Eldridge, Iowa -
Model Railroad in a Restaurant

On a double-looped track around the walls near the ceiling of Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor is a very large-scale (about 6" tall) model railroad train. In order to make it run, a customer must drop a quarter in a slot, and the train will run for a distance of about 1 1/4 times around the complete double loop. At four different spots on the track are signs for food items that the customer can win if the train happens to stop at the sign. (Note: Happy Joe's special pizza is Canadian bacon and sauerkraut. It sounds a little odd, but tastes great. They also have many other combinations, including about six different Mexican pizzas.) [Laird Carter, 05/26/2002]