FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@mxy163.com
Whimsical winter wonderland returns to Cincinnati Museum Center
Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains opens November 8
CINCINNATI – One of Cincinnati’s most beloved holiday traditions returns to Cincinnati Museum Center November 8. The Duke Energy Holiday Trains, returning for their 73rd season, headline CMC’s whimsical Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains.
The Duke Energy Holiday Trains have been a Cincinnati holiday staple since 1946, delighting generations as more than 300 rail cars and 60 locomotives chug through a mini metropolis on 1,000 feet of track. Track-level views reveal the intricate details of the display, from anxious passengers waiting to board, to cars with the perfect tree strapped to their roofs, to a visitor from the North Pole circling the chimney tops. Guests can also get a bird’s-eye view of the trains from an elevated walkway as the city stretches out before them. The elevated vantage point also brings guests eye-to-eye with a whimsical take on the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky skylines. The display topper is created with more than 100 pieces of custom-cut art in the shape of Union Terminal, Music Hall, Paul Brown Stadium and more, appropriately connected by the Roebling Bridge.
The Duke Energy Holiday Trains are surrounded by other incredible train layouts, some dating back as far as 1904. The Carlisle & Finch Company, based in Cincinnati, produced the world’s first toy electric train in 1896. Their 1904 version click clacking through Holiday Junction showcases meticulous craftsmanship and detail in its metal trains, cars, buildings and bridge. Nearby is a pre-World War II Lionel layout and a Lionel Super O layout from the 1960s, complete with ready-made structures specially designed to complement the O-scale trains.
Holiday Junction also includes an interactive winter wonderland where you can build a snowman, create footprints in the snow and climb aboard a riding train to chug alongside and underneath a snowy garden railway layout. Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends are back as well, steaming along mountainside tracks.
A blizzard of bricks fills the William L. Mallory, Sr. Gallery as part of Holiday Junction. Brickopolis features fantastical scenes of some of your favorite Disney and comic book characters, populating a world carefully curated to enchant and amuse guests. Keep an eye out for local landmarks recreated in impressive detail with LEGO bricks.
Tower A will also reopen this holiday season, delighting guests a unique view of the active Union Terminal railyard. The original control tower of the station, Tower A will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the holiday season.
Of course, no holiday is complete without a visit to see Santa. Santa makes his grand arrival on Friday, November 29. And though his reindeer are resting up for the big day, Santa will make an airborne arrival at Union Terminal.
Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains is open November 8, 2019 through January 5, 2020. Visit mxy163.com/holiday-junction for more details.
About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of a select few museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit 5n16.mxy163.com.
