Thank you all for the praises and comments. I had fun making them! I edited the initial post to show a photo of a prototype on which I loosely based my models. Now to answer some of the questions and comments:
ZoxWhat did you use to scribe the plexiglass? It's a pretty hard material, yet you created some good, solid grooves--that's difficult to do with multiple knife passes without the knife skittering off-course, but they look too narrow to have been done with a rotary tool.
I first rolled the edge of #11 blade around the car several times to establish the line around the car. Then I used a very sharp stainless steel scriber (bought many years ago from an electronic tools supplier) to carefully deepen the groove. The scriber looks like a long needle mounted in a stainless steel handle. Those scribers are used as tools for reworking electronic circuit boards.
I did the same for the front grille. I first very lightly scribed the lines then repeatedly scribed over them to deepen the grooves.
jimmoAre you going to sell them in 12-packs?
LOL, I wasn't planning on it. But I suppose if someone needs few of them cast...
LemosteamPeteski, once again you amaze. But where are the LED's in the headlights? 
Don't be peeved- I see only one missing detail. In those rides there was usually a curved, springy piece of strip stock that acted as a contact for the powered screen ceiling and carried the current to the motor, but I know these are going to be basically hidden, but I also know your penchant for detail.
I would pay money to watch you make something.
Don't worry John, I won't get peeved about getting constructive criticism.
I know about the pickup shoes on top of the poles. I chose not to model them as the top of those poles will not be visible unless you use a dental mirror to examine the celling of the rink. If it is not visible, Im not going to model it.
As for your last comment - maybe you're onto something: I should consider selling videos of my modeling efforts (and we both know what type of "modeling" I'm talking about).
Alaska RailroaderPeteski, what a gem!!! Wish I had you do my dodgem cars. Hopefully you will sell or trade 
I have a unique method of making Dodgem, or bumper car, behave more like they do in real like. However, I had done mine in Z and maybe it wouldn't do for N scale. Take a look at the gear configuration here https://picasaweb.google.com/112872467246725114560/DodgemMech I just realized that I ended up putting the rod on the SIDE of the car instead of the back end 
I have yet to finish mine because I wanted to make a different structure above and swap the cars out. This is for a layout I started back a year ago.
What else do you have up your sleeve??
Karin, I love your ingenious drive system! It looks like it will nicely simulate the random movements of the real cars. Very clever! I think it would work in N scale too. Hey, just becasue my dodgems are static now it doesn't mean that some day I won't animate them...
What's up my sleeve? Many ideas, but not enough free time.
pnolan48I think, once you start on stuff this small, you develop your own techniques (and vision aids). The photo etch steering wheels just blow me away.
That is very true about the techniques and vision aids!
I do photoetching but it is a bit of a pain. If you look at the etched fret, it wasn't etched evenly. I just floated the brass sheet on the surface of the etchant (and kept it at around 100 degrees F to speed up the process). Even then, it took over 1.5 hours to etch this 0.005" brass sheet. I could have done double-sided etching but that would complicated the process even more. But for such one-of jobs, it isn't worth to have a commercial etched do those for me.
I design the artwork in Corel Draw and print it using my Alps printer onto a transparency. As you can see, besides the steering wheels, I etched parts for another project I started back in June, 2012.
LN2800My optic nerves are hurting just thinking about trying to make that casting master. And doing the brush-painting, for that matter.
Oh, without lots of bright workbench illumination and magnifiers (from Optivisor to a dissecting stereo-microscope) I would not have been able to make this model. To paint the seat and floor I used a Microbrush
http://www.microbrush.com/hobby/products/microbrush/benefits.asp and for painting the headlights and grille I used a regular 000 size brush and Testors chrome silver paint (under a microscope of course).
GimpLizardAmusement rides are not my cup-of-tea, but I am amazed at the contours, and smoothness, of the body. I might be able to get one side to look... not so bad. But to get the other side to match, would be impossible. How did you manage to pull it off so perfectly, Peteski?
I should have taken more photos but I was really trying to rush this project through.
To supplement the photos, here are some quick sketches of how I shaped the car.
First, using a really fine razor saw (
http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?cPath=21_28&products_id=35 ) to cut the opening where the driver gets in. That is step 1 in the drawing. Then in step 2 I drew the plan-view shape of the car on the top surface and filed the sides until I matched the drawn outline (shown in step 3). Then next few steps (Not shown) were to gently file the rear end into a curved shape and file a slope of the hood then round the hood's sides. If examined carefully, the car is not perfectly symmetrical, but it is good enough for me.
I have contemplated either illuminating the headlights (using 0.020" plastic fiber optics) or animating them, but due to the limited time I had to get these finished, Roland and I decided to model them static, depicting them moment of the riders just entering the rink.
Here is a night shot...
...and the overall photo of this part of the carnival midway.
The complete carnival will be on display as the part of the Northeast N-Trak layout in the BLC building. If you are attending the Amherst show this weekend, come over and see it in person. I'll be at the show on Saturday but I'll probably be our shopping. But Roland will be there both days.
