Miniature railroad celebrates 50th anniversary
As the Carnegie Science Center’s Miniature Railroad & Village observes its 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this season, local residents may be interested in some new exhibits that have Fayette County connections. They include the introduction of a 19th century glass factory inspired by Youghiogheny Glass of Connellsville, and a recreation of a small group of stargazers that honors the historical accomplishments of astronomer John Brashear, a Brownsville native.
That’s in addition to a long-standing miniature that features Searights Tollhouse of Menallen Township, a landmark of the National Road that’s still in existence today.
The significance of glassmaking in western Pennsylvania prompted the science center to create the glass factory with staffer Mike Orban taking a trip to Connellsville in late spring to observe glassmaking techniques at Youghiogheny Glass.
“Their production techniques reflect the era 1890 to 1930 that is depicted in the railroad,’ said Orban.
While the glass factory created for the miniature railroad does not replicate any particular building, it is based on the structure used by Youghiogheny Glass, which is located on Connellsville’s West Crawford Avenue in a 1912 building that formerly housed the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad terminal – a fitting structure for a miniature railroad. The science center’s glass factory is located in the miniature railroad near the city and features a Spanish tile roof with open sides so visitors can see the glassmakers at work.
The building recreates an early stained glass manufacturing organization with simulations of glass workers carrying glowing ladles filled with dripping loads of molten glass. Workers mix molten colored glass with tongs, rolling the gobs of glass into patterned sheets while other workers blow glass drawn from a glass furnace.
The stargazing scene is in the country section of the railroad and features a small group of people standing near a country road who are gazing into the night sky with their telescopes.
The exhibit honors Brashear and recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh.
Brashear was born in Brownsville in 1840 and married Phoebe Stewart of Fairchance in 1862, according to “Stories of Uniontown and Fayette County’ by Walter “Buzz’ Storey.
Brashear’s house is still standing, a private residence located at the corner of Sixth and Market streets in Brownsville. An historic marker stands in front of the house.
Information provided by the science center noted that Brashear later moved to Pittsburgh and built his first telescope in his South Side home in the early 1870s. The information, gleaned from extragalacticsystems.com reported, “…his optical prowess is apparent even today – many of the telescopes he made still are in use around the world. Moreover, the one-time John Brashear Co. has evolved to become the Contraves Corp., an internationally known maker of superb optics. In its underground facility near Wampum, Pa., Contraves is working on the completion of the eight-meter mirror for the Subaru Telescope, to be installed in Hawaii.’
Brashear died in April 1920 and is buried, with his wife, in the crypt beneath the Keeler Memorial Reflecting Telescope at the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh’s Riverview Park. Brashear, a one-time director of the Allegheny Observatory, is the man responsible for its construction.
Other new miniatures this year include the original Heinz factory (house) being moved from Sharpsburg to the North Side on a barge in 1904. It can be seen floating around the miniature railroad’s rivers. Orban noted that Heinz and partner L.C. Nobel first manufactured horseradish in the basement of his boyhood home. In 1952, the house was dismantled and moved to Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan where it can still be seen today.
The science center also recreated the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was one of the oldest black Baptist congregations and the cornerstone of the Hill District community when it burned on March 13. Two Pittsburgh firefighters were killed and 21 were injured when the bell tower collapsed. Orban visited the structure after the fire and obtained a couple of pieces of charred pine, which he used to build the tower in the miniature of the 131-year-old building. The project, which is dedicated to the deceased firefighters and the congregation, also contains a time capsule with a Pittsburgh Firefighters patch, remembrances from the congregation and notes from the miniature railroad’s staff.
A unique and fun exhibit is called the Presidential Whistle Stop, featuring a presidential Pullman car with Theodore Roosevelt on the back of the caboose as he makes stops during three campaigns: 1900 with William McKinley, 1900 when he ran on his own and 1912 when he was with the Bull Moose Party. Each stop features posters and slogans from the different campaigns. As women’s suffrage was an issue in the latter campaign, this stop is located near the railroad’s 1912 suffrage parade. Orban said Roosevelt did travel through Pittsburgh as did McKinley’s funeral train after his 1901 assassination in Buffalo.
Charles Bowdish of Brookville, Pa., Jefferson County, created the miniature railroad in 1920, building it for his brother’s Yuletide wedding. The railroad became an annual event with people throughout the region coming to see it. When a 1953 flood damaged the Bowdish home and display, Bowdish was forced to find a new home for it. Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh agreed to take it over in 1954. The railroad remained there until 1992 when it was brought to the new science center.
Over the years, the miniature railroad has remained a holiday tradition with the science center unveiling new miniatures annually just before Thanksgiving.
Look for more miniatures to be revealed in a few more months, however, as Orban said the miniature railroad will introduce Gobler’s Knob on Groundhog’s Day, featuring Punxsutawney Phil. And in the spring, the science center will create a model of Fred Rogers’ house that’s featured in the opening of the PBS- television series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ based in Pittsburgh.
The Carnegie Science Center is located at One Allegheny Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, across the street from Heinz Field. Parking is free with admission. For more information on house and admissions, call 412-237-3400 or visit the Web site at www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org
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