Holiday Junction, featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains, is on track to return to the Cincinnati Museum Center on Friday, November 13, 2020. Admission to Holiday Junction is included with regular museum admission (free for members or $10.50-$14.50 for non-members).
2020 marks the 74th year for one of Cincinnati’s most loved holiday traditions, the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. This historic B&O O-scale model railroad layout has been delighting Greater Cincinnatians since 1946 when it first graced the lobby of the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company in downtown Cincinnati. As most reading this article are aware, in 2011 Duke Energy donated the layout to the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) so that future generations can enjoy the historic display into the future.
In addition to the historic B&O layout, you will also find Lionel pre-war and Super O layouts, Thomas the Train layout, a garden railway layout created by the Greater Cincinnati Garden Railway Society, an operating c.1904 Carlisle & Finch locomotive and cars, as well as other railroad and model railroad displays throughout the Holiday Junction galleries. Brickopolis also returns this year with its impressive city scenes and operating trains made from LEGO bricks.
There are a few changes this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Most notable is that Holiday Junction will only be open on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The museum center will also be utilizing timed entry tickets for all visitors so you’ll definitely want to plan ahead and purchase tickets via their website. Keep in mind that even CMC members need to secure a timed entry ticket. The children’s train ride will not be leaving its station this year, replaced with a scavenger hunt for items hidden throughout the garden railway display.
Even Santa has a change of address for the 2020 season. When the big guy arrives on Nov. 27th he’ll be working downstairs in the Public Landing, available for chats and photo ops with guests while safely separated by a plexiglass barrier.
Also new this year is a no-touch interactive experience designed to allow visitors to learn more about the history of the Duke Energy Holiday Trains by projecting historic photos and stories about the B&O layout onto a giant storybook with pages ‘turned’ by swiping a hand in the air over the book.
Union Terminal’s Tower A will also be open during Holiday Junction this year (see below for hours). Be sure to head upstairs for the great views of the railyard activity.
Exhibit Hours
November 13, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Holiday Junction: 10:00am-4:00pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Tower A: 11:00am-2:00pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Visit cincymuseum.org/holiday-junction for more information and special holiday hours.
