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THE LANCASTER TOY AND TRAIN COLLECTION As a young man, A.J. "Junie" Lancaster worked on trains for the Virginian Railroad. For 35 years, he collected antique toys and model trains from all over the country. In 1995, Mr. Lancaster and his wife, Millie, wanted to share their love of trains with a new generation of kids — so they donated their collection to the Children's Museum of Virginia as a Christmas present. The collection, valued at over $1 million, is probably the largest donation of toys and trains ever by a single collector. In addition to lots of thrilled kids, it attracts train enthusiasts and collectors from up and down the East Coast, and even all over the country. With a large part of the museum's second floor dedicated to it, the collection features four working layouts: a G gauge layout called Candy Land; an HO gauge layout of a harbor town; an O gauge layout of a 1950s mining town; and a combined N and HO gauge layout. Many more of the trains are displayed in large glass cases lining the wall of the Train Room. At this time there's not enough room to show the entire collection, which is undoubtedly one of the world's largest. Although Mr. Lancaster died several years ago, his generous spirit and love of children and trains live on through the Lancaster Toy and Train Collection at the Children's Museum of Virginia. Here is a small sampling of what's in store for you at the Lancaster Train & Toy Collection. Visit the museum to see them all in action! (Click on a picture to enlarge.) |
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