As a young child living in the Chicago suburbs, I was fortunate to have visited the Hall of Science in the Congress Hotel on several occasions.  Early on, I was one of the kids with my face on the glass watching the trains go by.  At the age of 7, I was lucky enough that my parents bought me the hat and jacket featured on the 1953 catalog.  After the purchase you got your picture taken with a "real" train engineer and my picture is displayed below.  Unfortunately it shows the wall opposite the layout, the one displaying the trains.  Look closely and you can tell it is 1953, as both link and knuckle couplers are displayed.  I remember counting 53 cars behind a Northern on one occasion. 

P.S.  I still have the jacket!

For a look at some photos of the Chicago Hall of Science Displays, go to the Chicago Hall of Science page.