Model Trains Abound at the Choo Choo Barn – Strasburg, PA

I was provided with complimentary tickets to the Choo Choo Barn in exchange sharing this review with my readers.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

There are so many fun things to do for families living near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  You’re especially in luck if you’re a train enthusiast.  There are so many cool train-related attractions and one of my kids’ favorites is the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg.  We see something new every time we come!

The Choo Choo Barn features a small gift shop and a huge display of details model trains.  The more you look, the more you see.  The display is set up in the middle of a large room and you can walk around the perimeter to view it as many times as you want.  And that’s a good thing because every time we walked around we saw something new!

This display of the Amish workers putting a barn up is a favorite of mine. Lancaster County is well-known for it’s Amish population. There are a lot of local features in the model train display.

Here’s another awesome display featuring a local attraction: Dutch Wonderland!  This is our favorite family-friendly amusement park. They include some of the rides and even a parking lot. It looks exactly like the real thing.

Every 10 minutes or so the lights go out and it’s nighttime in the Choo Choo Barn.  All the lights inside the buildings come on, the train headlights light up, and you can see the planes flying through the night sky above the display.  The kids get such a kick out of this! There’s a near fountain that turns all different colors in the darkness.

This display is maybe the biggest attraction, at least for my family!  The house on the left catches on fire and that fire truck comes out of the garage on the right, drives over, a fire fighter gets out and erects a ladder along the roof, climbs it and puts the fire out.  I stood there and waited for that house to catch fire more than once while we were there. It’s just so neat, so many details!

Turkey Hill Minit Markets are the local chain of mini marts and gas stations and this is another neat display. This sign gives you some idea of how long it takes to build these.  Over 100 hours! That’s two and a half regular work weeks.  Wow!

And here’s the end result, the Turkey Hill Minit Mark. So cool that the gas prices are accurate and can be updated.

So how do they work on these intricate displays?  This picture hangs on the wall outside of the Choo Choo Barn to give you a look at how the work is done.  Imagine working like that all day long!  Not sure I could do it, but the folks they have doing it sure are good at it.  There are so many neat details hidden throughout the display. The more you look the more you point and tell your family, “Hey! Come look at this!”  Next time you visit Lancaster County make a point to stop in train country in Strasburg and hit the Choo Choo Barn!

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