Holiday Train Dsiplays in Cincinnati Area

The layout that used to be in the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company (later Cinergy and still later Duke Energy) lobby was built as a traveling display and employee instructional tool by employees of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  After the B&O dropped the idea, the railroad donated the layout to the city of Cincinnati in 1946.  I've heard that the layout just happened to be in Cincinnati at the time.  It has been displayed here every Thanksgiving to New Year's season since then. 

Last year, the layout moved into the Cincinnati Museum Center.  It is still only on display from November until January but the layout is assembled and in place year-round.  This avoids the wear and tear that the layout withstood being assembled and then disassembled and stored every year.  Since moving into Museum Center, some of the track and electrical connections have been improved and several locomotives have been rebuilt so that they run much better than before.  After so many years, some of the equipment is pretty worn out.  Restoration of these pieces is ongoing.

"Museum Center"? is the old Cincy Union Station?  EnterTrainment Junction has been

the site for several TCA meets.  Since the closure some years ago of the large, heavily

stocked train/hobby shop on the SE side of Cincy, ET Jct., which operates a store on the site, (but not really a hobby shop), should turn it into one.  I have heard people complain about Cincy being a large city with no decent train shop.  But, hey, when I

once, some years ago,  made an effort to find decent ones in LA, on a trip, no luck there, either.  (at that time there was one well known three rail shop, which, when I visited, was surprised how small it was, but that name has vanished from ads)

Yes, Cincinnati Museum Center is in the old Union Station building.  There is actually one "decent" train store in town that is mostly 3-rail.  That is Dixie Union Station in Mason.  Google them for address, hours and phone number. 

Hobby shops here are generally way down since Davis Electronics/Davis Trains in Milford closed several years ago.  There used to be a chain here called Johnny's Toys and two of their 4 locations had good hobby and train departments.  All of the Johnny's locations are now closed.  There is one pretty good hobby shop in Covington, KY (just across the Ohio river) called Tim's Trains.  Tim used to run the train department for Johnny's Toys and now has his own shop.  It's well stocked with scenery supplies, paint and HO stuff with a little bit of O gauge.

EnterTrainment Junction solicited for a "real" hobby shop to come into their building before and just after their opening.  The rent was high, store hours were to be dictated to coincide with EJ hours, there was no direct outside door to the hobby shop area for deliveries, etc.  There was no interest from any of the existing stores in town so EJ eventually opened their own.

The Mason shop is in Mason, north of Cincy, and they need more room, but I think is

the best that is left.    I had once blundered on a Johnny's and since wondered what happened to them, but they were primarily HO, as it sounds like this Tim's is.  Shortly before Davis closed, I thnk due to the death of the owner, they had doubled their space.

(I remember being surprised to discover the Johnny's store...did not know it was a

chain, for, if you want ferocious competition, with trains you have hobby shops vs.

the internet.....with toys, you have an independent toy store vs. TOYSRUS, the internet, and every dollar store and big box retailer and discounter, if not just in the

boom holiday period, all year round.)