Indianapolis Childrens Museum?

I was there two summers ago, and they still had a very impressive toy train collection, and a small point to point layut in the lower level. They had a few 1:1 scale items as well.  I think the Children's Museum is the best thin that Indy has to offer, even if there were no trains there. 

J White

I forget when I was first there, but then they had a very large train collection on display.  When last there a few years ago, I seem to remember that the train display

had been moved to the basement with that big locomotive (1:1) that pulled trains

up the hill from the Madison, Indiana riverfront, and that it was much smaller.  Pf

course, it could all have been rearranges again.

The large O-gauge layout was on level 4 from 1976 to 1999. Les Gordon designed and maintained the layout. I believed he owned a train store in Indianapolis. He and Larry Pfost (owner of Train Express) started the Central Indiana Chapter of the TCA in 1973.

The museum was actually a Lionel Service Center. That way they got a discount on the parts needed to maintain the trains on the layout. I know at one time the amount of trains the museum owned was about 10 times the number that they had on display.

I believe they have a G scale train running now.

Unfortunately, the O gauge layout is gone.  A lot of the O gauge trains are behind glass in a display case. The Reuben Wells is the name of the full size Steam Locomotive.  It makes sound effects and shakes on the hour. They have a couple G scale train layouts and one hanging from the sealing.  It is a nice display. My son loved it!

I believe a nice narrative on this layout with pics is in the TM book "Great Toy Trian Layouts of America". It was published in the late 80s.

Peter

Gerry is correct.  It was a sad day when I saw Train Express closing shop.  One of the best Lionel stores in the Midwest, IMO.

As Goshawk said, the layout you're talking about has long been gone.  Last time I was there, almost 10 yrs ago, the trains had been moved and a portion of the collection was on display.  The grand layout featured in the book, "Great Toy Trian Layouts of America" has long since vanished. 

I've often thought about what happened to it? Was it sold or simply destroyed? 

Yes, which was one reason my parents bought the book for me when I was a kid.  I vividly remember going there and watching the trains while my sister did other things at the muesem.  My dad got to the point he just left me there and would come check on me frequently.  I was fascinated by all the detail of that layout and it was the first layout I ever saw, outside of MR magazine.  I'd done anything as a kid (and, who am I kidding, even now) to have had that layout.  It was simple and so well executed.  

The train collection, mostly postwar, and a lot of pre-war stuff, was outstanding.  Tall glass cases filled with trains.  Large operating layout.  It was the ultimate train room to me.

Does anyone know for sure what happened to the layout featured in the book?

It is my understanding that the museum got a new director that had no interest in trains and thought the layout was taking up too much space that could be used for the carousel.

The layout was then disassembled and the trains put into storage. I have no idea if anything from the layout was saved. My best guess would be that it wasn't. 

There have been a number of train collectors over the years that have given some large collections to the museum, but they just go in to storage because they can't or won't make space to exhibit them.