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continuity0 t1_j5rpceq wrote

Sure did, went about 15 feet up and back, and when I worked there in the early '90s, a tape would play with some generic steam engine sounds and narrated details about the train. The tape was so badly worn and stretched, it was almost unintelligible, so some of us had the more interesting facts memorized for when people asked about what was being said.

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There also used to be a bunch of photographs of the train being installed before construction of the museum was completed. Last time I was there, I asked what happened to them but nobody seemed to know.

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(Edit: addit'l facts)

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ebbycalvinlaloosh t1_j5s16uf wrote

Hey I worked there in the early 90s too!!! It was my first job. I worked for a summer in guest services and floated around to different posts. I have this core memory of napping on one of the big leather couches in the break room area!

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ksquad80 t1_j5sc1ej wrote

We slept in the rotunda for a camp trip when I was a kid.

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Gabagoo44 t1_j5sf304 wrote

I did this also and a mouse ran right by me at 3am, couldn’t sleep the rest of the night Lmao.

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continuity0 t1_j5si3hj wrote

I chaperoned a camp-in my kids took part in a few years ago, couldn't sleep at all so I roamed the museum most of the night, and met up with more than a few mice, even one making its way up the main stairwell.. But that's life in the city.

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rovinchick t1_j5sjtwu wrote

Crap, I slept over there in 2020 right before the pandemic hit and now my skin is crawling thinking about mice running past me. 😂 They still haven't brought back the sleepover since then, even though other museums have, including the Academy of Natural Science. When I asked why, they said they didn't have enough employees to run them, but at $60/head times hundred of kids and chaperones, it seems like it was a profitable endeavour and would be worth finding a few more employees, even if they had to pay them a bit more. Heck, they may even be able to recruit volunteers to run them like the Battleship NJ and Adventure Aquarium do. 🤷

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voteforbk t1_j5tip5w wrote

The Franklin Institute laid off a far higher percentage of its staff than any other local museum. They laid off something like 2/3 of the staff at the end of March 2020, before any federal loans kicked in. There was a second round in June that year. There might not be anyone left who was involved in that Camp-In program in any capacity. They may have to rebuild it completely.

Also, that place is like the most mouse-infested in the city. A huge old structure that hosts hundreds of elementary schoolers every day who snack all throughout the building.

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rovinchick t1_j5tj830 wrote

Letting museum space sit any empty instead of generating revenue seems like poor management at this point. My kids loved that sleepover so much, we ended up purchasing a family membership right afterwards. They also haven't brought back their summer camp program, which I'm sure was a profitable program.

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voteforbk t1_j5tjn31 wrote

What can I say? It is poorly managed.

That said, I think the summer camp management were the same folks who ran the overnight camp, so you’d have to rebuild that as well.

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NotUnstoned t1_j5vdlno wrote

I stayed there twice when I was a kid. Once was in the train room, I forget where the other time. I definitely took the opportunity to explore the whole museum while it was closed though lol.

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continuity0 t1_j5shrmo wrote

Nice! I was there summers, winter breaks and sometimes spring breaks '91-'95, so it's pretty likely we crossed paths at some point. I was a demonstrator and worked the occasional camp-in weekend.

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orion3311 t1_j5vb4jm wrote

If any of you 90s guys/gals have pics of the futures center Id LOVE to see them!!

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justasque t1_j5s6pl3 wrote

I loved those photos! I mean, “how the heck did this thing get here” is a pretty reasonable question once you see the train, and the photos really gave you an understanding of how much of a monumental undertaking it was. I also miss the math exhibit room that was n one of the upper floors. It was quietly interesting, which was rather nice.

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oliver_babish t1_j5tiszm wrote

A room which seemed to have The Dot and the Line playing in constant loop.

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orion3311 t1_j5vbdls wrote

They still have them but i think they're all the way st the end of the room where the wall opened up.

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starcom_magnate t1_j5t8leg wrote

We were there in 2022 for the Harry Potter exhibit and the pictures of them bringing in the train were there.

You had to go all the way past the train to the back wall, and they were just kind of thrown in that area. Shame, too, as it is a really interesting story and the pictures are great.

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horsebatterystaple99 t1_j5tdjh4 wrote

Yes!!! Used to take my kid there back in the day. We had a membership. I always kept the train room until last. It was impossible to get him to leave there.

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KFCConspiracy t1_j6bn9v8 wrote

I remember seeing it in the 90s when I was a kid and the terrible tape now that you mention it.

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Analog-Digital t1_j5rmq9t wrote

It did, you’re not misremembering. But it was really slow and kinda uninteresting

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jffiore t1_j5roz9k wrote

Little kids love that train. When my son was little, he would watch that for hours if we'd let him.

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ryanisntreal t1_j5t7ig6 wrote

That train was exhilarating for a 7 year old me, that and everything in the Please Touch Museum

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aintjoan t1_j5rsxi4 wrote

Despite this being slow and uninteresting I am still very sad that I never saw it. Or if I did I don't remember :(

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mikeygaw t1_j5rytkk wrote

When did it stop moving? I haven't been to the FI for about 8-10 years and it moved when I last went.

