Northlandz Model Railway System - NJ
Hobbit Loved it. He begged to be picked up to see, because often the step was still too low for him.
There's even a construction scene (one of many). Hobbit was encouraged to name all the vehicles, and of course, he did.
There was a sign stating that some bridges required as many as 23,000 hand placed pieces. This was not even the most elaborate. They spanned chasms, scaled wall high mountains in zig-zags, and some had multiple track that ran at the same time.
I nearly had to drag him away from the Winterscape. He was entranced and the train came often. We had to wave bye-bye to it.
I probably took too many pictures, but it was SO COOL. The work that went into it all! There was a sign, when we came in, saying that only 60 of the trains were running. SIXTY. We got to see the control room and there were so many switches OFF! I think if they were all on, they'd overload the grid.
A note on Architecture: the place is engineered so cleverly we had a hard time sussing it out. The walkways are just large enough to pass someone, leaving the most space for exhibits, which makes sense, but you rarely see the other people. A spiral layout and the use of mirrored glass let the exhibits seem larger (even though they are already genuinely massive) while hiding onlookers from each other. You may be right above, below, or across from another family and not know it. AND this place was engineered in the Seventies, before computers could help draft it. Amazing! AND as you note the "You are 25% of the way through Northlandz" sign your jaw drops. HOW COULD THERE BE MORE? But there is, and it's unique. The place is gigantic.
A bit more.. The place is definitely...eclectic.
The museum-slash-amusement park also has a meeting-slash-conference room in the center, with arcade machines and a beautiful 2,000-pipe organ. Not what I expected to see, but very neat. Windows opposite track showed collectionsof dolls, stiffed animals, even old DOS games.
While there, we saw a some train cars come loose from the engine, and the engine came back around to neatly knock them off the track. Probably not a regular attraction, and neat to see.
A note on Architecture: the place is engineered so cleverly we had a hard time sussing it out. The walkways are just large enough to pass someone, leaving the most space for exhibits, which makes sense, but you rarely see the other people. A spiral layout and the use of mirrored glass let the exhibits seem larger (even though they are already genuinely massive) while hiding onlookers from each other. You may be right above, below, or across from another family and not know it. AND this place was engineered in the Seventies, before computers could help draft it. Amazing! AND as you note the "You are 25% of the way through Northlandz" sign your jaw drops. HOW COULD THERE BE MORE? But there is, and it's unique. The place is gigantic.
A bit more.. The place is definitely...eclectic.
The museum-slash-amusement park also has a meeting-slash-conference room in the center, with arcade machines and a beautiful 2,000-pipe organ. Not what I expected to see, but very neat. Windows opposite track showed collectionsof dolls, stiffed animals, even old DOS games.
While there, we saw a some train cars come loose from the engine, and the engine came back around to neatly knock them off the track. Probably not a regular attraction, and neat to see.
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