Toy trains featured at Steamtown display

SCRANTON - For over a century, toy trains have been as much a part of Christmas as Santa Claus and decorated trees. Generations of boys, young and old, have wished for a shiny new steam locomotive or colorful streamliner. This anticipation and joy is captured by Angela Trotta Thomas, with seventeen of her prints and one actual painting on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site’s Exhibit Gallery through Dec. 31. Thomas is an accomplished artist, commissioned by Lionel Trains for their catalog covers and other promotions. Her work taps into the nostalgia of electric toy trains. Her art is so identified with Lionel that she earned the nickname “The Train Lady” among fellow artists. A recurring theme of several of the paintings is a child peering through a hobby shop window at the latest gem from the Lionel Company. Other highlights of the exhibit are magazine articles on Thomas’s work, some railroad cars honoring her paintings, and a tour poster made for Neil Young’s concerts. The art exhibit is available to Steamtown visitors seven days a week from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. in the mezzanine level of the Visitor Center. A park admission fee of $6 is charged to adults aged 16 and up. Children under 16 accompanied by an adult enter for no fee. Call 570-340-5200. More about artist Angela Trotta Thomas can be found at www.angelatrottathomas.com .