast or slow, noisy or quiet, grimy or shiny, long or short. There are lots of reasons we all like them so much. They are in some of our favourite stories and we can build huge tracks for them that seem to go on for miles. They can even take us to the zoo or to the seaside.

In our new exhibition, Playing Trains, come and find out what you like most about them most. The exhibition will be full of interactives and amazing objects to let young and old explore why we love all things trains when we’re children.

Featuring in Playing Trains will be some of our fantastic tinplate toy collections, models large and small, and a specially restored bedset from the 1930s built to look like an engine with a luxury carriage.

We’re putting the finishing touches to the exhibition and the website soon so check back soon to see some of the exciting things we’ve been working on.

 

The exhibition runs from 20 March – 4 September 2015.  Perhaps worth a visit together with the York MRC show?