If your children dream of being transported into the world of Thomas the Tank Engine, Chuggington or Dinosaur Train, the Santa Fe Children’s Museum is the place for your little railroad-lovers.
In fact, the whole family may enjoy a newly refurbished interactive exhibit at the museum that contains, for the first time, a model of the historic Santa Fe Depot as well as the train station in Lamy, the former stop on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that once brought the world to the Santa Fe area.
Originally created in 2018, the model train exhibit People on the Go was widely popular at first, but after eight years of wear and tear, it was time for a change, said Executive Director Hannah Hausman.
“It definitely needed a refresh,” Hausman said.
Museum staff voted on the new designs, and work on the refreshed exhibit began in December. The museum retired the original exhibit June 5 and revealed the new one to a private audience June 9. It opened publicly June 10.
Melissa Ramirez took her young daughter to visit the new exhibit on her day off work Friday. She said she liked the open concept and appreciated the hands-on learning the exhibit provided.
“It’s great because in a way it’s like a puzzle, so they’re learning how to build their own railroad,” Ramirez said.
Professional design, local collaboration
The museum worked with Process Curiosity, a Utah company that designs exhibits for children’s museums nationwide. The Mittler Foundation funded the project, and Santa Fe’s Sky Railways collaborated on the train designs and sponsored the accessories.
The wooden tabletop play set has tracks children can move by hand to create their own routes and includes colorful accessories that add to the imaginative play. Hausman said the new exhibit will make it easier for children to move around. While the old version had more walls around it, the new look is more open.
“Children can socialize and engage with each other and play, and I think it’s a really nice space now for our little ones to be able to play together,” Hausman said.
Before its retirement, the museum hosted a goodbye party for the original exhibit to make the transition easier for frequent visitors.
“We allowed the kids to say goodbye. Transitions can be hard for kids; for adults, too, really,” Hausman said, “We didn’t want the kids to say, ‘Where did that exhibit go?’ A lot of children were really attached to it and to that mode of play, so we wanted them to understand this exhibit is moving on but the new one is coming and there’s all these experiences you’ll be able to have with it.”
The original design isn’t gone forever — the museum donated it to McCurdy Ministries and the LEER children’s literacy program.
“It’s a sweet way to say goodbye to an exhibit that gave kids a lot of play and fun,” Hausman said.
‘That’s that train!’
Bill Banowsky, co-owner of Sky Railway, called the museum “an incredible asset to this community.” He expressed pride in working with the museum on the project, which includes a replica of a Sky Railway train.
“I do love the opportunity. It’s a good thing for our business to really be supportive of the community and the non-profits in this community that do such great work,” said Banowsky, whose Sky Railway runs between Santa Fe and Lamy. “Everyone who goes to the children’s museum is going to see our train, and they’re going to realize we are a company that supports worthy organizations like the children’s museum.”
Both Hausman and Banowsky were excited the new exhibit includes replicas of the Santa Fe and Lamy train depots. Hausman said this will make the exhibit feel more real.
“The kids can recognize [it] and say, ‘Oh, that’s that train I see at the Railyard!’ ” Hausman said.
‘People … love trains’
Hausman said trains are an important part of early childhood education because they teach local history as well as cognitive and social skills. Extended to Lamy in 1880 and soon connecting the Santa Fe area to the rest of the country, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was a major factor in the development of the region and particularly its tourism industry, bringing visitors from far and wide.
“It’s hands on. And that’s really important, kids can get their hands on things and control them themselves but also play side by side with another child, and all of that is really important for development,” Hausman said.
Banowsky said the exhibit can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages, providing a sense of nostalgia for both parents and their children.
“People of all ages love trains,” Banowsky said. “People who are older are nostalgic about trains, but at the same time, trains aren’t typically part of our everyday, day-to-day life. It is more in certain markets, if you live in New York City or Washington, D.C., but in most of the United States, train travel is a thing of the past. So, there is a great deal of nostalgia about train travel; there is a great deal of promise about what train travel can mean for our future.”
