Download - Meet Miley Cyrus Keeping Track of Model TrainsMeet Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus is the voice of Penny in the Disney movie “Bolt.” Miley is best known as the star of the Disney TV series

© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

release dates: December 20-26 51-1 (08)

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

BETTY DEBNAM – Founding Editor and Editor at Large

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Have you ever watched a model traindisplay in a store or a museum duringthe holiday season? Maybe you’ve hadthe chance to play with a set of trainsand use your imagination about wherethey’ve been and where they’re going.

For more than 100 years, model trainshave been an exciting part of theholidays. The Mini Page talked with anexpert on model trains to find out moreabout this holiday favorite.What is a model train?

Some toy trains don’t look much likereal trains. Model trains are close copiesof the real thing.

Some model trains are even exactcopies, right down to the nuts and bolts.A scale model is an exact, but smaller,copy of the original object.

For example, the most popular sizemodel train is exactly 1/87th the size of areal train. This means everything on thereal train, right down to the seats andthe wheels, is 87 times bigger than on thescale model train. Train excitement

In the mid-1800s, there were no cars orplanes. But trains were exciting becausethey could travel much faster than ahorse. They made it possible for people totravel much farther in a shorter timethan before.

Almost as soon as real trains wereinvented, companies began building toytrains.

Tracking toy trainsGerman manufacturers were the first

to make toy trains. They made trainsthat kids could pull or push. Later theymade wind-up toy trains. Most weremade of iron. People began putting thesetoy trains into their Christmas displays.Full speed ahead

In 1900, an inventor, Joshua LionelCowen, passed by a toy shop in New YorkCity where a toy train was on display.But the toys all just sat there. None ofthem were moving.

Joshua told the store owner that hecould make a toy train that would runnonstop all day. He promised this wouldbring people to the owner’s store.

Joshua went home and invented amoving freight car. His “Electric Express”looked like a wooden box with wheels.The tracks were made from strips of tin.Joshua powered the train with a fanmotor and a battery.

Shoppers didmore than justlook at the trainin the storewindow. Theywanted to buy

one for themselves.Joshua formed the Lionel company to

manufacture these moving toy trains.Other companies, such as American Flyer,also began making electric toy trains.

A Holiday Tradition

All Aboard the Model Train

This model train exhibit at Macy’s departmentstore in New York City has become a yearlytradition. The display runs through the line ofvisitors waiting to see Santa.

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Elves work on this Lionel Holiday Expresstrain. This special holiday train is an exampleof a toy train that is not a scale model.

Mini Spy . . .from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy and her friends are enjoying a toy train exhibit whilethey shop for gifts. See if you can find:

• cheese wedge• letter C• carrot• cup and saucer• number 8• whistle• bell• apple• question mark• ladder


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Early electric trainsIn the early 1900s, electricity was

still new to many people. Few peoplehad electricity in their homes. Thismade electric model trains seem evenmore magical.

Early electric trains needed batteriesto run. But batteries in those daysdidn’t last long. This meant the trainscould run only for short periods.

Joshua Lionel Cowen made severalimprovements on ways for model trainsto run on electricity. These changesmade his model trains easier to use.

To solve this problem, Joshuainvented a three-rail track system. Itused a kind of power called alternatingcurrent, or AC. With AC, the electricitycould flow in two directions.

This meant the electricity could runall around the track without anyelectrical gaps to stop the trains.

This system was muchsimpler to put togetherand operate. It alsomade it easier to runseveral trains at once.

Keeping Track of Model Trains

InventionsJoshua invented a transformer, or a

machine to control the flow of electricity,that was safe to use at home.

He then invented a simpler way torun electric trains. Most electric trainsran on a two-rail track. They used atype of electric power called directcurrent, or DC. DC current could flowonly one way.

This created interruptions inelectricity at the end of the tracks. Thetrains needed a lot of extra wiring andswitches to keep them going.

Words that remind us of model trains are hidden in the block below.Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find:LOCOMOTIVE, CAR, ELECTRICITY, STEAM, TRACKS, BATTERY,KID, CHRISTMAS, TREE, TOY, CURRENT, SCENERY, TOWNS, WIRE,HOLIDAY, PLAY, DISPLAY, ACELA, SIZE, ENGINE, MOVING, RUN.

Model Trains TRY ’NFIND

IS A TRAIN ONYOUR WISH

LIST?

W A H O L I D A Y W R A C T E

T I C N U R Y R E T T A B R NR T R E K K Y A L P S I D E GA O S E L I L G N I V O M E IC W T I V A D S C E N E R Y NK N K O Z K C T N E R R U C ES S V W Y E C H R I S T M A SY A L P Y T I C I R T C E L EM A E T S E V I T O M O C O L


Basset Brown

The News

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Joshua Lionel Cowen used his sonas the main figure on the modeltrain catalog covers.

Thisholidaydisplay isat theNew YorkTransitMuseumat GrandCentralStation inNew YorkCity.

Look how the boy isdressed in this 1925 cover.How might an ad fromtoday look different?

Rookie Cookie’s RecipeAcorn Squasharama



Meet Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus is the voice of Penny in the

Disney movie “Bolt.” Miley is best known asthe star of the Disney TV series “HannahMontana.”

