Introduction to EnterTRAINment Junction
EnterTRAINment Junction is a giant model train display center located in West Chester, Ohio. According to their website, construction began on the display in 2007, while just a year later, in August of 2008, it was opened to the public! From 2008 to the present day, expansions, new displays, and even a giant Thomas & Friends memorabilia collection have been added to the building. You can read more about the history here.
Taking a trip in Cincinnati
If you are within a few hours’ drive of West Chester, stopping by for a few hours at EnterTRAINment Junction is a must. Besides the massive train display, EJ offers a hobby store stocked with anything you could imagine, as well as a small cafe to wet your whistle.
Walking In: When you walk up to the giant building, you are greeted with a train-themed entrance that even includes a crossing light. Once entering, you first see a small train track running in front of the hobby store, the cafe to your left, and the hobby entrance to your right. If you walk straight, you will be able to purchase your tickets from the ticket window. Ticket prices vary, but children 2 and under are FREE!
Entering The Train Display: Upon entering the display, you will see they have different time periods of railroading. At the beginning, you see the first railroads with period-correct trains, models, buildings, industry, and more. The Eras that are represented at EJ are the Early Era, Middle Era, and Modern Era.
Walking Through: As you make your way through the displays, you will have to walk slowly and have a keen eye, as so many small features and details would be missed if you walk too briskly. While it may be difficult for toddlers and shorter kids to see every feature of the display, footstools are offered at the beginning of the display so even the young children can see all that EnterTRAINment Junction has to offer.
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Playground: Right in the middle of the display is a giant playground with slides, climbing obstacles, train-themed rides, and more. They even have a few smaller train displays running that can be turned on or off by pressing large buttons, great for interaction with children. The area is broken down into a few areas: a kids’ playground, which you could say is maybe for a bit older children, but if you are a parent with a younger toddler, there is plenty of room to navigate. On the opposite side of the room is a smaller area fenced in for toddlers and younger kids. It has a few tables to play with featuring wooden push-along trains as well as a TV. On the far wall is one of, if not the, largest Thomas and Friends memorabilia collections. With wooden trains, original Thomas playsets, lunchboxes, movies, and more. If you were or still are a fan of Thomas, I’m sure you will find something you had in your younger years.
Continuing the Layout: As you continue through the layout, you will go through the eras of trains. The 1970s to the present are represented and seem like the bulk of the display, which is nice for fans of more modern railroading. While we will not get too in-depth in this today, the door to exit the display and ride around on a large battery-powered train is located in this area as well. It backs up to the highway but is a great way to experience ride-on scale trains and take a short break from the massive display.
Coming back into the building, there are huge areas of forest, hills, mountains, and more with trains coming and going continuously. In this area, a set of stairs will be available on your left. If you take these stairs (a handicap elevator is also available), you will see one of the greatest theme park displays available. It is said to be created based on historic Coney Island, with rollercoasters, a Ferris wheel, and more. A great place to spend some time looking at the detail and getting a bird’s eye view of the whole display. Continuing on, we get to the modern era of railroading. With a huge downtown area display showing buildings, skyscrapers, and more. Even a small cutout of an underground subway is visible. Walking through the trail of trains, you go through one more tunnel and see more modern railroading. CSX is among one of the favorite liveries seen on this display, and the switching yard is quite a sight to see. While we do not want to go too in-depth on the display, we want you to experience this gem in Cincinnati for yourself! This is a must-see no matter the weather. Support your local businesses!
If you would like to EnterTRAINment Junction, here are the contact details and location:
7379 Squire Ct, West Chester Township, OH 45069
513-898-8000
