Duke Energy Holiday Trains steam back into Union Terminal Nov. 9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org

Cincinnati tradition returns for 78th year as part of Holiday Junction; Santa arrives Nov. 29

CINCINNATI – Amid trimmed trees and snowflakes, 50 well-oiled locomotives trailed by 300 rail cars laden with coal, fresh-cut trees and circus performers sit ready to travel more than 100,000 scale miles through a winter wonderland. Cincinnati’s beloved holiday tradition returns November 9 when Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains opens for the season at Cincinnati Museum Center(CMC).

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Since 1946, families have gathered around the historic Duke Energy Holiday Trains, watching with wide-eyed whimsy as brightly-colored circus trains, sleek sleeper cars and coal-laden hopper cars (for those on the naughty list) zip around snowbanks and past crowded streets. Now in their 78th season, the holiday trains will charm crouching adults and shoulder-sitting children as the Cincinnati holiday tradition continues.

“Year after year, families and friends greet each other with hugs and laughter, gleefully filling Union Terminal’s grand Rotunda with joy,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “It’s a tradition we’re honored to continue and we’re thrilled to again delight children of all ages with Holiday Junction and the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. Whether it’s a gathering place for far-flung families or childhood friends, holiday traditions live at Cincinnati Museum Center.”

The Duke Energy Holiday Trains may be the centerpiece, but spectacular train layouts with long legacies deck the halls of CMC’s whimsical winter wonderland.

A 1904 electric toy train from the Cincinnati-based Carlisle & Finch Company – who produced the first such electric toy train in 1896 – click-clacks over metal tracks and a wooden suspension bridge as it cruises past tin buildings. A pre-World War II Lionel layout and a 1960s Lionel Super O layout show the evolution of toy trains and prefabricated landscapes that have been the envy of smush-nosed kids peering through toy store windows for generations. And Thomas the Tank Engine and friends chug around the mountains of Sodor.

Back again is Brickopolis, a bustling metropolis of LEGO bricks crafted into fantastical scenes filled with playful masterpieces surrounding a stunning downtown and, yes, even a LEGO train. Scour the nooks, crannies and rooftops for hijinks from the local residents.

There’s even more to find in the holiday scavenger hunt. Icons from CMC’s exhibits will rotate through the snow-blanketed hills and trees of the garden railway layout, including stethoscopes (Advancing Health, presented by Mayfield Brain & Spine), letters (Kids’ Town Park) and T. rex footprints (Dinosaur Hall). Parents and kids alike will make multiple laps to find them all.

More than just trains, decades of iconic toys fill Holiday Junction, as if generations of holiday lists sprung to life in Star Wars, NERF, My Little Pony and Super Soaker toys.

Santa arrives Nov. 29
Of course, no holiday is complete without a visit to Santa. And we don’t think you’re ready for this bowl full of jelly because CMC’s Santa is too jolly-licious. With the reindeer resting up for the big day, Santa is getting a little help from UC Health to make his airborne arrival on Friday, November 29. And, regardless of which list you’re on, he’ll be sitting by his fireplace eager to put his elves to work on your holiday wish list.

Rocky Mountain Express returns to the OMNIMAX® Theater
If you still haven’t had your fill of trains after visiting Holiday Junction, pop into the OMNIMAX® Theater to catch Rocky Mountain Express. Climb aboard a steam-powered locomotive for a breathtaking journey along the Canadian Pacific Railway that’s equal parts train-loving nostalgia and stunning expanses of panoramic scenery.

Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains opens Saturday, November 9 and runs through January 6, 2025. Visit cincymuseum.org/holiday-junction for more details and special holiday hours.