Take a panoramic ride from the earliest days of steam engine railroading through today’s modern diesel locomotives. With more than two miles of track and 1,200 train cars on display, EnterTRAINment Junction in West Chester, Ohio, is fun for little conductors and nostalgic parents alike.
Within the 25,000-square-foot Train Journey exhibit — the world’s largest indoor, interactive train display — trains travel through carefully hand-crafted cities, towns, forests, bridges, mountains, valleys, intricately built trestles and tunnels. The G-scale trains are substantial in size (each car is as big as a loaf of bread) and they travel along with choreographed lighting and sound effects to complete the experience. Stop by the Great Train Expo Center to see how artists create the landscapes for the trains — all at about 1/24th the size of the real thing.
For a bit of education, visit EnterTRAINment Junction’s American Railroading Museum and get the story on how trains shaped our nation. Stand next to life-size train equipment, test your knowledge at one of the trivia kiosks and take in a video at the theater.
There’s even more play at Imagination Junction, a railroad-themed entertainment center where kids can climb, bounce, slide, crawl and play along with Thomas the Train. Just outside, climb aboard a hand-cranked locomotive and become your own engineer on the 300-foot Kids’ Express track. Talk about kid power!
Through August, Junction Funhouse brings back the tradition of the old amusement-park-style funhouse, complete with trick mirrors, black holes and a hurricane room.