THE BALLOON MAN

Timeless toys
An exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg features playthings that will spark some cherished childhood memories.


Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
A daring lion tamer stars in the circus at an antique toy exhibit, which is on display weekends throughout the Christmas season.
By Ron Devlin
From: Reading Eagle
12/23/2012
Hamburg, PA- Barbie and Ken skate across a pond, frozen in time, in an embrace that began more than 50 years ago.
 The Mattel dolls, an instant hit with American children when they made their debut under the Christmas tree in 1959, are part of an antique toy exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg.

Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
Cast iron Roman chariot leads the circus parade in the antique toy exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg. The exhibit, which has toys from the 1800s to 1976, is open weekends.
 One of the first toys that mirrored the migration of American families to suburbia, Barbie and Ken are the youngsters in an exhibit that includes toys that were popular when Calvin Coolidge was president.
 Paul E. Troutman, museum curator, said the exhibit includes rare toys from the collections of a half-dozen major antique toy enthusiasts.
 "We had so many toys," he said, "it was a matter of choosing what not to display."

 

Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
Paul E. Troutman, curator of the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, is watched over by an antique dirigible and airplane made from Erector sets in the 1930s. The toys are part of an antique toy exhibit on display at the museum.
Entitled "Toys of the Reading Railroad Era," the antique toy exhibit harkens to Christmases past when Lionel model trains, ice skates and Lightning Flyer sleighs thrilled wide-eyed children Christmas morning.
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