EnterTRAINment Junction
EnterTRAINment Junction was an indoor model railroad display located in West Chester Township, Ohio. This display consisted of over 90 G-scale trains encompassing the early era of American railroading, the middle era, and the modern era. The facility also included the American Railroading Museum, an expo center, and a fun house.
History
EnterTRAINment Junction was a result of the vision of its owner, Don Oeters. Oeters, a successful businessman and model railroad enthusiast, wanted to create the world's largest model train display in an amusement park-like setting. He commissioned Bruce Robinson, whose resume' includes the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museums, to create the concept drawings for this massive project. Major construction began in early 2007 with the first track being installed in the Spring of the same year. EnterTRAINment Junction opened to the public on August 1, 2008. On June 18, 2024, it was announced that EnterTRAINment Junction would be permanently closed down around January 2025. It was later confirmed in December 2024 that most of the assets would be transported to Chattanooga, Tennessee and reopened under the new name The Motion Museum.Areas
Main lobby
The main lobby of EnterTRAINment Junction was themed to a typical 1930s railroad town. The lobby consisted of several party rooms, a cafe', gift shop, and offices - all of which had a façade that created the look and feel of a classic town.Train Journey
The Train Journey was the main attraction at EnterTRAINment Junction. This train display was billed as the world's largest indoor train display. Over 60,000 man hours were put into this massive display that featured intricate models and over 90 G-scale model trains. Each G-scale train engine was roughly a 1/24 scale of a real train engine and the nearly 1,200 box cars were approximately the size of a loaf of bread. Interactive buttons throughout the path allowed viewers to control lights, sounds, and moving model pieces. The entire display was separated into three sections displaying the history of rail transport in the United States: the Early Era, the Middle Era, and the Modern Era.Early Era (1860s through 1900s)
The first section of the Train Journey explored the Early Era of American Railroading. This section featured several trains that were typical to the era.The trains traverse a mountainous region that represented the lawless labor force that was responsible for the construction of America's first railroad. The section featured several early railroad towns including a paddle boat and an tall pouring waterfall. The trains passed through tunnels in a rolling hillside, passing buildings and homes that would be found during that time period.
Middle Era (1940s through 1950s)
The Middle Era section of the Train Journey displayed how railroading progressed throughout the middle of the 20th century. This area displayed a 1950s American town that would have benefited from the newer technologies in railroading. In addition to the freight and passenger trains reflecting the technology of the time, the town also featured moving street cars and interurbans.Modern Era (1970s to the present)
The Modern Era section of the Train Journey displayed railroading as it is today. This section featured skyscrapers that were representative of such companies as Boeing, 3M, as well as Seattle's Space Needle. The trains looked like the large diesel machines you would find today. Much of the emphasis on rail traffic was converted from passenger transit to cargo transit and that was reflected in the area. Interactive models included a railway turntable, a crane for unloading cargo from the trains, and a hot air balloon.Coney Island
EnterTRAINment Junction featured a scale model of the historic Coney Island (Cincinnati, Ohio). This display was a recreation of Coney Island as it was seen in the late 1960s. This included a working model of the famous Shooting Star roller coaster, a tall Ferris Wheel, and several other rides and attractions that would have been found at Coney Island at the time. Due to space limitations some creative license was used in the layout of the model, however all of the models in the display were accurate to the period.Great Train Expo Center
The Great Train Expo Center was a large multi-purpose facility within EnterTRAINment Junction. During the months of January and March through August, several additional train displays including one donated by the musician Neil Young were on display. A large replica of the Mount Adams Incline could be found in this area as well. During February, the outdoor electric train was brought into the Expo Center for kids to enjoy. The area was also used for special activities for annual activities such as the indoor pumpkin patch for Jack o'Lantern Junction and a special Holiday Trains Expo during Christmas at the Junction. It was also home to the Cincinnati chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society.In the rear of the expo center, guests could watch volunteers build, repair, and paint the trains and models that will be on display in the Train Journey.
Imagination Junction
Imagination Junction was a play area specifically for young children. This area featured a climbable tube maze, a kids carousel, and other train themed activities. During the warmer months kids could ride an outdoor narrow gauge train with an electric engine that pulled two cars through of track. Additionally there was the Kids' Express, an outdoor hand-cranked kids train that traversed of track. Both the electric train and the Kids' Express were an additional charge.A-Maze-N Funhouse
A-Maze-N Funhouse was a section of EnterTRAINment Junction that features five family-friendly mazes with different optical and physical illusions. The main midway was themed to an old-time circus. Within it were five different "tents" that all housed a separate maze.The first maze was the Mirror Maze, a large house of mirrors. Kids could enter and experience dead ends, optical illusions, and disorientation from being surrounded by hundreds of mirrors.
The second maze was called the Clown College and featured several illusions such as bent mirrors, objects that seemed to defy gravity, and an Ames Room.
The third maze was called Curtain Chaos. Hanging curtains surrounded guests as they try to figured out which way progressed them to the next room, and which way simply ended at a wall.
Outer Limits: Journey Through the Black Hole was a space themed maze. While featuring things such as glowing stars, light effects, and a vortex tunnel, it also had interesting facts and educational pieces about outer space.
The newest maze opened in 2012 and was called Crazy Caper. The story of the maze was that you are on a mission to get the Ring Master's key, which was hidden somewhere in the tent. Along the way you encountered several "booby traps," crazy alarms, and optical illusions such as a Pepper's Ghost effect.