Mahwah Train Museum Ups Hours for Holiday Season

The Mahwah Museum announces special holiday hours for The Donald Cooper Railroad.  The Railroad – a 15-by-20 foot HO scale model – will be open on Friday nights from 6-9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

A special holiday treat for children, this railroad operates up to 8 trains – including Thomas the Tank Engine – and youngsters delight in the realistic subway that runs at their eye level. The model contains street fairs, a skateboard park, construction sites and a replica of the Great Falls of Patterson.

The Donald Cooper Railroad was the gift to the Museum by Renee Darboe, a Mahwah resident, whose late husband, Donald Cooper, collected over 700 cars and 70 locomotives during his lifetime. The layout is the devoted work of a group of railroad volunteers who work many hours each week to wire the tracks, maintain the cars and the tracks, and keep the railroad in good condition. 

The meticulously detailed scenery is primarily the work of Starlene Van Dunk.

The Mahwah Museum also features exhibits Les Paul in Mahwah and New Jersey Fights in the Civil War.

Visitors can learn about Les Paul, long-time Mahwah resident, inventor, musician and self-taught engineer. Continuing as part of the exhibit is “The Log,” a fascinating visual of how a solid body guitar was built, as well as many guitars once owned by Paul, and made to honor the first responders of 9/11. 

New Jersey Fights in the Civil War, continued through December, includes a fascinating new section on medical practices during the Civil War.

The museum is open Wednesdays and weekends from 1-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, members and children free.  Further information is available at 201-512-0099 or at www.mahwahmuseum.org.

--

The above release was submitted by the Mahwah Museum. Get Patched in with the Mahwah Patch newsletter. And, get updates on the Mahwah Patch Facebook and Mahwah Patch Twitter.