A Love Story: The Miniature Railroad & Village

Enjoyed by more than ½ million visitors each year, the 100-year+ legacy of the Miniature Railroad & Village at Carnegie Science Center is commemorated in a newly released book, A Love Story: The Miniature Railroad & Village, on bookshelves at Carnegie Science Center’s XPLOR store and at https://stores.carnegiemuseums.org/CSC . Co-authors Patty Everly, former Curator of Historic Exhibits at Carnegie Science Center, and Robert Gangewere, a published author, expertly lead readers on a journey through the iconic exhibition.

The book chronicles the history of a beloved museum display that is deeply tied to the community by featuring hundreds of wonderfully realistic animated scenes that illustrate how people lived, worked, and played in the Pittsburgh region during an era spanning up to 1940. As does the exhibition itself, the book interprets Pittsburgh and the region’s diverse and wildly interesting history, architecture, cultural heritage, and great innovators with curatorial precision honed over a century by the tender care of its stewards. Through stunning photography and compelling descriptions, the 102-page book tells the story of the unique history and continual thoughtful evolution of the exhibit itself while also highlighting the many historical people, places, and events that provided for its inspiration. A Love Story: The Miniature Railroad & Village is available online and in the Carnegie Science Center XPLOR gift shop for $35.95 – a portion of the proceeds from the book support the Miniature Railroad for years to come.

Since 1919, the Miniature Railroad & Village has delighted millions with its handcrafted replicas of regional landmarks, such as Forbes Field and Fallingwater. Its story began with a man named Charles Bowdish of Brookville, PA. Originally a holiday display on the second floor of his house, it moved to the Buhl Planetarium in 1954, and ultimately found its final home at Carnegie Science Center in 1992. The cultural significance of the Miniature Railroad is celebrated with the addition of a new model each year. In 2020, the new model honored the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by featuring the Pittsburgh Hill District home and a miniature likeness of Daisy Lampkin, one of the most important women in the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements and a resident of Pittsburgh for most of her adult life.

The Miniature Railroad & Village^® is sponsored in its centennial year by Tender Care Learning Centers, presented by Reach Cyber Charter Schools, and generously supported by the Robert and Mary Weisbrod Foundation.