Model Train Weekend presented by the Northeast Ntrak Modular Railroad Club

Saturday, February 13, 2016
10:00 AM-4:30 PM

Sunday, February 14, 2016
12:00 Noon-4:00 PM

Admission:
$7 per family ($5 for Museum or HUB members)
$5 per individual ($4 Museum or HUB members)

Love trains? Love museums? Bring your sweethearts to the Ntrak model train show at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library this Valentine’s weekend! The Northeast Ntrak Modular Railroad Club will be running its annual train show at the Museum on Saturday, February 13 from 10 AM to 4:30 PM and Sunday, February 14 from 12 noon to 4 PM. Admission is a sweet deal at only $7 per family or $5 per individual with discounted admission for members of either organization. Proceeds benefit both organizations.

Watch these small but mighty trains as they zip around incredibly detailed landscapes. Ntrak trains are smaller in size then traditional model trains but just as fun to watch. Because of their small size the landscapes and city scenes the trains travel though can encompass more. The show features bridges, train yards and a spectacular cliff face with multiple tunnels running in and out of the rocks. Trains climb mountain passes, shunt freight cars and use branch lines to pick up and set out cars at the many industries and stations along the way. Adults may even recognize a few of the local landmarks!

For more information about this show contact the Museum at (781) 861-6559 or check out our upcoming programs on our website.

Holiday Family Fun: HUB Trains at the Museum!

We look forward to hosting the HO-scale model trains and displays of the HUB Division of the Northeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association here at the museum on the weekend of December 13 and 14. For over a decade, the hobbyists of the HUB Division have joined us to kick off the holiday season.

Bring the family for Model Train Weekend: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm on Saturday, December 13, 2014 and 12 noon to 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 14, 2014. Admission: $7 per family (non-members); $5 per family (museum or HUB members); $5 per individual.

Our partner for this annual weekend event, the HUB Division, is a venerable club of over 50 years of age. It exists to promote and support the model railroading hobby and offers activities and education for members and the general public in all aspects of model railroading. HUB Division members present workshops on how to make trees, paint model freight cars to make them appear weathered, use rock molds and geodesic foam to create rock formations, and the art of construction and "scenicking" a diorama. Hours of patient work and years of skill development flow into the displays we enjoy each December.

As the history of the the club suggests, HO-scale model trains have been around for many years. The first model trains were twice the size of HO models, too large for hobbyists to set up at home. German firms of the 1920s offered the first home-scale model trains, followed by English models in the 1930s. Americans enthusiasts grew in large numbers in the 1950s, when the twin goals of attention to detail and realism of setting captured the imagination of new hobbyists. Today, HO-scale remains the most popular model train scale in North America and continental Europe. Model trains of this type are 1/87th the size of a real train out in the train yard. An HO-scale freight car easily fits into the palm of an adult's hand. HO-scale trains, buildings and scenics are big enough to for hobbyists to easily add detailing that creates realistic railroading layouts. 

For further information about model train weekend, contact the Museum at (781) 861-6559 or at [email protected]. For information about the museum visit www.monh.org.

February vacation is right around the corner. Come visit the museum with family and friends:

NTRAK Model Train Show

Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 AM – 4:30 PM and Sunday, Feb. 15, Noon – 4 PM

Join the Northeast NTRAK Modular Railroad Club for a February vacation weekend of fun. Proceeds will benefit both organizations. Admission: $5/individual; $5/family (members of either organization); $7/family (non-members).

Pieces of the Past – Telling Stories with Historic Relics

Wednesday, February 18, 2 PM

Bring family and friends to explore the fascinating stories behind the historic souvenirs in our exhibition. We will start with an exploration of the “Prized Relics: Historic Souvenirs from the Collection” gallery, where we will see pieces of the past saved by heroes and history fans. Then, participants can work together on hands-on activities that engage the imagination. Appropriate for ages 8 through adult. $6/family (members); $9/family (non-members). No registration is necessary for this approximately 1.5 hour program.

Family Programs during February Vacation

We have some engaging family programming coming up during February vacation. Get out your calendar - we hope to see you at the Museum!

Bring family and friends to see how fascinating maps can be in our next school vacation family program. “Mapping Our World” will be held Wednesday, February 19 from 2:00-3:30 pm. Start with an exploration of the “Journeys and Discoveries: The Stories Maps Tell” gallery and see how maps are made and what they tell us. Then, participants will work together on some hands-on mapping activities. Get ready for something different – you may be surprised at what maps can do!

The program is appropriate for ages 8 through adult. This approximately 1.5 hour program wil cost $6/family (members); $9/family (non-members). No registration is necessary.

Don’t forget this annual favorite! NTRAK Model Train Show on Saturday, Feb. 15 (10 AM – 4:30 PM) and Sunday, Feb. 16 (Noon – 4 PM). Admission: $5/individual; $5/family (members of either organization); $7/family (non-members). See our previous post for more information.

Since spring is just around the corner (though it may seem hard to believe at the moment), we'd like to let you know about the two family programs we have planned for April vacation:

Get to Know Our Flag on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, 1:00 PM & 2:30 PM

This family program explores the origins, history, legends and myths of the American flag. With the Museum’s historically significant 15-star flag as a backdrop, participants will enjoy hands-on activities. Bring family and friends to discover some surprising April flag history. $5/family (members); $7/family (non-members). No registration necessary for this approximately one-hour program.

The Lexington Alarm on Thursday, April 24, 2014, 2 PM

Each year at this time, the Museum displays an exciting piece of American history, the Lexington Alarm Letter. Written on April 19, 1775 by a citizen of Watertown to notify the American colonies near and far that war had begun, the letter still conveys the urgency of the shocking news. Families are invited to work together on hands-on, minds-on activities that explore the moment and the world in which this document was set down. Appropriate for ages 8 through adult. $6/family (members); $9/family (non-members). No registration necessary for this approximately 1.5 hour program.

Photo credit:

Game of the States, ca. 1960.  Manufactured by the Milton Bradley Company, Springfield, Massachusetts. Gift of Mrs. John Willey, 2006.026.2. Photograph by David Bohl.