Royds saw it on a YouTube video on the channel “Kids Toys Play.” The video now has more than 2.4 million views.
Ever since he saw the YouTube video, it’s been an obsession of his to visit EnterTRAINment Junction.
After years of anticipation and planning, his dream was realized this month. Royds’ family traveled to the United States, and they are spending time in New York, Cincinnati and Orlando.
The family first decided they were going to come to EnterTRAINment Junction in March of 2022, and they counted the days since.
Enzo, a first-grader, has crossed off the days on his calendar every night, and he said there was “massive excitement” gearing up for the trip. He and his parents, Victoria and Andrew, arrived during the holiday season, and the family will spend three-and-a-half weeks in the U.S. The Royds’ adult children, Gabriella, 23, and Sophia, 19 didn’t make the trip.
“We came here just because of EnterTRAINment Junction,” said Victoria Royds. “We saw the first YouTube videos about three years ago. He’s been obsessed with trains since he was a baby. He said he wanted to come, and we’ve always said, ‘we will go there one day.’”
She said they have been surprised by the “amazing detail, and it’s fantastic to hear that everything is handmade by volunteers.”
The family has a model train display at home, inside a double garage, and Andrew developed an interest in trains after Enzo became obsessed with them.
“We go to every train show, and we are on the lookout for trains everywhere, because of Enzo’s interest. But this has always been the one place that we were going to go,” said Victoria Royds.
She said Enzo was hoping to see a Big Boy Train, and he saw one right away.
At home, Enzo has N Scale, HO Scale, G Scale, wooden trains, and Lego trains.
“We don’t have anything this big at home,” Victoria Royds said. “There’s nothing like this.”
When the family drove up, Enzo said, “Oh, wow,” and the family took all sorts of photos, including a few of Enzo pointing at all the different kinds of trains.
Enzo said he loves playing on the playground at school. Often, he just runs around, pretending to be a train, rather than playing on the playground equipment. He also likes playing train games on his iPad.
“Whenever I say to him, ‘I love you. I love you more than anything,’ he says to me, ‘I love you more than anything, except trains,’” Victoria Royds said.
Enzo said he wants to be a “train driver” when he grows up. There’s a railway preservation society, Feilding Steam Rail, near the family’s home, and Enzo has been invited to volunteer there when he’s 16. He also likes to visit there frequently, and the other volunteers talk with him about trains.
“We have nothing like this in New Zealand. You’re not going to see anything else like this with the detail and the fact that it’s all handmade. To see such an amazing collection in one place is incredible. I can’t get over the size.” Victoria Royds said. “I’m sad that we’re not spending longer in the Cincinnati area in general. It feels like this is real America. The people are extremely hospitable. It’s lovely and it’s beautiful here.”
She said Enzo has a lot of friends who are looking forward to seeing the pictures and videos once they return home from the family’s trip.
“Enzo is only 6-years-old, but he remembers so much from when he was younger, and he knows everything about trains. So, it’s a once in a lifetime thing to come here, and we will have such great memories to look back on when he’s older,” said Victoria Royds.
After first landing in New York, the family then traveled to Cincinnati, where the family spent two days. Royds and his parents also visited Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and the family will spend Christmas in New York City before returning to New Zealand.
“It’s amazing that a YouTube video could stir such excitement in a child and that inspired his family’s entire trip,” said Don Oeters, owner of EnterTRAINment Junction. “It’s really astonishing that just by seeing a video, he convinced his parents to bring him to EnterTRAINment Junction for a visit.”
Oeters, a successful Cincinnati businessman and model railroad enthusiast, had the vision for EnterTRAINment Junction. He wanted to create the world’s largest model train layout in an amusement park-like setting.
“I’ve always loved trains, and it’s super exciting when people come here and have fun. It’s better than anything to see all of the joy. I love it,” he said.
Oeters was on hand to give the family a behind-the-scenes tour during their visit.
“We opened in August of 2008, and we had 150 volunteers building everything you’re seeing. We tried to make it historic, going over history with early, middle, and modern times. Everything in our layout either does or did exist, and everything is scratch built, so there’s nothing bought except the trains and the track. Everything is handmade,” he said.
EnterTRAINment Junction has had visitors from all 50 states and 47 countries.
“People always say it’s more than they expect. One, it’s larger, and two, they are surprised by the detail they’re seeing, and all the other things we have to offer in addition to the trains,” Oeters said. “Right now, we have Santa, and all the Christmas trains, so there’s always something that people love.”
See the video
The video Enzo Royds watched to discover EnterTRAINment Junction is online at https://youtu.be/J_DRQU2w9yQ.
More on EnterTRAINment Junction
Through Jan. 1, guests can experience Christmas at the Junction, see the world’s largest indoor model train display, and check out all of EnterTRAINment Junction’s other attractions, including a hand-built 1,000 sq. ft. replica of the historic Coney Island Amusement Park, the weird-and-wacky A-Maze-N FunHouse and most complete marble displays and Thomas the Tank Engine memorabilia, a giant kids’ interactive play area and the American Railroading Museum. For more details, go to entertrainmentjunction.com.
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