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Here is some video my dad and I took yesterday at the movie theater. I ran the trains during the Matinee and put it back into it's automated state for the evening show while I scooped popcorn behind the concession stand. There were 1070 people there for the evening showing of "It's a Wonderful Life" (a record) and there was a line across the orchestra pit to see the trains. I think it was very popular. One guy told me he goes to the theater this time of year specifically to see the trains. The layout will be up for one more show and then will be taken down the second weekend in January.

Music in the video, with the exception of the first song played during the still photos, is being played by a couple different organists on the theater's 1928 3/10 Barton Theater pipe organ (original to the building and the reason the theater is still open).

Enjoy

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Jake, Thanks so much for setting up the layout. I was at the showing on Friday night with several friends and we had a great time along with the rest of the huge crowd. It was a full evening of fun. It started with a half hour concert by the Silver Strings Dulcimer Society (I was one of the 23 performers on stage), then a half hour organ concert on the wonderful Barton Organ, introductions by the announcer, a Tom and Gerry Christmas cartoon, the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", intermission with the trains running and the tree lighted, a raffle drawing, the rest of the movie, and huge applause at the end. What a wonderful time. This is what movie theaters were like in there heyday. Tons of people were constantly around the train layout and admiring it. I loved the winter theme and with 2 trains and a trolley running, there was lots of action. The homemade movie theater and Ford Motor building were also a great addition. I hope that you will be around next year to set it up again.











quote:
Originally posted by David from Dearborn:
Jake, Thanks so much for setting up the layout. I was at the showing on Friday night with several friends and we had a great time along with the rest of the huge crowd. It was a full evening of fun. It started with a half hour concert by the Silver Strings Dulcimer Society (I was one of the 23 performers on stage), then a half hour organ concert on the wonderful Barton Organ, introductions by the announcer, a Tom and Gerry Christmas cartoon, the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", intermission with the trains running and the tree lighted, a raffle drawing, the rest of the movie, and huge applause at the end. What a wonderful time. This is what movie theaters were like in there heyday. Tons of people were constantly around the train layout and admiring it. I loved the winter theme and with 2 trains and a trolley running, there was lots of action. The homemade movie theater and Ford Motor building were also a great addition. I hope that you will be around next year to set it up again.




I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the action/crowd shots. I wasn't originally planning on doing it next year, but because of it's popularity this year I most likely will and probably in an expanded form if I can get another member or two to help out.


Thanks everybody. The layout will still be up and running for the first show weekend in January (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(?)) if anybody in the area wants to check it out.
Well, it took 6+ hours to set that display up, and we took it down and packed it all up in an hour and a half. Not too bad.

Next year another theater member and I are going to join forces to make it even bigger (with bigger motive power hopefully now that I have O-72 curves). We're also going to start putting it together earlier.

It was very popular with both the MCTOS members and all of our visitors through the last month. Everybody enjoyed it and I was still getting compliments today as we took it down.
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