#127 January Status Report

January 30, 2018

This month’s article is another update on what’s new on the EnterTRAINment Junction (EJ) layout.  As usual, the order that items are shown is in the order a visitor would see them while following the aisle through the layout.

 

The lake at River Bend in the Early Period has a new visitor: a side-wheel steamer with sailing rig (Figure 1).

 

 
Figure 1.  Side-Wheel Steamer

 


 

In the Middle Period, the airspace over the mezzanine (above the big wheels in the museum) now has a visiting ghost from the past, the airship USS Akron (Figure 2).  It is “selectively compressed” in scale to make it look like it’s flying higher and farther away than it actually is.  Had the model been constructed in 1/24th scale, as are most of the details on the layout, the Akron’s 785 feet would have been over 32 feet long.  As it is, it’s about one fifth that size, making it much more manageable to handle and install.

 

 
Figure 2.  Airship USS Akron

 

 

The model of the Akron is beautifully detailed with its control gondola, steering fins, and eight engines, with clear plastic disks representing the spinning propellers (Figure 3).

 

 
Figure 3.  Airship USS Akron

 


 

Across the aisle from the big wheels, the drive-in theater has a new screen (actually an electronic flat screen) which actually shows a movie as well as the usual theater advertisements for goodies from the snack bar (Figure 4).

 

 
Figure 4.  New Drive-In Theater “Screen”

 

 

 

Finally, in the Modern Period industrial area, across the aisle from the Modern City, a new construction site has been added to display a newly acquired set of construction equipment (Figure 5).

 

 
Figure 5.  Construction Site

 

EJ’s changes continue to enhance the layout content, adding items to pique the interest of visitors and increase their enjoyment of the modeled world the EJ volunteers have created.

 

© 2018 Tom Bartsch

MVGRS Big Train Project Coordinator