Can You Find All the Eateries in the Miniature Railroad & Village?

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMIN SCIENCE CENTER

If you want to scale back on restaurant visits, go to the Kamin Science Center.

See if you can spot the six tiny eateries located in the North Shore facility’s famous Miniature Railroad & Village, which reopens Feb. 28 after its annual maintenance closure.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMIN SCIENCE CENTER

Eagle-eyed Pittsburghers will see:

• Gus and Yiayia’s Ice Ball Cart – A seasonal sight on the North Side since 1934, Gus & Yiayia’s serves frozen treats, peanuts and popcorn. Last summer, the iconic orange cart had an honorary street named after it. Gus & YiaYia Way is located near the corner of West Ohio Street and Brighton Road.
• Primanti Bros. – Since 1933, when Joe Primanti first set up a food cart in the Strip District, the restaurant known for putting meat, cheese, fries and coleslaw between two slices of bread has been a staple of Pittsburgh culture.
• Crawford Grill – Opened in the 1930s, the Hill District’s original jazz club welcomed musical legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. The three-story landmark was destroyed by a fire in 1951.
• Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor – The Strip District’s old-fashioned sweet shop opened in 1923 as Klavon’s Pharmacy. It went up for sheriff’s sale last year.
• Isaly’s – For the first half of the 20th century, Isaly’s had numerous delis dotting southwestern Pennsylvania to dish out chipped ham, Skyscraper ice cream cones and Klondike bars. In 2015, Jim and Leslee Conroy bought the beloved brand and plan to open an Isaly’s storefront in the Strip District soon.
• Chinatown Inn – Chinatown Inn, the last surviving business from Pittsburgh’s Chinatown on Third Avenue, Downtown, was added to the model railroad in October 2024.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMIN SCIENCE CENTER

Created by Charles Bowdish of Brookville, Pa., the O-gauge display has been a Pittsburgh tradition since 1954, when it was unveiled at the Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science. Measuring 83 feet long by 30 feet wide, it chugged to its current location in 1992 with nearly 60 models and animated scenes celebrating local history up to 1940.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMIN SCIENCE CENTER

The science center opened up the model selection to the public for the first time in September 2022. Erie’s Presque Isle Lighthouse — a beacon on the lake since 1873 — will make its debut on Saturday.