Restored Lionel display opens in Riverhead

Thirty-seven red control buttons to press. Seven trains to operate. A miniature world of curving, crossing tracks that's 14 feet wide and 40 feet long.

Even a self-described train fanatic like Donny Frankenbach was amazed.

"It's really cool," the Southampton 10-year-old proclaimed. "I liked how interactive it was. I touched every button."

Donny and flocks of other kids Saturday attended the opening of the Railroad Museum of Long Island's new permanent exhibit at its Riverhead site -- a replica of Lionel's famed 1949 New York City display that was destroyed by fire.

The replica, built in 1992, was donated by the toy train maker to the museum and restored.

"This is a culmination of two years of work," said Donald Fisher, president of the museum established in 1990.

The 7,000-pound display was cut into 15 pieces and transported in May 2009 from Lionel's offices in Chesterfield, Mich. Volunteers at the museum undertook the $70,000 restoration.

"We restored it to a condition that was better than when we got it," said museum vice president George Faeth, who coordinated the project.

Members of the museum's Long Island Toy Train Engineers Committee want to use the display to help tell the story of railroading, capturing the imagination of children and adults alike, Fisher said.

"There is a lot to learn about it," said a smiling Breanna Fleming, 14, of Riverhead. "I didn't think there would be so much here."

The toy trains also captured the attention of Deirdre Moore, 35, of Mastic Beach, and her 3-year-old son, a fan of Thomas the Train, a fictional steam locomotive.

"It's one of the best I've ever seen," Moore said of the display. She said she used to go to toy train exhibits with her uncle when she was a little girl.

Admission to the museum is $7 for adults, $4 for children from ages 5 to 12, and free for children under 5. For now, the museum is open only Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more, call 631-727-7920 or visit rmli.org.