Kids ON TRACK – at the Northeast Large Scale Train Show
April 27 & 28, 2024
On Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, children 15 and under will have an opportunity to be part of two make-and-take model railroad programs.
The first – Build a Flatcar Load – gives kids an opportunity take a G-scale flatcar and build a load for the car using a variety of materials provided by the Amherst Railway Society. The program runs for about an hour, after which all the flat cars are run together as a train on one of the G-Scale railroads at the show.
The flatcars and the loads the children build are theirs to keep.
The second program – Decorate a Building – gives kids an opportunity to decorate a G-scale building using paints and other materials provided by the Amherst Railway Society. The program runs about an hour and a half, and the buildings the children decorate are theirs to keep.
There are four programs scheduled:
Saturday, April 27: 11:00 am to 12:00 noon – Build a Flatcar Load
Saturday, April 27: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm – Decorate a Building
Sunday, April 28: 11:00 am to 12:00 noon – Build a Flatcar Load
Sunday, April 28: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm – Decorate a Building
There is no charge for the programs, but each session is limited to fifteen (15) children. And, children must be registered to participate. Also, a parent or guardian must be present with their child for the entire program.
To register for a Kids ON TRACK program at the Large Scale Train Show, click here.
The Northeast Large Scale Train Show takes place at:
Eastern States Exposition
1305 Memorial Avenue
West Springfield, Massachusetts 01089
Track or Treat – October 28, 2023
A Halloween special train ride
On Saturday, October 28, Kids ON TRACK kicked off Halloween with the Track or Treat special train ride between Springfield and Hartford.
240 children and adults showed up – in costume – to ride this festive train.
Maggie the Railroad Clown was on the train creating smiles with her juggling, magic tricks, and balloon artistry. And, there were two mini trick-or-treat stations included in the trip – one in Hartford, and the other in the main concourse of Union Station as passengers returned to Springfield.
Kids ON TRACK is a collaborative effort of the Amherst Railway Society, CTrail, and Springfield Union Station.
Kids ON TRACK – July, 2023
Kids ON TRACK (KOT) was back at Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts on July 22 & 23 with an added attraction this year – real train rides.
When the program was initiated last year, the emphasis was on model railroads, and giving kids (of all ages) a chance to run model trains. Area model railroad clubs set up train layouts in the main concourse of Union Station, and everyone got a chance to run trains.
The event was a hit, and ideas for expanding the event began to surface. One idea was to add train rides to the event so kids not only had a chance to run trains, but ride them, too.
CTrail (Connecticut’s commuter rail system) was all-in on the idea. So, this year on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, riders boarded a CTrail train in Springfield at 10:00 am, rode to Hartford, Connecticut, switched to another CTrail train coming from New Haven, and were back in Springfield at 11:40.
Fifty-eight riders showed up for the trip on Saturday morning. Then, the photos and positive comments hit social media and eighty-five riders showed up for the trip on Sunday morning.
The line between Springfield and Hartford runs along the Connecticut River, and the weather cooperated for beautiful rides both days.
Back at Union Station, four model railroads were set up in HO-scale and N-scale, Maggie the Railroad Clown was there both days creating smiles with her juggling, magic tricks, and balloon artistry, and Granny’s Pie Factory provided sweet treats.
Kids ON TRACK is jointly sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society, CTrail, and Springfield Union Station.
Kids ON TRACK
Kids ON TRACK (KOT) is an initiative of the Amherst Railway Society (ARS) designed to give elementary, middle, and high school students experience with model railroads.
Kids of fall ages are fascinated with model railroads. Put a throttle in a kid’s hands and they light right up. Parents are fascinated, too, because they see the effect that model trains have on their children.
There are two parts to the program.
Part One – get kids running trains
ARS has an HO-scale modular display layout that travels to a variety of events. The layout is setup for operation by children, and their parents, too. The purpose of the display layout is to let children experience the pure joy of running trains.
Amherst also has several sets of BRIO-style wooden trains that we set up at events. The wooden trains give children that might be too young to operate the modular railroad a chance to enjoy running trains.
Part Two – get kids building a railroad
Aimed at middle school and high school students, Part Two is intended to get kids building modules, programming engines, adding scenery, and operating the layout. Our goal is to come up with classroom and after-school programs that will engage kids in model railroading.
Part Two is STE(A)M education – science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Collaboration
Kids ON TRACK is intended to be a collaborative effort to promote model railroading – manufacturers, clubs, retailers. After all, the things we are learning could benefit others, and, it’s likely other organizations are learning things that could help us.