Miley has made several CDs and has goneon concert tours as Hannah Montana. She hasco-written several of the songs for the “MeetMiley Cyrus” album. She has also written

many of the songs that have been sung on “Hannah Montana.”Miley, 16, is from Nashville, Tenn. She grew up singing with

her father, country music star and actor Billy Ray Cyrus. Sheacted as an extra in several of his acting jobs. She then actedwith him on his TV series “Doc.”

She lives in Los Angeles with her parents, two brothersand two sisters. She has one other brother. The family hasmany pets.

You’ll need:• 1 medium acorn squash• 1 tablespoon butter, plus 1 teaspoon• 2 tablespoons brown sugar• 1 teaspoon honey

What to do:1. Have an adult cut the acorn squash in half with a large knife. Scoop out

all the seeds.2. Place the two halves in 1/4 inch of water in a glass baking dish. Make

sure the cut portion is facing down in the water.3. Cover with plastic wrap.4. Microwave on high for 12 to 15 minutes.5. Allow to cool slightly, then scoop cooked squash into a bowl.6. Mix in butter, brown sugar and honey until blended well.7. Divide into 4 servings.*You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.


All the following jokes have something in common.Can you guess the common theme or category?

Tara: What would be harder than trying tocatch a train?

Tanya: Trying to throw it!

Travis: What do you call a train with a virus?Tess: A choo-choo train!

Terry: Can you think of a train that has no wheels,no engine and no caboose?

Tomas: A train of thought!

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Taking offIn 1907, the Lionel company made its

first true model train. It was a closecopy of a real train.

The company then added more carsthat were copies of real train cars.These included a cattle car, a boxcarand a Pullman. A Pullman was a traincar where people could sleep.

The company later made models ofmany special train cars, including anoperating milk car where a workerunloaded milk cans and a radioactivewaste car.

In 1910, Lionel made electric locomotivesbased on the design of a real locomotiveengine. A locomotive is the first car onthe train. It pulls the rest of the train.

In 1939, companies displayed scalemodel train sets at the New York World’sFair. After that, model trains becamethe best-selling toy in America.

During World War II, metal was neededfor the war effort, so kids couldn’t getmodel trains. Lionel put out a papertrain instead, but it just wasn’t the same.

A Christmas traditionModel train sets can be expensive. In

the first half of the 1900s, they wereusually given as special Christmas gifts.

Stores started getting model trains inSeptember. They set up huge traindisplays in their stores.

After Christmas, many parents putthe trains away, bringing them outagain each Christmas.

But in many homes, the dads got justas excited as the kids. Some set uppermanent model train displays in abasement or recreation room.

Running Through the YearsBack on track

With the coming of the Space Age,many kids lost interest in model trains.They were more interested in rocketsand jets.

However, experts say today there isnew excitement about model trains.Part of this is because of kidsdiscovering toy trains such as Thomasthe Tank Engine.

To many people, real trains seemromantic and adventurous. New, high-speed trains like the Amtrak Acela canrun up to 150 miles per hour.

In other countries, such as Japan,new high-speed trains can go up toalmost 190 miles per hour. Californiahas recently made plans to build a high-speed train system that will be able torun more than 200 miles per hour.

Model train companies have alreadymade models of these high-speed trains.A model hobby

Experts say kids who play withmodel trains can learn about electricalwiring, since they have to follow theinstructions for wiring the model trains.Building a model railroad can be anongoing project that just keeps growing.

Many people enjoy creating sceneryand models oftowns for thetrains to travelthrough. Sometrain loverscreate exactmodels of real-life towns andstations. Theydesign realisticscenery. Others

use their imaginations to create brand-new places.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

photos (c) Lionel L.L.C.

Parents would often set up a model trainaround the Christmas tree, so kids wouldsee it when they rushed in to open presentsin the morning.

This 1999 ad shows model trainsrepresenting real trains throughout acentury. Notice how the modern trains differfrom the early steam locomotive on the left.

The Mini Page thanks Louis Caponi, pastpresident, Lionel Collectors Club ofAmerica, for help with this issue.

Look through your newspaper for storiesand pictures of modern transportation.

Next week The Mini Page is about artistsAnsel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe.


Supersport: Amar’e StoudemireHeight: 6-10 Birthdate: 11-16-82Weight: 249 Hometown: Orlando, Fla.

Amar’e Stoudemire grew up in the Sunshine State — Florida. Heplays basketball in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns. And on thecourt, his talent shines.

Since making the jump directly from high school to the pros in2002, he has won the Rookie of the Year award, and played in three All-Stargames. He averaged 25.2 points and 9.1 rebounds last year and is again amongleague leaders this season.

His production got him a nickname — Stat, which means Standing Tall andTalented. Nobody can debate the accuracy of that statement.

The sun hasn’t always shone on Amar’e, however. His father died when hewas 12, and he was raised by his mother, Carrie. He didn’t even begin playingbasketball until age 14 and attended six high schools before finishing at CypressCreek in Orlando.

But “Standing Tall and Talented,” Stoudemire proved he was ready for theNBA and has become one of the league’s premier players.

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