The National Toy Train Museum

10/22/2026

10/19/2026

Title: Hafner Roundabout

Description: Hafner "Roundabout" is one of the earliest toys built by William F. Hafner. Built in 1901-02, it is powered by a clockwork motor similar to the ones used in later Clockwork locomotives.

Researched from "The History of the Hafner Manufacturing Company" by Paul A. Doyle. A picture of this item appears in the article.

Original scan # P2015.032.001

10/19/2026

10/13/2026

Ride through Pennsylvania's countryside on America's oldest railroad

10/09/2026

🚂✨ All aboard history!
Imagine the sound of a steam whistle echoing across Lancaster’s rolling farmland. Coal smoke drifts skyward as wheels clatter over rails first laid nearly two centuries ago. You’re not in a history book—you’re riding the Strasburg Rail Road, the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in the Western Hemisphere.

Founded in 1832, this 4.5-mile stretch of track was born when Strasburg’s townspeople refused to let progress pass them by. What began with horse-drawn cars soon leapt into the steam age, survived fires and near-abandonment, and was ultimately rescued in 1958 by a group of passionate railfans who saw its value as living history.

Today, more than 300,000 visitors each year experience its magic:
✨ Century-old wooden coaches lovingly restored.
✨ Coal-burning locomotives pulling through Amish farmland.
✨ Dining aboard the only working wooden dining car in the United States.
✨ Hollywood fame in films like Wild, Wild West and Hello, Dolly.

📍 Located in Ronks, PA, just outside Strasburg, the line offers 45-minute round-trip excursions, family attractions, and a chance to step into America’s railroading past.

🎟️ Ready to ride back in time? Learn more when you click the link. https://unchartedlancaster.com/strasburg-rail-road-americas-oldest-short-line/

📸: Strasburg Rail Road