Amid trimmed trees and snowflakes, 50 well-oiled locomotives and 300 rail cars laden with coal, fresh-cut trees and circus performers travel more than 100,000 scale miles through a miniature winter wonderland.
“It’s a tradition we’re honored to continue and one we treasure as much as the historic Duke Energy Holiday Trains. Whether it’s as a gathering place for far-flung families, childhood friends or people putting down roots in a new city, holiday traditions live at Cincinnati Museum Center,” Pierce said.
Featured alongside the Duke Energy Holiday Trains are several historic train layouts, including a 1904 electric toy train from the Cincinnati-based Carlisle & Finch Company — who produced the first such electric toy train in 1896.
A pre-World War II Lionel layout and a 1960s Lionel Super O layout show the evolution of toy trains and their surrounding landscapes. Families will also enjoy a Thomas the Tank Engine display.
“This is our annual holiday event, and throughout its history, Union Terminal has been a place where families have gathered during the holiday season,” said Cody Hefner, vice president of marketing and communications at Cincinnati Museum Center.
Holiday Junction has continued to bring people and families together.
“As people are going through the holidays and checking all of the must-do’s off their lists, we are always happy to be one of those places for them,” Hefner said.
In 2011, Holiday Junction added the Duke Energy Holiday Trains, which has been a longstanding tradition in Greater Cincinnati. The Duke Energy Holiday Trains date back to 1946.
Holiday Junction, Cincinnati Museum Center’s holiday experience, was started in 1990 when Cincinnati Museum Center opened in Union Terminal.
“For us, opening our holiday exhibit every year is the moment where the flood gates open for multiple generations to reconnect, to come together, and have this experience together. It’s energy we all get to feed off of in the museum as well,” Hefner said.
The train displays have continued to grow over the years. The Duke Energy Holiday trains serve as the centerpiece.
“One of the magical things about the holidays is you have these traditions you want to grab onto, and they become connectors with family members,” said Hefner. “The trains and Holiday Junction is something that does bring everybody together.”
Additionally, a LEGO brick metropolis with detailed downtown scene, which is presented in partnership with OKILUG — the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana LEGO Users Group, will return this year.
Children and parents alike can participate in a holiday scavenger hunt as they look for about 20 state-themed items from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, including state flags, which are hidden within the garden railway layout.
Beyond the trains, the Holiday Junction display includes generations of iconic toys, such as Star Wars, NERF, My Little Pony and Super Soaker toys.
Tickets for Holiday Junction at Union Terminal are free for members and are included with Cincinnati Museum Center admission. For more details, hours and to purchase tickets, go to cincymuseum.org/holiday-junction. (Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.)
Every year, Santa arrives the day after Thanksgiving. This year, Santa will arrive at noon on Nov. 28, and he will be at Holiday Junction through Christmas Eve. When Santa leaves the building on Christmas Eve, he begins his journey and returns to the North Pole until next year.
“This year, we are working with the Cincinnati Fire Department to bring Santa in on a fire truck, which is always a really fun visual and a neat experience,” Hefner said.
During a visit to Cincinnati Museum Center, guests can view “Rocky Mountain Express” in the OMNIMAX® Theater. The wrap-around theater features a 72-foot diameter, five-story domed screen and a 15,000-watt sound system, taking viewers on a journey of the Canadian Pacific Railway aboard a steam-powered locomotive.
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