The Train Factory - Closed

Opening Fall 2024 – The Treasures of The Franklin Institute Gallery 

The Train Factory exhibit is now closed in preparation for its re-imagination and expansion into the new Treasures of The Franklin Institute Gallery.  

Opening in the fall of 2024, the gallery will debut a collections-based experience surrounding the historic Baldwin 60000 steam locomotive on a cutaway floor overlooking the Institute’s archival collections, inviting guests to:    

• Climb aboard the Baldwin 60000 and marvel at its ingenuity. 
• Explore the open casework that will surround the Baldwin extending upwards on two levels, showcasing hundreds of rare artifacts from TFI’s collections, restored and curated to tell stories of technological advancement, from the earliest film projector to the rarest drawings and airfoils of the Wright brothers.  
• See the newly visible, distinctive steel and concrete railroad bridge structures that support the 350-ton locomotive, an extraordinary example of 19th-century railroad engineering.   

The gallery will celebrate human curiosity and the spirited commitment of remarkable individuals to advancing science and technology and connect the storied past of The Franklin Institute to its dynamic present and exciting future. 

The Treasures of the Franklin Institute Gallery opens in the fall of 2024. The Franklin Institute is grateful to the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust for its generous support of this project.

TFI Members will be invited to see it first! Every visit to the science museum is FREE for members. Join today!

Press Release