For IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  April 28, 2010

Dallas/Fort Worth – The Museum of the American Railroad and North Texas’ public broadcasting station, KERA, partner on a free children’s event in celebration of National Train Day on Saturday, May 7, 2011. The free event will last between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m and will feature the beloved public broadcasting series for kids, Dinosaur Train.

The event will take place as part of a nationwide celebration of National Train Day at Dallas Union Station located at 400 S. Houston Street. The Museum of the American Railroad will feature two of its restored passenger cars: a 1931 Santa Fe M-160 Motorcar, known in its day as a “Doodlebug”, was a self-propelled rail car that provided passenger service to small towns and rural communities; and a beautifully restored 1925 Pullman sleeping car, a rare survivor of a fleet of over 10,000 such cars used in the Golden Age of rail travel. Museum representatives will be on-hand to provide guided tours of the equipment.

As part of KERA’s 50^th Anniversary celebration, the Dinosaur Train-themed event will be jam-packed with children’s activities.  In addition to touring the museum’s historic train cars, attendees will take part in show screenings, photo opportunities and giveaways. The first 400 children to arrive will receive a free Dinosaur Train book. Kids will also be encouraged to participate in hands-on educational activities provided by the Dallas Association for the Education of Young Children and the Dallas Association for Parent Education.

On Friday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., KERA will premiere a new episode of Dinosaur Train. The episode has two animated segments with live-action sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the show’s natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers.  In addition to the television series, there is also a Dinosaur Train interactive website at PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain.

For more information about the Dinosaur Train event, visit kera.org/dinosaurtrain. For more information about National Train Day and the Museum of the American Railroad, visit  museumoftheamericanrailroad.org.

About the Museum:

The Museum of the American Railroad is a not-for-profit Texas Corporation dedicated to preserving the heritage and exploring the future of railroads through historic preservation, research, and educational programming.  The Museum is a self-sustaining organization engaged in collecting artifacts and archival material from the railroad industry for the purpose of preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting their significance in American life and culture.  Exhibits and general programs are provided on a year-round basis at the Museum’s principal location of business in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.  Educational programs are available to local schools and universities through study trips, in-class programming & outreach, and online resources at:  www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org

ABOUT DINOSAUR TRAIN

In Dinosaur Train young viewers join Buddy the T. Rex and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. Dinosaur Train airs weekdays at 10:30 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m., and Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on KERA TV.

ABOUT KERA

KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization that serves the people of North Texas. The station broadcasts to the fourth-largest population area in the United States. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org. The station’s extensive coverage of the arts can be found at www.artandseek.org. KERA-TV broadcasts on Channel 13.1. KERA WORLD broadcasts on 13.2. KERA-FM broadcasts on 90.1 in Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton, 88.3 in Wichita Falls, 100.1 in Tyler and 99.3 in Sherman. KXT 91.7 FM, KERA’s new music station, KXT 91.7, is streamed online at www.kxt.org.

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