Four States Fall 2018 - 19 - EnterTRAINment (2)

Well, I looked over the photos for this mid-period section. I don't see many trains!! I have to say, for me, the miniature architecture and life scenarios were as impressive as the trains.

Check out the train car converted to diner at right, classic camping trailer (my sis-in-law just refurbished one like this in aqua and white), orange trolley car, and grocery / deli in the back.

I have recently become involved with the Midwest Miniatures Museum located near Kalamazoo, Michigan, so these features caught my attention. The MMM website is being updated, but you get the idea here: http://www.midwestminiaturesmuseum.com.

If you are a train, miniatures, auto, or history buff, there is something here for you. Here's an outdoor corner market, a fire station, and a '55 Chevy.

Mike and I had a '56 almost like this, except it was all red...with a red and white interior. We bought it in California and drove it back to Michigan in December 1976. While passing through Las Vegas we got married. But that is another story.

Back yard, including a child playing with a miniature doll house! Several more in the background. Miniatures within miniatures.

Some scene lighting emulates going day to night and back.

Wish we had this Air Stream trailer and convertible.

All so life-like. They thought of everything, even an old radio station tower. I tried to find where this was located by the call letters, but finally realized it stood for Enter-Train-Ment Junction. Ha!

If you are as old as we are, you will remember the Arthur Murray Dance Studios located around the country. Still around, teaching ballroom dancing: https://arthurmurray.com. I never attended, but as a kid I thought it was so romantic watching them dance on TV commercials.

Baby-sitting, of course, was my first job in life. First real job (paying taxes!) was Neisner's Variety store. I mostly cashiered at a time when you actually had to count back customers' change. They closed not long after I started. Next I worked for Woolworth's. I did a lot of things there including cashiering, but ended up at the jewelry counter (a "prestige" position). I also duplicated keys there.

I think there was a Fox theater in every city.

Our family usually went to the drive-in, as us four kids and our friends were pretty rambunctious. Before the movie we would go to the playground (upper left) to use up some of our energy. By the end of the movie most of us would be piled in the back seat sleeping. The "dancing" refreshments commercial was always a kick.

One area also had a two-story tower enabling you to look down onto the displays. From there you could really see the big picture of the train movement and layout.

Near the end of this section, there is the American Railroading Museum with a life-size model of a train wheel set. We had a close-up look at that, viewed a film, and played with interactive displays.

There was also a display showing the many standard sizes of scale train models. The main set-up in the Junction is the G-scale (biggest). I didn't realize there were so many, but go here to learn about all the sizes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_transport_modelling_scale_standards