Cincinnati’s holiday trains return for 80th year

It’ll soon begin to look a bit like Christmas at Union Terminal as Cincinnati Museum Center prepares to bring back its holiday favorites, including the Duke Energy Holiday Trains, for their 80th year.

Holiday Junction opens Nov. 13, sending the trains through snowy landscapes and more than 100,000 scale miles of miniature winter scenery. The tradition dates to 1946, when families first gathered to watch the colorful trains wind through the display.

The train displays include a 1904 electric toy train from Cincinnati-based Carlisle & Finch Co., Lionel layouts from the 1930s and 1960s and Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. New this year is an interactive kaleidoscope experience that lets visitors create tabletop kaleidoscopes using mirrors and beads.

“There’s something magical about the Duke Energy Holiday Trains that has carved out this special place in people’s memories for 80 years,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center, said in a statement. “It’s a tradition we’re honored to continue. As multiple generations gather, reconnect, revisit cherished memories and make new ones, it’s clear holiday traditions live here at Cincinnati Museum Center.”

More holiday favorites

The trains aren’t the only nostalgic attractions at Holiday Junction. The exhibit also features toys from several generations, including Star Wars, NERF, My Little Pony and Super Soaker toys. Visitors can try to spot childhood favorites among the displays. A holiday scavenger hunt invites visitors to find characters from popular holiday movies hidden among the snow-covered hills and trees of the garden railway layout.

Santa arrives Nov. 27 and will be available for visits by his fireplace.

For those who want more trains, the OMNIMAX Theater will debut “Train Time,” an immersive journey aboard a cross-country freight train. The theater also will offer limited screenings of “Rocky Mountain Express,” which follows a steam-powered locomotive along the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Holiday Junction runs Nov. 13 through Jan. 4, 2027.