The Westinghouse atom smasher is getting lots of new attention since its addition to the Carnegie Science Center’s Miniature Railroad and Village!
Two great magazine articles were just published, the first in Carnegie Magazine (winter 2016): Reconstructing Pittsburgh’s Atomic Past.
And some national coverage on the Smithsonian’s website: The Strange Story of the Westinghouse Atom Smasher.
In the weeks after the April 2 community meeting (in the previous post), I kept waiting and hoping to have some news to post in an update. I went to that meeting, where Pfaffmann + Associates talked about the idea of moving the atom smasher to the site of the new municipal building and the need for fundraising, etc. There were maybe 10 of us there who happily signed up for a committee to help with it.
Yesterday was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new municipal building, but no mention was made of the atom smasher, which had been featured in earlier versions of this project. Yet it seems like there’s still lots of interest in the atom smasher. Along with the many people from Forest Hills and surrounding areas, and Westinghouse employees, there are whole networks of potentially interested people in organizations like the Society for Industrial Archeology and the Atomic Heritage Foundation. When I did a presentation on the atom smasher at an SIA meeting, many people there commented with support and sympathy. So we’ll continue to hope for the best…!
Meanwhile, in the good news, there is new excitement as the model Westinghouse atom smasher just debuted in the miniature railroad at the Carnegie Science Center! Whatever happens to the real one, at least it’s preserved in this wonderful display. From the photos it looks like a really detailed and accurate model. I can’t wait to see it in person!
The Saturday after a Post-Gazette article about the model was published, it was in the top 5 most read and most emailed articles on the Post-Gazette website—and that is just for the MINI atom smasher!!
So, we still don’t know if recent preservation ideas will move forward, but I’m really sure the atom smasher doesn’t suffer from a lack of interest!