Description: OK...I am easily entertained by my grandkids...and trains. So this park is one of my favorite destinations in the Phoenix area. Since the addition of the Model Railroad display, it is even more fun.
I have loved trains since I was a child in the 50's. We would travel on them, up and down the Eastern Seaboard, through cities and farms, watching the country change and waving to the folk who lived next to the tracks.
This park gives back some of that nostalgia. Aside from the small gauge railroad that you can ride through the park (2 tickets), and the carousel (2 tickets) that brings back memories of vacations at the ocean, there is the Railroad Museum that consists of several actual railroad cars and a building containing memorabilia and listings of historical facts in an entertaining manner (2 tickets for entry).
Then there is the newest addition - the model railroad display. Inside the glass fronted building are several layouts in various stages of erection. It is neat to see the framework and detail that goes into the construcion of these layouts. Watch for some of your child's favorite cartoon characters to ride by on the trains, Try to calculate the track switches and follow the train's path through the "mountains" This is fun in the cool confines of an air conditioned building. Look up and see the locomotive crashing through the brick wall at the end of the building that houses the restrooms. So-o-o Co-o-o-ol!!! The kids also get to climb aboard a mini-trolley car and pretend to drive it,
The gentlemen and ladies that work here are very informative in their own right. We talked to one man for several minutes about the model train layouts and how the idea for the display came to fruition. He was entertaining and we could tell his love of trains was the reason he chose this as his job.
Be sure to make time to visit this park. There is something for all ages and most of it is free!
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