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Secksualinnuendo t1_j5scsuf wrote

You might be mis remembering. I don't think it moved in like 15 years.

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feedthecorpse t1_j5sip2e wrote

It didn’t move when I was there in the 90s. I was there every day in the summer for two years.

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voteforbk t1_j5sclmb wrote

I was there starting around 2009 and the train was still moving. Only worked there seasonally so I don’t know when things changed, but I believe it stopped moving in the mid-2010s. My understanding was that after 80ish years in one place moving back and forth on the same small stretch of rails, the rails (and wheels?) were kinda badly misshapen.

It’s been the better part of a decade since the old Baldwin 60,000 moved. I haven’t been at TFI since March 2020 and it had been stationary for years by then.

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nayls142 t1_j5v3kff wrote

I believe it didn't move far enough for a full revolution of the drive wheels, so they were wearing into football shapes

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masimone t1_j5rzspc wrote

It's almost as disappointing the photo aging machine. All I wanted to do is find out what I would look like as an adult. It was out of order two visits in a row and when it finally worked, all it did was put some wrinkles on little kid face.

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ksquad80 t1_j5scqvd wrote

The photo booth teaches gradual, continued disappointment and strips away youthful wonderment. Then it just takes a regular shot of your undeniably more adult self.

The wrinkles are just a bonus.

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redwinencatz t1_j5s6va8 wrote

Yea, I used to volunteer there in high school for my science project. My favorite room to do was the train. I liked telling people info about the train and watching kids slide down the coal bins. I’m a little sad if it doesn’t move now. That was around ‘00-‘02.

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masimone t1_j5rz5s3 wrote

This is an excellent question. I remember my parents saying it moved but it was completely un noticable and disappointing.

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Wordnerdinthecity t1_j5s6pju wrote

I'll ask my FIL when he gets back from his trip. He used to be involved with it, and stopped in the 90s either from lack of time or board bs. I'm not sure which, but I'm sure he'll love to tell the story!

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jeffseidl92 t1_j5s9n7y wrote

Has it stopped moving?

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Zyoy OP t1_j5takyy wrote

Yes, I went there for the Harry Potter exhibit and it wasn’t moving. I would have never realized if my mom never said something when she went recently.

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pleeplious t1_j5sughd wrote

Does anyone else remember a game on a monitor where it involved pouring molten liquid into other pots or something like this. Circa 1997ish maybe.

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quantum_complexities t1_j5t7nc4 wrote

It did. They stopped for preservation concerns because it didn’t move far enough to go one rotation of the wheels, so they wore unevenly. The train is staying but that exhibit is being removed.

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eva-geo t1_j5tr1su wrote

Yes I remember the ride from when I was a kid

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Zyoy OP t1_j5ttbao wrote

Wasn’t really a ride it just slowly moved back and forth.

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eva-geo t1_j5tu9nk wrote

When your a 5 year old kid it’s a ride.

I also recommend a full English dictionary. Welcome to Philly.

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Zyoy OP t1_j5tuv7l wrote

Actually I recommend you get one. Forth is right if that’s what you tried to correct. Fourth is the number.

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Low-Athlete-1697 t1_j5s24zw wrote

Please tell me the train is still there.

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Secksualinnuendo t1_j5scwji wrote

Its still there. It's almost impossible to remove at this point. They needed to remove a wall to get it in

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Baron_Von_D t1_j5s4mrs wrote

Yep, not going anywhere. There was also going to be some huge renovation of the room with the train still being a center of the exhibit, but not sure if that's still happening.

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classicrockchick t1_j5yrgqu wrote

They would have to literally disassemble it piece by piece to get it out of there. And even then, some of the pieces are just giant pieces of steel so you'd still need like a crane or something to get it out.

The easiest way to get it out would be to demolish the building around it. And that's not happening any time soon. (Hopefully.)

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feedthecorpse t1_j5siupl wrote

The big train is there but isn’t the other section gone? I think you can walk down steps now to another floor. I was there right before things were changed. The big train still has the same smell.

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am_pomegranate t1_j5tpul5 wrote

Yeah, when I was little. We'd all climb up onto the wall in the back and hold on as it moved... what, a yard? It was one of the most exciting things to do as a kid (and yes, I was well aware I took moving trains all the time on septa), and little me was devastated when they stopped doing it.

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215WinterTown t1_j5uenk7 wrote

Is the plane still there? You sat in the cabin and looked out the window to see the wing move.

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sjm320 t1_j5unft0 wrote

Even though I vaguely remember it as a kid, I always thought that the monorail thing in the Wanamaker building was the best.

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murphysfriend t1_j5w1b6y wrote

I heard several years ago; they also closed the Sky Cycling out on the cable!

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William_d7 t1_j5wqnfw wrote

They need to bring back the thing where you bike pumped a ball up a tube and then it fell out the top and bounced on a metal disc.

That was the most memorable exhibit when I was a kid.

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Patapwn t1_j5rt6xq wrote

Yep, but they shut it down because it hit and killed a kid. Same reason the SkyBike is gone.

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