When Thomas Davenport built the first electric motor a few years later, he built a table top train track and sent the engine round and round. His invention promised locomotives that would arrive in the next century. For two centuries, toy trains have educated hands and mines and dreams. They bring to a personal scale a world of power and control. They open empires of adventure, experimentation, and rehearsal.
Toy trains tell stories.
They describe near or distant experience, real worlds or fantasy worlds and condense vast technical realms into language that a child can grasp. The Eli Whitney Museum's Holiday Exhibitions explore the culture of toy trains. They share fine collections with a broad audience and preserve traditions of technology and community. The 6 track 240ft layout steps from Lionel's classic Santa Fe Diesel to an American Flyer Royal Blue freight train, to an HO Genesis engine, to small specialty lines. All for visitors to operate along a replica of New Haven's Harbor and a switiching yard.