On Wednesday, July 8, the Children’s Museum of Franklin held a special ribbon-cutting celebration for a brand-new interactive, fully functioning railroad grade crossing signal, designed and built by the MBTA’s Signals Department and the newest addition to the museum’s train exhibit. The interactive signal enhances the exhibit, where children learn about trains and view trains operating on the Franklin Commuter Rail Line pass outside of the museum. 

Young visitors to the museum’s transportation exhibit are able to use the signal to predict just when to look out the window to see the train passing by. They can even press the big red button to operate the lights.

 The event featured representatives from the MBTA, local officials, community leaders, Museum supporters, and families.

Executive Director & Co-Founder of Children’s Museum of Franklin, Erin Gallagher not only celebrated the exhibit addition, but also a larger sense of connection. “Research shows that children learn best though play, but we have discovered that the real magic doesn’t just happen through a kiddo and the exhibit, it happens between people. It happens when a parent kneels down next to their kiddo to play here in the museum, or when a grandparent shares a story, when siblings or friends solve problems together or when a caregiver pauses a busy day to be present and explore with a child. These moments of connection are why this place exists, and in so many ways, it’s why the MBTA does, too … Every day the MBTA helps people get to work, to school, to visit family, explore places and to build relationships. They make connection possible, that’s why this partnership feels so natural to us here at the museum. We may go about it differently, but our organizations share the same purpose, and that’s to bring people together,” she said.

Gallagher’s partner, Meg Hagen added that trains have been a popular part of the museum since the museum was “a mobile museum, traveling throughout our community with hands-on exhibits, packed into a 20-foot U-Haul…” Hagen showed attendees a photo showing “a grandfather and his grandson, lying on the floor, heads together, completely absorbed in building a train track. Around them was the excitement of a busy community event, but for those two, the rest of the world disappeared. They were simply together, deepening their connection, this cross section of generations connecting,” she said. The MBTA, she said, shares that mission of bringing generations together, “with kids riding the same train lines that their parents and grandparents have taken for generations.” The exhibit, she noted, “teaches children about railroad safety in ways that are engaging, interactive and memorable.”

MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan spoke of his childhood love for trains, something he hopes the hands-on exhibit will foster in young visitors, as well as give them a  better understanding of how crossing signals keep people safe. 

“My fascination as a kid turned into a lifelong passion – nothing fancy, nothing beyond that. I was a kid who liked trains,” he said. The project, he explained, allowed him to “reconnect with the kid in me,” inspiring excited discussions among his colleagues of “what else can we do” in creating the exhibit feature. He hoped such enhancements as a simple red button on the signal would inspire children visiting the museum to become the future MBTA Chief Operating Officer, or a train engineer, signal expert, conductor, and other transit professional. 

“We’re incredibly grateful to the MBTA for creating a feature that helps children make meaningful connections to the world around them through play,” said Gallagher.

Since opening in September 2025, Children’s Museum of Franklin has welcomed nearly 60,000 visitors from more than 600 towns across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and beyond. The Museum’s beloved Transportation Area was made possible by the generous support of Vendetti Motors.

Next month, adults can awaken their inner child at the Children’s Museum of Franklin’s fundraiser, A Night at the Museum, on September 18, from 7-10 p.m. The $100 ticket will include catered food from Rail Trail Flatbread Co., beer, wine and signature drinks, great music and dancing, prizes and surprises throughout the night, and a color celebration, where folks are invited to wear their favorite shade of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple to fill the Museum with every color of the rainbow. Find tickets and sponsorship information on the museum’s website at www.childrensmuseumfranklin.org.  Also, coming up in October, the museum’s Scary Scurry 5K & Fun Run will reappear.