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Like many other kids who grew up in or near Chicago, the most
influential element in my childhood model
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The
Museum & Santa Fe was a massive layout, measuring
50x60 feet. This photo gives you an overall look at it,
from the orange groves in the foreground to the Grand
Canyon near the top of the frame.
Photo: Museum of Science & Industry |
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railroading
experience was the massive layout at the Museum of Science and
Industry.
A highlight of school field trips and, in my case, a focal point in
my scale-modeling career, it was a magnificent work of art.
I remember fondly the times we would go to the MSI, because in those
days, my family could leave alone me at the M&SF layout while they
explored the rest of the museum, secure in the knowledge that I'd
still be right there when they returned. My imagination ran wild
with ideas about how I could someday own such a train layout.
No matter how long the family was gone, I never tired of looking at
the trains, nor of listening to the recorded narration that
explained each of the diorama-like industries. It was several years
before that I actually took the time to see the rest of the museum's
exhibits. And it wasn't until I visited as an adult that
I realized how crude some of the old "zip textured" style scenery on
the M&SF really was. Still, though modeling techniques had advanced,
the magic was still there.
"The old layout at the museum is an icon in the history of model
railroads," said Terry Thompson, editor of Model Railroader
magazine. "It was almost unbelievably big and realistic for its
time, an inspiration for countless thousands of basement layouts."
There's a big story behind the big train display.
Come with me now, and discover some things you may not have realized
about what I like to call The Greatest Model Railroad. We'll learn
how it was built, how it grew and changed over the years, and
finally how it met its demise.
Next: The Man Behind the Spectacle
Editor's Note:
Photographs of the Museum & Santa Fe Railway are surprisingly hard
to come by. I have very few myself, and as you will see, the ones I
do have are not of especially high quality. Thus, many of the photos
on this site are taken from other online sources; they are credited
where possible. As this is a non-profit document designed for the
education of the public, the use of those photos is protected by
"fair use" provisions of international copyright law. If you have
any photographs, video or other information you would like to submit
for future editions (in electronic form), or have other questions,
please e-mail me. |
